Sequoia National Park

On September 25, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed legislation establishing the second national park in America – Sequoia National Park. Giant sequoia groves grow only on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Created to protect giant sequoia trees from logging, this national park was the first park formed specifically to protect a living organism.

Follow the guide below to see what each district in Sequoia National Park has to offer.

District	Visitor Centers	Campgrounds and Lodges	Food/Restaurants	Features
Foothills	Foothills Visitor Center	Potwisha Buckeye Flat	Nearest food is in the town of Three Rivers (5 miles outside of Ash Mountain Entrance Station).	Tunnel Rock Marble Falls Hospital Rock Paradise Creek
Giant Forest and Lodgepole	Giant Forest Museum Lodgepole Visitor Center	Lodgepole Campground Dorst Campground Wuksachi Lodge	Lodgepole Grill and Market The Peaks Restaurant and Wuksachi Pizza Deck at Wuksachi Lodge	General Sherman Tree Congress Trail Big Trees Trail Moro Rock Crescent Meadow Tokopah Falls
Mineral King	Mineral King Ranger Station	Atwell Mill Cold Springs Silver City Resort	Silver City Resort	Mosquito Lakes

 

Districts in Sequoia

• 

  Foothills

  A diverse landscape ruled by the seasons.

• 

  Giant Forest and Lodgepole

  Two areas combined into one, Giant Forest and Lodgepole make up a large part of Sequoia National Park.

• 

  Mineral King

  A steep, winding road leads to a place of rugged beauty. Between 7,800 – 14,000 feet in elevation it’s the highest accessible location.

 

---

 

How to Get to Sequoia National Park

Those who are driving to Sequoia National Park can access it via:

• Ash Mountain Entrance Station (Highway 198 via Visalia)
• Big Stump Entrance Station (Highway 180 via Fresno)
  • Note: This entrance station is in Kings Canyon National Park. Visitors entering here will need to drive an additional hour and a half to access Sequoia National Park.
• Lookout Point Entrance (Highway 198 from Visalia, Three Rivers turnout)
  • Note: This entrance station goes to the Mineral King area only. There is no access to the rest of Sequoia National Park from here.

RVs and Oversized Vehicles

If you plan on visiting the park via the Ash Mountain Entrance (Highway 198 from Visalia), please note that the Generals Highway to the Giant Forest is a tight, twisting, and curvy road with steep elevation changes and many hairpin turns. It is not recommended to enter the park on this route in an RV or oversized vehicle. Please consider entering and exiting through the Big Stump Entrance along Highway 180 from Fresno instead. For more information on vehicle-length advisories, please visit our Driving with an RV page.

 

Shuttle Services

In summer, a paid shuttle service is available starting from the city of Visalia and can take visitors to the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park. From there, visitors can take free local shuttles to major features of the Giant Forest and Lodgepole areas. Shuttle services are not available for Kings Canyon National Park.

Driving in Winter

It is possible to access both Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks year-round. But in winter, sections of the Generals Highway may close and passage between the parks may be unavailable. Additionally, areas like Cedar Grove and Mineral King will close in early fall due to snow accumulation. Research park openings and closures on the road conditions page ahead of time. Tire chains are often required in these parks, and chain requirements can be in effect for days after a storm. You may need to bring chains for your vehicle, even if you have four-wheel or all-wheel drive.

 

Places to Go