The biggest trees on Earth, a granite-dome staircase, and the General Sherman.
Photo: Roman Tokman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Sequoia exists to protect the largest living things that have ever stood: giant sequoias, the most massive trees on the planet. The headliner is the General Sherman Tree — not the tallest tree, but the biggest by volume, a 2,200-year-old, 275-foot giant so large the numbers stop meaning anything until you're standing at its base, neck craned, feeling very small. Around it the Giant Forest holds thousands more, a cathedral grove laced with easy trails.
America's second-oldest national park (1890) shares one $35 ticket and a single management with Kings Canyon next door, but Sequoia has its own signature sights. Moro Rock is a granite dome you climb by 350 steps carved into the stone, ending on a knife-edge summit with the whole Great Western Divide laid out before you. You can drive your car through the Tunnel Log, wander the wildflower expanse of Crescent Meadow that John Muir called the 'Gem of the Sierra,' and tour the marble chambers of Crystal Cave on a timed ticket booked well ahead.
Getting in is part of the experience — and a thing to plan. The Generals Highway climbs steeply from the hot foothills through tight 1920s switchbacks, with vehicle-length limits that send RVs around via the Kings Canyon entrance from Fresno. The reward for the climb is a different world: while the foothills bake near 100°F, the sequoia belt at 6,500 feet stays cool and, in winter, deep under snow. There's no gas in the park and spotty cell service, so come up prepared — and give yourself time to drive slowly.
The largest tree on Earth by volume — a 2,200-year-old, 275-foot giant. The numbers don't land until you're standing under it.
Insider tipA half-mile paved trail descends from the lot (you climb ~200 ft back, at 7,000 ft — that's the hard part). Ride the summer shuttle from the Giant Forest Museum rather than fight for parking; an accessible trailhead is closer.
Plan a trip to this spot →A granite dome climbed by ~350 steps carved into the rock to a 6,725-foot summit with a 360° view across the Great Western Divide.
Insider tipGo early morning or near sunset for cooler steps; descend before afternoon thunderstorms (lightning on the exposed dome). Weekends it's shuttle-only; closed in winter ice.
Plan a trip to this spot →A marble cavern of glittering formations, open by guided tour only — one of the few Sequoia attractions that genuinely sells out.
Insider tipTickets are online only (Sequoia Parks Conservancy), no walk-ups, season roughly late May–early November. Book the moment your dates are set. A steep half-mile walk reaches the entrance; vehicles over 22 ft are barred from Crystal Cave Road.
Plan a trip to this spot →A lush, sequoia-ringed meadow John Muir called the 'Gem of the Sierra,' with summer wildflowers, deer, and a trail past an 1858 cabin built into a fallen sequoia.
Insider tipA ~1.8-mile loop; come at sunrise for wildlife. Pair it with Moro Rock and Tunnel Log as one loop off Crescent Meadow Road.
Plan a trip to this spot →A fallen sequoia with a drive-through tunnel cut in 1938 — the classic Sequoia photo op.
Insider tipVehicles over 8 feet tall take the bypass beside it. Aim for a weekday; weekends the road is shuttle-only.
Plan a trip to this spot →The orientation hub and summer shuttle center, with sequoia-and-fire exhibits and the easy paved Big Trees Trail out the door.
Insider tipMake it your first stop for current road, closure, and Crystal Cave info before heading to General Sherman.
Plan a trip to this spot →Two climates in one park. The Giant Forest at ~6,700 feet is mild in summer (highs in the mid-70s) and buried in snow in winter (200+ inches a year, lows near 17°F). The foothills at ~1,700 feet are a different world — July highs near 97°F, 20–30°F warmer than the sequoia belt up the road. Most of the high country's precipitation falls as winter snow, which is why the Generals Highway needs chains and seasonal roads close.
Two entrances reach the Giant Forest; which you use depends mostly on how big your vehicle is.
The foothills entrance from Visalia and Three Rivers, then the steep, switchbacking Generals Highway. Vehicles over 22 ft are not advised between Potwisha and the Giant Forest.
The preferred route for RVs and longer vehicles — enter on the Kings Canyon side from Fresno and reach the Giant Forest via the Generals Highway from the north, avoiding the tightest switchbacks.
One lodge sits up in the sequoia belt; campgrounds and the gateway town of Three Rivers fill out the rest. There's no gas in the park.
The only hotel inside Sequoia — 102 rooms with a full-service restaurant near the Giant Forest at ~7,000 feet, open year-round (chains may be required in winter).
Booking tipBook ahead for summer; it's the only in-park roof and the closest beds to General Sherman.
Lodgepole is the main Giant Forest campground (~214 sites, fills in minutes); Potwisha (foothills) and Azalea (Grant Grove) stay open year-round. Reservations on Recreation.gov.
Booking tipNote Dorst Creek is closed for 2026. Lodgepole reservation dates vary — check Recreation.gov, and store all food in the bear lockers.
The gateway town just outside the Ash Mountain entrance — riverfront cabins, motels, real restaurants, and fuel; the practical basecamp. Visalia and Fresno are the larger hubs.
Booking tipFuel up in Three Rivers — there's no gas inside the park.
Does my ticket cover Kings Canyon too?
Yes. One $35 vehicle pass (good for 7 days) covers both Sequoia and Kings Canyon plus the Hume Lake district — they're managed as a single unit. The $80 America the Beautiful pass also works. (Non-U.S. residents pay a $100-per-person surcharge in 2026 without an annual pass.)
Is there timed entry? What needs reserving?
No park timed-entry in 2026 — pay at the gate. The one attraction that must be reserved is Crystal Cave (online tickets, sells out); lodging and campgrounds also book ahead.
Can I bring an RV or trailer up the Generals Highway?
Use caution. Vehicles over 22 feet are not advised between Potwisha and the Giant Forest on the steep SR-198 switchbacks — longer rigs should enter via SR-180/Big Stump from Fresno instead. Trailers and vehicles over 22 ft are barred from Moro Rock–Crescent Meadow Road and Crystal Cave Road.
When do the roads and Crystal Cave open, and what about winter?
The Generals Highway is open year-round but chains are often required fall through spring (California chain control applies to all vehicles, even 4WD). Seasonal roads close in winter. Crystal Cave tours run roughly late May to early November — book ahead.
Is there gas or cell service in the park?
No gas inside the park — fuel in Three Rivers, Dunlap, or at Hume Lake. Cell service is spotty, so download offline maps before you drive up.
What about bears?
Black bears are common. Food-storage lockers are required at campsites and trailheads — store all food, trash, and scented items around the clock, and never leave food visible in a car.
Pick your vehicle, line up the stops on the way in and out, and carry the whole route in your pocket.
