Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (Fodor's) - Fodor's [30]
WHAT TO SEE
Sequoia National Park is all about the trees, and to understand the scale of these giants you must walk among them. If you do nothing else, get out of the car for a short stroll through one of the groves. But there is much more to the park than the trees. Try to get up to one of the vista points that give you a panoramic view over the forested mountains. Whether you’re driving south to north or north to south, Generals Highway (Route 198) will be your route to most of the park’s sights. A few short spur roads lead off the highway to some sights, and Mineral King Road branches off Route 198 to enter the park at Lookout Point, winding east from there into the southernmost part of the park.
HISTORIC SITES
Mineral King Ranger Station.
The small visitor center here houses a few exhibits on the history of the area; wilderness permits and some books and maps are available. | End of Mineral King Rd., 25 mi east of East Fork entrance 93262 | 559/565–3768 | Late May–mid-Sept., daily 8–4:30.
SCENIC STOPS
Auto Log.
At one time, cars drove right on top of this giant fallen sequoia. Now it’s a great place to pose for pictures. | Moro Rock–Crescent Meadow Rd., 1 mi south of Giant Forest 93262.
Crescent Meadow.
John Muir called this the "gem of the Sierra." Take an hour or two to walk around, and see if you agree. Wildflowers bloom here throughout the summer. | End of Moro Rock–Crescent Meadow Rd., 2.6 mi east off Generals Hwy. 93262
Crystal Cave.
One of more than 200 caves in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, Crystal Cave is unusual in that it’s composed largely of marble, the result of limestone being hardened under heat and pressure. It contains several impressive formations that will be easier to see once an environmentally sensitive relighting project is completed in the next few years. Unfortunately, some of the cave’s formations have been damaged or destroyed by early 20th-century dynamite blasting. The standard tour will give you 45 minutes inside the cave. | Crystal Cave Rd., 6 mi west off Generals Hwy. 93262 | 559/565–3759 | www.sequoiahistory.org | $11 | Mid-May–mid-Oct., daily 10–4.
General Sherman Tree.
Neither the world’s tallest nor oldest sequoia, General Sherman is nevertheless tops in volume—and it is still putting on weight, adding the equivalent of a 60-foot-tall tree every year to its 2.7 million-pound mass. | Generals Hwy. (Rte. 198), 2 mi south of Lodgepole Visitor Center 93262.
Mineral King.
This subalpine valley sits at 7,800 feet at the end of a steep, winding road. The trip from the park’s entrance can take up to two hours. This is the highest point to which you can drive in the park. | End of Mineral King Rd., 25 mi east of Generals Hwy. (Rte. 198), east of Three Rivers 93262.
Moro Rock.
Sequoia National Park’s best non-tree attraction offers panoramic views to those fit and determined enough to mount its 350-ish steps. In a case where the journey rivals the destination, Moro’s stone stairway is so impressive in its twisty inventiveness that it’s on the National Register of Historic Places. The rock’s 6,725-foot summit overlooks the Middle Fork Canyon, sculpted by the Kaweah River and approaching the depth of Arizona’s Grand Canyon. | Moro Rock–Crescent Meadow Rd., 2 mi east off Generals Hwy. (Rte. 198) to parking area 93262.
Tunnel Log.
It’s been 40 years since you could drive through a standing sequoia—and that was in Yosemite National Park’s Mariposa Grove, not here. This 275-foot tree fell in 1937, and soon a 17-foot-wide, 8-foot-high hole was cut through it for vehicular passage that continues today. Large vehicles take the nearby bypass. | Moro Rock–Crescent Meadow Rd., 2 mi east of Generals Hwy. (Rte. 198) 93262.
VISITOR CENTERS
Foothills Visitor Center.
Exhibits focusing on the foothills and resource issues facing the parks are on display here. You