This weekend at Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks marked my third and fourth national parks visits for the year following Pinnacles and Joshua Tree, and I think they might be my favorite of 2018 so far! Living in the Bay Area, we are fortunate enough to make a weekend trip out of the expansive parks with them being just about a 4 hour drive from our front steps. We left on a Friday right after work and stayed a couple nights in the nearby town of Fresno since all the parks’ campgrounds were booked when we decided to go. It was 48 hours of worthwhile hikes, gorgeous views, and lots of neck craning to gaze up at the towering sequoia trees. If you’re hoping to visit (or just curious about the area), here are recommendations and a look at what we did on our weekend in scenic Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks.

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Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks Trip Basics 

• Where: Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks are right next to each other in central California just south of Yosemite National Park and surrounded by various National Forests. They’re about equidistant between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
• Accommodations: Camping in the parks would be ideal, but this was a last minute jaunt for us and the parks were particularly smokey this weekend. We ended up staying at an excellent Airbnb in Fresno, which is about an hour east of the parks.
• Weather: The temperature on this last weekend in July was just perfect. Each day was about 22 degrees celsius.
• Price: The fee for one vehicle is $35, which includes entry to both parks for 7 days. Full pricing details here.
• Top sights at Sequoia National Park: Moro Rock, General Sherman Tree, and Tunnel Log
• Top sights at Kings Canyon National Park: Zumwalt Meadow, Roaring River Falls, Grizzly Falls

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Day 1: A Day at Sequoia National Park Itinerary

1. Picked up sandwiches at a local sandwich spot in Fresno, CA to bring to Sequoia for lunch later.
2. Arrived at the Sequoia National Park Visitor Center at 11am to grab a map, check out the souvenirs, and use the restroom (necessary if you have a small bladder!).
3. Took the shuttle to see the famous General Sherman Tree (the largest sequoia in the world).
4. Took the pleasant hike to Tokopah Falls and found a quiet spot to eat lunch. We also saw an adorable marmot here! Apparently they can get pretty aggressive when it comes to hikers’ food and belongings. This area was an incredible destination for a hike and meal. While it was an easy hike, we actually had a really hard time on the way back due to the wildfire smoke and elevation.
5. Briefly stopped at Beetle Rock, which provides an incredible view of the surrounding peaks and valleys.
6. Took the shuttle up to the base of Moro Rock and hiked up to its peak. This was hands down my favorite part of the weekend. The climb up to the top provided the most breathtaking views of the park all the way up. You really feel like you’re on top of the world up there.
7. Caught the last shuttle down to our car from Moro Rock.
8. Walked on top of Auto Log, which was a tree named for the ability to withstand cars back in the day. It’s huge.
9. Drove through Tunnel Log, which is exactly what you assume – it’s a log with a tunnel through it. Everyone lines up in their cars and stops every 2 minutes as people take photos at the front of the line.
10. Drove back to Fresno and grabbed dinner and beers at the town’s most popular brewery, Tioga-Sequoia Brewing. This spot had great service, affordable food and drinks, and of course – tasty beer.

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Day 2: A Day at Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Forest Itinerary

1. Picked up sandwiches at Safeway in Fresno, CA.
2. Arrived at Kings Canyon National Park Visitor Center at 11am to grab a map, check out the souvenirs, and use the restroom (again, necessary!).
3. Viewed and walked around the General Grant Tree, the world’s second largest tree.
4. Drove along Kings Canyon’s scenic byway, a 50-mile-drive with beautiful valley views the whole way through.
5. Stopped for a few minutes to take in Grizzly Falls, which is right off the byway.
6. Walked around the calming sights of Zumwalt Meadow. Unfortunately, the sights were pretty limited here due to the smoke (and really quite eerie).
7. We stopped to have lunch at Roaring River Falls, a very large and plentiful waterfall just a short stroll from the byway.
8. Dipped our feet in the river by Road’s End.
9. Stopped by Hume Lake and went for a knee-deep dip before exiting the park and heading back to Berkeley. One side of the lake was the bustling site for the Hume Lake Christian Summer Camps. We looked totally out of place on our stop at the camp with being over a decade older than most of the people there.

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Sequoia National Park in Photos

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Kings Canyon National Park in Photos 

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Questions or comments on Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks? Let me know in the comments!