Sequoia National Park Day Trip: What Fits in One Day
The whole day happens in one square mile of the park called the Giant Forest. From Three Rivers at the Ash Mountain entrance it is an hour of switchbacks up the Generals Highway, and from Visalia about 90 minutes. Do the General Sherman Tree first thing, walk the Congress Trail at two miles, climb Moro Rock, and drive out through the Tunnel Log to Crescent Meadow. That is a full and satisfying day. Add Kings Canyon only if you have two. Our things to do in Sequoia guide covers the rest of the park.
Where you can day trip from
- Three Rivers: 20 minutes to the entrance, an hour to the Giant Forest. The obvious base.
- Visalia: 90 minutes to the Giant Forest. Cheap hotels and a real airport shuttle option.
- Fresno: two hours to the Giant Forest, or 90 minutes to Grant Grove in Kings Canyon.
- Bakersfield: two and a half hours.
- Los Angeles: four hours each way. Eight hours of driving for five hours in the park, which is why our California national parks road trip gives Sequoia two nights rather than a day.
- Yosemite Valley: four hours. Doable as a transfer day, not as a day trip.
The one day plan
- 8am, the General Sherman Tree. The largest tree on earth by volume, 275 feet tall and 36 feet across at the base. The main trail down from the upper car park is half a mile and paved, and the walk back up gains 200 feet at 7,000 feet of elevation, which people notice.
- 9am, the Congress Trail. Two paved miles from the Sherman tree through the President, the Senate and the House groups. This is the part most day visitors skip and the part that actually shows you a sequoia forest rather than a single famous tree.
- Noon, the Giant Forest Museum, then lunch at Lodgepole or a picnic at Round Meadow.
- 1:30pm, Moro Rock. Three hundred and fifty steps up a granite dome to a railing with the whole Great Western Divide in front of you. A quarter mile, and not for anyone uneasy with exposure.
- 3pm, Crescent Meadow. Drive through the Tunnel Log on the way. Walk the meadow loop at 1.6 miles, or continue to Tharp's Log, a cabin inside a fallen sequoia.
- 4:30pm, back down the Generals Highway before the light goes, because the switchbacks are not fun in the dark when you do not know them.
The road, which catches people out
The Generals Highway from the Ash Mountain entrance climbs 5,000 feet in 16 miles through more than 100 curves. It takes a full hour, not the 25 minutes the mileage suggests. Vehicles over 22 feet are advised to use the Highway 180 entrance through Kings Canyon instead, and trailers are restricted on the steep section. In winter the road is plowed but chains are frequently required, and the Crescent Meadow and Moro Rock road closes with snow.
Two other practical notes. There is no fuel inside either park, so fill up in Three Rivers or Fresno. And the Giant Forest sits at 6,400 to 7,000 feet, so it is 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the Central Valley, which is a relief in July and a jacket in October.
Adding Kings Canyon
Sequoia and Kings Canyon are administered together and share one entrance fee. Grant Grove, home of the General Grant Tree, is 90 minutes north of the Giant Forest along the Generals Highway and makes a reasonable second half of a long day. The canyon itself is different: Highway 180 drops 4,000 feet to Cedar Grove and Roads End, where the Mist Falls trail runs eight miles along the Kings River. That road closes from November to April and it deserves a day of its own. Our Kings Canyon backpacking itinerary goes further in.
When to come
- May to October: everything open. July and August fill the Sherman car park by 10am, so the 8am start matters.
- September and October: the best month. Warm days, cold mornings, no queue.
- November to April: the sequoias in snow are worth the drive, but bring chains, expect the Moro Rock road to be closed, and check the road status page the morning you go.
Have us build the day
Tell us where you are staying and we will time the day around the car parks and the light, and tell you whether to add Kings Canyon. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
Sequoia National Park Day Trip: What Fits in One Day FAQs
Yes, if you stay in the Giant Forest area. The General Sherman Tree, the Congress Trail, Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow fit comfortably into one day from Three Rivers or Visalia. Kings Canyon needs a second day.
About 225 miles and four hours to the Giant Forest. That makes a day trip eight hours of driving, so most people stay a night in Three Rivers or Visalia instead.
The Congress Trail. It is two paved miles from the General Sherman Tree through several of the largest trees in the world, and it is quiet 300 yards from the car park while the Sherman tree itself has a queue for photographs.
About an hour for the 16 miles from the Ash Mountain entrance to the Giant Forest, because the road climbs 5,000 feet through more than 100 curves. Vehicles over 22 feet should use the Highway 180 entrance instead.
It is short and steep: 350 steps carved into a granite dome, a quarter of a mile each way. The stairs have railings but there is real exposure, so it is not for anyone with a fear of heights, and it is not the place to be in a thunderstorm.
No entry reservation has been required. Entry is $35 per vehicle for seven days and covers Kings Canyon too. Lodgepole and Dorst campgrounds book on recreation.gov, and there is no fuel available inside the parks.
