Current Conditions

Essential Items For Your Fall/Winter Visit

It is the time of year where we encourage everyone who is visiting (particularly the Giant Forest or Grant Grove areas) to bring shoe traction devices/cleats, durable shoes/boots, and even trekking poles. These items will help you avoid slips and falls on park roads, sidewalks, and trails. In places where snow makes it difficult to follow trails, use a winter trail map and follow blazes, or yellow trail markers attached to trees along winter trails. Packing these items will lead to a more enjoyable and safe visit!

 

-Updated December 1, 2020-

Lodging Closures

All visitor services at Wuksachi Lodge are closed until further notice, including the lodge, the restaurant, gift shop, and restrooms. There will be no food service in the parks until the lodge reopens, and travelers are advised to bring food from outside the parks. In Kings Canyon, Grant Grove Market remains open. For more information, please visit Delaware North's website or contact their reservations number: [phone].

Weather and Road Conditions

We're expecting more beautiful, sunny weather this week, however, things can change quickly so be sure to check local weather forecasts before you visit. Temperatures are dipping below freezing at night, making winter gear and warm layers necessary for camping and backpacking. Roads are mostly bare and dry, but shaded areas may have wet patches that are icy in evening or early mornings.

For the most up-to-date information about road conditions and chain requirements, call [phone] (press 1, then 1 again).

Throughout the fall and winter, our plow drivers will continue to clear snow from highways and other roadways as it falls. If you plan to visit, it's critical that you stay clear of snowplows, follow chain control requirements, and be patient if roads are closed or blocked by traffic.

Grant Grove Area Conditions

Panoramic Point Road has reopened to vehicles. Feel free to hike or drive to the overlook. Several Grant Grove area trails that can be accessed on foot including the Kings Canyon VC to Grant Tree Trail, the Sunset Loop Trail, and the North Grove Loop Trail. The North Grove Loop has a small tree and some branches that have fallen across the trail, but they are easy to step across. Most trails are free of snow and ice, but some slick areas exist where melting snow freezes overnight as temperatures drop. Waterproof boots are recommended. Currently, there is not enough snow to ski or snowshoe.

Giant Forest/Lodgepole Area Conditions

The main Sherman Tree Trailhead and Parking Area is currently open. The trail that descends to the Sherman Tree from this parking area is steep and can be quite slippery in fall and winter—use caution. When this parking area is closed due to snowy conditions, other parking in the area is extremely limited. If you'd like to visit the General Sherman Tree, and the main lot is not open, we recommend you visit this area early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and visit other areas during peak times of day. Larger parking areas at Giant Forest Museum offer options for trails that lead to a variety of hikes through giant sequoia groves.

Additional locations to visit include stops along the Moro Rock / Crescent Meadow Road (currently open to vehicles) and the Big Trees Trail. Our staff report that these areas are accessible by foot, but trails are icy and slushy in places with slippery shaded areas. The Tokopah Falls trail is mostly dry at this time.

Picnic Areas/Snowplay Areas

Our picnic areas, some of which are snowplay areas in winter, are open. Big Stump Picnic and Snowplay Area is now open after a facilities maintenance project, but there is very little snow there and new picnic tables are yet to be installed. Wolverton and Columbine Picnic and Snowplay areas will be open for gathering and recreating but there is not enough snow present for winter activities.

Foothills Area Conditions

Currently, the warm weather in foothills offers excellent dayhiking opportunities. Explore the changing fall colors on the trail, which are mostly bare and dry. Marble Falls currently has flowing water for those who enjoy waterfall hikes.

Closures in Sequoia National Park

While both parks are currently open, some areas remain closed. The Mineral King and Cedar Grove areas are closed until next summer. The South Fork area and some wilderness areas in Sequoia are closed due to the SQF Complex fires-see closure map here. Sequoia National Forest is now partially open, and details are posted on their website.

COVID-19 Safety and Access to Facilities

In accordance with guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have closed acess to some facilities due to the panedmic. Three visitors have a regular schedule of indoor or outdoor information services: Foothills Visitor Center, Giant Forest Museum, and Kings Canyon Visitor Center in Grant Grove. Park stores at each visitor center offer sales of books, trail maps, and other educational items. Exhibit halls and theaters are closed.

Your safety is our number one priority. The health and safety of staff and visitors alike is critical to us. We are working with the NPS Office of Public Health and the US Public Health Service to closely monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. Please follow COVID-19 safety procedures.

Information on Neighboring Public Lands

Traveling to Yosemite National Park? Reservations are no longer required to enter the park, though they're strongly recommended for camping and lodging.

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.

 

 

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  Campground Information for 2020

  Check here for updates on the availability of camping in summer 2020.

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  Park Newspaper

  Read our park newspaper before you come to get details about services and park features.

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  Current Fire Information

  Information about wildfires and prescribed burns