Death Valley, Sequoia, Kings Canyon to Yosemite

Death Valley National Park is mostly known for its extreme temperatures and elevation changes. The park features the lowest point in North America and has elevation changes that exceed 8,600 feet. This park’s complex geology offers a sight into bygone eras of lost seas, volcanoes and fault lines.

Lodging

The park can easily be accessed from the west via the California towns of Lone Pine, Ridgecrest and Olancha. You can stay on the eastern side of the park in either Beatty, NV or Shoshone, CA. We decided to choose Beatty because it was a perfect spot to both visit the National Park and was an easy trip from our flight in via Las Vegas.

Attractions

If you stay in Beatty, you’ll enter the park via the Daylight Pass Road. This road offers stunning views that seem to change at every turn. Beatty is about a 45 minutes drive to the main Visitor’s Center of the park in Furnace Creek.

From this point, access to many of the popular sights is easy. The lowest point in North America – Badwater Basin – is 17 miles south of the center. Zabriskie Point is 7 miles south of the center, and overlooks eroded badlands from a high vantage point. This is a must-see at either sunrise or sunset!

The one way loop known as the Artists Drive is another must see attraction. The amazing array of colors stemming from the oxidation of various metals on the volcanic rock is a one-of-a-kind sight. The landscape features multiple hues of colors including green, red, yellow, purple, and pink!

The best easy hike in the park is hands-down the one at Derwin Falls. This 2-mile round trip hike starts west of Panamint Springs on Route 190 and takes you past the waterfall and back in about one and a half hours.

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 (14,494 ft)

Lodging

We decided to stay in the town of Three Rivers, CA, which only about a 7 mile (11 km) or 13-minute drive to the entrance of Sequoia through the Ash Mountain Entrance. There were plenty of Airbnb options in this area, but there are also a handful of hotels and motels in the same vicinity.

The Silver City Resort is within the park, but – again – it fills up fast, and unless you are looking many months into the future, you will have to find other accommodations.

If you still cannot find any space, consider Visalia, CA, which is about 40 minutes south from the park’s entrance.

Attractions

Many of the most famous attractions within Sequoia NP are located on the General’s Highway.  Leave the top of that highway for the car ride out to the next park in a couple days and instead focus on the southern parts of the park.

The Giant Forest Museum and Moro Rock are a couple more must-stops just inside this visitor’s center.

As for hiking in Sequoia NP, the Big Trees Loop (1.2 miles round trip) near the Museum and the Cold Springs Nature Trail are two easy trails that the whole family can enjoy. The Marble Fork Trail (7.4 miles round trip) starts at the Potwisha Campground and winds up a strenuous trail to view the amazing Marble Falls.

Yosemite National Park is best known for its majestic waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows and ancient giant sequoias.

Lodging

This park is a bit far from any urban areas, so for the best experience while here, stay within the park. You will beat the crowds into the park, be able to stay late, and generally spend less time driving around. Lodging options inside Yosemite National Park are managed by Yosemite Hospitality, and range from simple tent cabins at the High Sierra Camps to deluxe rooms at The Ahwahnee. Reservations are available 366 days in advance and are strongly recommended, especially from spring through fall and during holidays.

If you don’t mind driving – or there is simply nothing available inside the park – staying in Yosemite West, CA or Fish Camp, CA may be a good alternative. There are a cluster of wonderful Airbnbs in the area, but they are about an hour or more away from the park’s main entrance.

Attractions

El Capitan is the most recognizable feature in Yosemite, but there are plenty of other places to visit and trails to hike that will easily fill multiple days in the area.

The floor of Yosemite Valley offers amazing views of El Capitan, and it’s plunging Bridalveil Falls. There are multiple starting points of trails in the valley as well, including the popular Mist Trail.

Glacier Point is another popular vantage point of the valley via the Four-Mile Trail, which is just under 5 miles one-way.

Another recognizable feature at Yosemite is the Half Dome, which is further into the park, near the Yosemite Valley Visitors Center. This enormous granite dome is only accessible via technical climbers on a 15-mile round trip hike that spans multiple trails. This trail is not for the faint-of-heart and requires a permit from the park to hike.