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Travel guide
Sequoia and Kings Canyon
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: June to October
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Welcome
Sequoia and Kings Canyon, in a few days
Two neighbouring parks managed together on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, home to the largest trees in the world: the General Sherman, 84 metres tall and about 2,200 years old, towers over the Giant Forest. To the north, Kings Canyon cuts a glacial valley more than 2,400 metres deep, reached by a road that is open only from late spring to autumn.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 3 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · General Sherman Tree · about 1 hThe largest living tree in the world by volume, 83.8 metres tall and some 2,200 years old, reached by an 800-metre paved path whose climb back up is surprisingly tiring.
- Afternoon · Congress Trail · about 1 h 30A paved 3.2 km loop from the General Sherman through the heart of the Giant Forest, past the President and the tight clusters known as the Senate and the House.
- Late afternoon · Crescent Meadow · about 1 h 30A wet meadow ringed by sequoias where black bears often forage, with a loop to Tharp's Log, the start of the High Sierra Trail and the Tunnel Log on the way.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lazy J Ranch Motel ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€170 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Moro Rock · about 1 hA granite dome on the edge of the Giant Forest, climbed by a 1931 staircase of more than 350 steps to a 360-degree view over the Great Western Divide.
- Afternoon · Tokopah Falls · 2 to 3 h round tripAn easy trail from Lodgepole up the Marble Fork of the Kaweah to a glacier-carved canyon, where the falls cascade 365 metres down the rock, strongest in early summer.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lazy J Ranch Motel ↗€170 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Kings Canyon Scenic Byway · a full dayRoute 180 plunges 50 km from Grant Grove into one of North America's deepest canyons, following the Kings River to the flat glacial valley of Cedar Grove and Roads End.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lazy J Ranch Motel ↗€170 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Zumwalt Meadow · about 1 hA flat 2.4 km loop at the bottom of Cedar Grove along the Kings River and around a meadow, beneath cliffs rising more than 1,000 metres above the valley.
- Afternoon · General Grant Tree · about 45 minThe world's second largest tree, 81.7 metres tall, named the nation's Christmas tree in 1926 and circled by a short paved loop past the Fallen Monarch and Gamlin Cabin.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €165 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJune to October
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/sequoia-kings-canyon
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.