Current Conditions

If you choose to visit Kings Canyon National Park, expect extremely poor air quality and limited visibility in both Grant Grove and Cedar Grove. This photo shows conditions in Cedar Grove in the early afternoon of September 18.

Page last updated September 22, 2021, 11 am

The KNP Complex Wildfires

The KNP Complex Fires were caused by a significant lightning storm on Thursday September 9, are still growing, and have the potential to affect Sequoia National Park infrastructure and resources. We are aggressively attacking these fires to suppress them. These fires KNP Complex fires have been in full suppression since their discovery the morning following the lightning storm. For updates, maps, and the latest information on how the parks are working to protect resources both inside and outside the parks, please visit the Inciweb KNP Complex web page.

As a result of the fires, the parks evacuated employees from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Additional evacuation orders are in effect for portions of Three Rivers. For details about the evacuation orders and links to further information, check the Inciweb KNP Complex web page.

Crews are preparing the Giant Forest as the fire reaches that area by removing fuel and applying structure wrap on some of the iconic monarch sequoias that characterize the most famous area of Sequoia National Park. The fire continues to grow in all directions. In recent days, crews continue structure protection around NPS headquarters and housing areas at Ash Mountain. Air operations are providing support to crews on the ground as well as structure protection for cabins in the Mineral King area. Cal-Fire and Tulare County are providing structure protection efforts in the Three Rivers Community outside the park, including creating fire breaks with dozers.

Daily Briefings and Public Meetings

• Twice-daily briefings for the KNP Complex Fires are tentatively scheduled for mornings and evenings. These briefings are available on the parks' Facebook page.
• A community meeting was held on September 17, 2021, at 7 p.m. at the Three Rivers Veterans Memorial Building. Two previous public meetings have taken place and recordings for all meeting are available on the parks' Facebook page.

Road Closures

The Generals Highway is closed from the Sequoia National Park entrance (near Highway 198 and Three Rivers) to Quail Flat, 4 miles south of the Highway 180/Generals Highway Junction and 5 miles south of Grant Grove Village). California Highway 180 entering the Cedar Grove area is closed.

Area, Services, and Facilities Closures

All developed areas and most roads and wilderness lands are closed. These areas will remain closed until the fire threat is diminished, and listed closure dates may be extended:

• All lands within the boundaries of Sequoia National Park west of the Pacific Crest Trail
• All lands of Kings Canyon National Park west of the Generals Highway and south of Highway 180
• All lands within the wilderness of Kings Canyon National Park west of the Pacific Crest Trail and south of the ridgeline which lies north of Ionian Basin
• All facilities and services in both Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Parks
• The Grant Tree road and the entrance to Grant Grove Village area and Crystal Springs are now closed
• The Cedar Grove area
• All campgrounds in both parks. Campgrounds in Sequoia National Park are closed through 9/30 due to proximity to the fire. Campgrounds in Kings Canyon National Park (Grant Grove and Cedar Grove) are closed through 9/25. All reservations will be fully refunded through Recreation.gov.
• All lodging reservations and wilderness permits for trailheads in Sequoia National Park and Crystal Cave tour tickets have been cancelled. Check our Frequently Asked Questions about the KNP Complex page for details.

New closures may be put in place at any time, and conditions are changing quickly. Follow local instructions if evacuation warnings or mandatory evacuations are enacted.

Air Quality and Smoke Outlook

Fires both inside and outside the parks are severely impacting air quality. Conditions are changing quickly depending on location, fire behavior, and wind and weather patterns. For real-time air quality information and location-specific air quality updates, visit the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. We also now have a daily Smoke Outlook report for the KNP Complex fires

Please also visit our Air Quality Information web page. Most importantly, follow our current fire restrictions that prohibit wood and charcoal fires at all elevations to avoid human-caused wildfires when conditions are dangerously dry.

Outdoor information stations at visitor centers may close and ranger programs may be cancelled due to poor air quality.

Neighboring US Forest Service Access and Closures

The U.S. Forest Service announced they are lifting the California statewide closure of USFS lands at Midnight on Wednesday, September 15. However, new closures in the Sequoia National Forest associated with the KNP Complex Fires are in effect. The closure order includes Big Meadows and the Hume Lake area. In addition, Abbott Creek Road, Chicago Stump, and Hoist Ridge Roads outside the closure area are also closed. For more information and a map, please visit the Sequoia National Forest website.

Despite the closure of portions of neighboring Sequoia National Forest, the Sierra and Inyo national forests are now open.

 

Fire Information

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  KNP Complex Fires Information

  Learn more about the status of the KNP Complex fires (Colony and Paradise fires) in Sequoia National Park.

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  FAQs-KNP Complex Fires

  Find answers to frequently asked questions regarding the current KNP Complex fires, and related facilities and service closures.

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  Current Fire Information

  Information available here on all park wildfires.

 

COVID-19 Safety, When Parks Reopen

To promote the safety of visitors and staff, masks are required in all NPS buildings, on the Sequoia Shuttle, and while attending Crystal Cave tours, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are also require in outdoor spaces when physical distancing cannot be maintained, such as narrow or busy trails and overlooks.

We urge you to follow National Park Service guidance and CDC guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

For the health and safety of others, please choose another time to visit a park if: 

1. You are experiencing COVID-like symptoms such as a dry cough, fever, difficulty breathing, and/or loss of taste or smell.
2. You had close contact with someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
3. You are self-isolating or self-quarantining because you may have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 or are worried that you may be sick with COVID-19.

 

Information on Neighboring Public Lands

Traveling to Yosemite National Park? Reservations will be required to enter the park for day use through September 30, 2021.

For information on the status of the Sequoia National Forest or Giant Sequoia National Monument (managed by the US Forest Service), visit the Sequoia National Forest website.

For information on Lake Kaweah (managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), visit their website.