GETTING AROUND
Most people depend on their wheels and the limited road system (many sections unplowed in winter). The pavement takes them to the big trees and allows superb views of the seemingly endless High Sierras. Vehicles more than 22-feet long will not be able to negotiate some of the hairpin turns on the Generals Highway. The highway into the Cedar Grove section of Kings Canyon suffered severe flood damage early this year. Repair work limits the hours when vehicles are allowed to proceed. Expect delays.
Hikers may find most of the 800 miles of backcountry trails daunting and remote, but rewarding. Relatively easy trails loop around and through the giant-sequoia groves and skirt adjacent meadows. Bikes must stay on paved roads. Horses, burros and llamas are allowed.
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WHEN TO GO
The parks are open all year, but some roads and most facilities close in winter, a season that may extend from early September into late May. Lodges, stores and restaurants respond to the weather, not the calendar. This year, many concessions opened as early as May 1.
Even in summertime, temperatures in the Sierras vary greatly. Dressing in layers is a must–starting with light shirts and shorts in the sweltering foothills and ending up with sweaters and jackets above 5,000 feet.
WHERE TO STAY
A variety of campsites is available in the parks, Some require reservations, others operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Rates range from $6 to $14 a night. For more information or to book a site, call Destinet at 800-365-2267.
Some lodging in the parks is seasonal–from mid-May to mid-October. A few cabins stay open all year. Rates run from $35 a night, plus tax, for a tent cabin sharing a communal bath to $96.50 for a hotel room in the Giant Forest of Sequoia (May-October only). For more information, call 209-335-5500 (fax is 209-335-2498), or write Sequoia-Kings Canyon Park Services, P.O. Box 909, Kings Canyon National Park, Calif. 93633.
Motels, resorts and bed-and-breakfasts are available in Three Rivers, about three miles south of the southern (Ash Mountain) entrance to Sequoia National Park.
DINING
The Lodgepole and Giant Forest areas of Sequoia come equipped with grocery stores, restaurants and pizza parlors. Kings Canyon offers a restaurant and grocery at Grant Grove, plus more opportunities for nourishment at Cedar Grove.
Restaurants in nearby Three Rivers–notably the White Horse and the Gateway–show a bit more ambition. The Gateway, located at a frothing bend of the Kaweah River, is blessed with the most pleasant setting.
ACCESSIBILITY
Visitor centers at Ash Mountain, Lodgepole and Grant Grove accommodate wheelchairs. Trails are paved near the Gen. Sherman and Gen. Grant trees, as are the Congress Trail and Trail for All People in Giant Forest. Picnic areas at Ash Mountain, Hospital Rock and Big Stump are furnished with modified tables. Deep winter snow may limit accessibility in the giant-tree groves.
INFORMATION
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Three Rivers, Calif. 93271-9700; 209-565-3341 or on the World Wide Web at http://www.nps.gov.seki.