Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is home to some of the tallest and oldest trees on Earth. The park also has the tallest peak in the contiguous Unites States: Mount Whitney, who’s peak tops out at 14,494 ft. Much of this park’s terrain is accessible only by hiking trails like the John Muir Trail, which snakes all the way from Yosemite, through neighboring Kings Canyon then finally to Sequoia.
Places to Stay When Visiting Sequoia
There are plenty of places to stay within Sequoia’s boundary. Between this park and Kings Canyon (which is literally right next door), there are at least 5 options, mostly available for booking on VisitSequoia.com. This includes the Wuksachi and John Muir Lodges that are usually open year-round. The Grant Grove Cabins that have a little less amenities, but is also open year-round. And the Cedar Grove Lodge that is only open during the busy season (spring to fall).
Three Rivers, CA is the largest and closest (8 miles) outside town to Sequoia’s main Foothills entrance. Here are some other nearby towns that should have some lodging options available, but only if you book them in time!
- Lemon Cove, CA (20 miles away)
- Woodlake, CA (23 miles)
- Exeter, CA (29 miles)
VISIT Sequoia National Park:
Park Details
Sequoia National Park was established on September 20, 1890, and has a total area of 404,064 acres (631 square miles, or 1,636 square kilometers).
| Address | Three Rivers, CA, 93271 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 559-565-3341 |
| Hours | Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year |
| Entrance Fee | $35 per vehicle, valid for 7 days. Includes access to Kings Canyon |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
Sequoia National Park is the 68th most visited park in the country.
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Sequoia National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Sequoia National Park is.
Our data shows the best months to visit Sequoia National Park are May, June, September & October.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | 36,024 | 28,737 | 63,343 | 93,054 | 119,816 | 153,882 | 193,633 | 190,139 | 144,639 | 118,187 | 59,502 | 45,097 |
| Precipitation | 65 | 69 | 48 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 19 | 29 | 57 |
| Avg Temp | 30 | 30 | 35 | 41 | 51 | 61 | 67 | 66 | 60 | 50 | 39 | 30 |
| Max Temp | 42 | 41 | 46 | 54 | 63 | 71 | 74 | 72 | 68 | 61 | 52 | 43 |
| Avg Temp | 14 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 28 | 35 | 43 | 42 | 35 | 27 | 19 | 13 |
| Min Temp | -4 | -4 | -1 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 33 | 31 | 22 | 12 | 2 | -5 |
Sequoia National Park Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Sequoia National Park is visited.
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Sequoia National Park.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Kings Canyon National Park | 20 mi |
| Manzanar National Historic Site | 29 mi |
| Devils Postpile National Monument | 82 mi |
| César E. Chávez National Monument | 88 mi |
| Death Valley National Park | 100 mi |
| Yosemite National Park | 102 mi |
| Pinnacles National Park | 142 mi |
| Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area | 166 mi |
| Channel Islands National Park | 178 mi |
| Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument | 186 mi |
Nearby Campsites & RV Parks
If you are looking to pitch a tent or park an RV at a campsite near Sequoia National Park, here is a list of the closest campsites in the surrounding area. They all have slightly different amenitites, so its best to check them all out instead of just chosing the first on the list.
| Name | Details | Miles Away |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Springs - Sequoia National Park | Three Rivers, CA more | 4 miles |
| Atwell Mill - Sequoia National Park | Grant Grove, CA more | 5 miles |
| Buckeye Flat - Sequoia National Park | Three Rivers, CA more | 9 miles |
| Lodgepole - Sequoia National Park | Giant Forest, CA more | 10 miles |
| Potwisha - Sequoia National Park | Three Rivers, CA more | 11 miles |
| South Fork - Sequoia National Park | CA more | 14 miles |
| Dorst Creek - Sequoia National Park | Giant Forest, CA more | 15 miles |
| Upper Stony Creek | Dunlap, CA more | 17 miles |
| Stony Creek | Wilsonia, CA more | 17 miles |
| Hidden Falls - State Forest | Springville, CA more | 17 miles |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Sequoia National Park:
| Name | Location | Summit | Difficulty Score™ | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bear Mountain | Big Bear Lake, CA | 8,805 ft | 50% | 50 mi |
| Mammoth Mountain | Mammoth Lakes, CA | 11,053 ft | 70% | 82 mi |
| June Mountain | June Lake, CA | 10,090 ft | 68% | 91 mi |
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight. For those of you looking to fly into Sequoia National Park, we've listed the closest airports in the area.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Sequoia National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles International Airport | LAX | Los Angeles, CA | 177 mi |
| Ontario International Airport | ONT | Ontario, CA | 178 mi |
| Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport | SJC | San Jose, CA | 193 mi |
| Harry Reid International Airport | LAS | Las Vegas, NV | 194 mi |
| Oakland International Airport | OAK | Oakland, CA | 216 mi |
| Reno–Tahoe International Airport | RNO | Reno, NV | 216 mi |
| San Francisco International Airport | SFO | San Francisco, CA | 222 mi |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Sequoia National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno Yosemite International Airport | FAT | Fresno, CA | 65 mi |
| Meadows Field | BFL | Bakersfield, CA | 78 mi |
| San Luis County Regional Airport | SBP | San Luis Obispo, CA | 144 mi |
| Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field | SMX | Santa Maria, CA | 152 mi |
| Santa Barbara Municipal Airport | SBA | Santa Barbara, CA | 159 mi |
| Hollywood Burbank Airport | BUR | Burbank, CA | 160 mi |
| Monterey Peninsula Airport | MRY | Monterey, CA | 180 mi |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.