Sequoia's Living Legacy

Sequoia National Park is the second oldest national park in the United States, and the first ever created to protect a living organism, and that’s the giant sequoia tree.

Within Sequoia National Park’s boundaries, you’ll find:

• hiking trails
• panoramic vistas
• diverse wildlife
• and so much more of Mother Nature’s beauty.

Of course, the stars of the show in this national park are the giant sequoia trees, which grow only in a 60-mile radius here in the Sierra Nevada. The park is home to the world’s largest tree, known as General Sherman.

But Sequoia National Park is so much more than a home to giant trees.

Its raw wilderness pulses with life, from a history of those who ventured through it for generations, to those who worked to preserve and protect it for us to enjoy today.

Explore Sequoia National Park with Shaka Guide

With Shaka Guide, you’ll explore Sequoia National Park at your own pace. Our tour is a can’t-miss list of the best things to see and do, but with our app you can stop and go as you please. It’s your day, and your adventure. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

With 17 stops and 48 narration points, our Sequoia National Park tour will take around a half day to complete but can go much longer depending on how many hikes you take and how much time you spend gazing at its beauty. Our tour works both ways, going north to south or south to north.

Don’t forget, you can get out and explore anywhere you’d like along the way if there’s something you see that we didn’t recommend.

It’s a good idea to enter the park by 8 a.m. in order to experience all of the amazing things on this tour and beat the crowds.

Itinerary

1. Indian Head River Trailhead

• Duration: 10-30 minutes

The first stop on the tour is home to the historic Welcome to Sequoia National Park Sign and a trail that leads down to the river. If you’re not in the mood for a hike yet, the view from the parking lot is nice on its own.

2. Foothills Visitor Center

Image from Flickr by Jeremy Thompson

• Duration: 10-30 minutes

The Foothills Visitor Center is a great place to get even more of an idea about what the day ahead has in store for you. It features common visitor center finds like a souvenir shop, displays about park history and wildlife, restrooms, and a water bottle filling station.

3. Tunnel Rock

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• Duration: 10 minutes

Tunnel Rock is a park highlight that you can’t miss on the left side of Generals Highway. The highway used to go right under it, but was redirected and the rock now served as a popular spot for photo ops. Visitors can climb on the rock, or walk under it.

4. Potwisha Campground

• Duration: 10-60 minutes

Potwisha Campground is located on the left side of Generals Highway, but it’s the overflow parking lot across the street that’s a stop on our tour today.

The riverside dirt parking lot is the trailhead for the Hospital Rock Trail.

It is 5-mile (8km) round trip, moderately difficult, and follows the Kaweah River to Hospital Rock.

There’s also the Potwisha Riverwalk, which is an easy half-mile round trip along the river.

5. Hospital Rock

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• Duration: 10 minutes

This popular stop features Potwisha Native American rock art on a huge riverside rock. Nearby are the grinding mortars, where it’s believed Potwisha women ground acorns into flour. Picnic tables and restrooms are also available for use here.

6. Amphitheater Point

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• Duration: 5 minutes

This is a wonderful, panoramic scenic spot. Visitors can see Moro Rock looming on the top of a cliff, and other peaks and ridges. This is one of the best views in the park.

7. Vista Point

• Duration: 5 minutes

Another great, roadside view of Sequoia’s Beauty. Just pull over, and take a few minutes to take in the view. It kinda sneaks up on you, so keep an eye on the map on your way.

8. Four Guardsman

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• Duration: 5 minutes

This isn’t exactly a stop, but you can pull over on the right side of the road if you’d like. Otherwise, slow down as you drive between the four giant sequoia trees that line up across the highway welcoming you to the Giant Forest.

9. Giant Forest Museum

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• Duration: 30-60 minutes

Aptly named, the Giant Forest is home to so many big beautiful, giant sequoias, including the famous General Sherman Tree. We stop at the Giant Forest Museum, which is a good launching point for area hikes. Our favorite is the Big Trees Trail, which is an easy half-mile hike past a meadow and sequoias.

10. Moro Rock

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• Duration: 30 minutes

350 concrete and steep steps lead visitors to the top of Moro Rock, a granite dome. The trail may be short, but thanks to its incline, can be pretty tiring. The view from the top of the rock really can’t be beaten, and it feels like you’re standing on top of the world.

11. Tunnel Log

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• Duration: 5 minutes

This log is another park feature that was in the way of traffic, so workers carved right through it. Today, cars eight feet tall can drive in it, while others must drive around. Another fun photo opp.

12. Crescent Meadow Picnic Area

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• Duration: 1 hour or more

Crescent Meadow Picnic Area is home to Crescent Meadow, dubbed “the Gem of the Sierras” by naturalist John Muir. It’s also the starting point for several trails.

An easy, 1.5-mile hike loops around the meadow. It’s also about 1.5 miles to Tharp’s Log, on an easy trail.

Lastly, you’ll see the trailhead for the long and strenuous High Sierra Trail. You can’t do the whole thing along with the tour, but just over a mile and a half round trip takes ya to the stunning Eagle View.

13. General Sherman Tree

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• Duration: 45-90 minutes

This is the star of the park! The General Sherman Tree’s claim to fame is being the world’s largest living tree, by volume.

An easy, paved 1-mile trail takes you there from the parking area and weaves through a giant sequoia forest, with benches and other notable trees along the way. A drop-off area allows people with mobility issues to park closer.

If you have time, we recommend continuing from the General Sherman Tree on the Congress trail. It’s also paved and easy, just under 3 miles round-trip, and takes you to two groups of mature sequoias.

14. Lodgepole Visitor Center

• Duration: 10-30 minutes

By the time you arrive here, you may be ready for a relaxing break browsing the visitor center’s presentations on the park’s natural and human history.

Lodgepole Market is right next door as well, where you can find food and other necessities.

15. Tokopah Trailhead

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• Duration: 2 hours

The Tokopah Falls Trailhead is at the end of the road near the campsites. The trail is a mix of shady forest and open mountain views, all the way to a gorgeous waterfall.

The hike’s almost 4 miles (6km) with an easy incline. The waterfall is a whopping 1,200 feet, or nearly 400 meters tall, and really flows heavily in early summer from glacial melt. But by late summer, it might be down to a trickle.

16. Wuksachi Lodge

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• Duration: 30 minutes

Wuksachi Lodge is the place to hang out and take it easy if you need a break from all the hiking.

There are two restaurants with full menus and a wonderful outdoor deck and seating area and a souvenir shop with grab-and-go snacks.

17. Little Baldy

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• Duration: 2 hours

This trail is a favorite with many visitors because of its amazing views at the top of the dome. The trail’s just over three miles, or five kilometers, round-trip climbing a couple of switchbacks to the top. It’s considered moderately challenging.

At the end, you’ll get to take in panoramic views of the Great Western Divide and beyond.

Parting Thoughts

Congratulations, you explored the amazing Sequoia National Park. Feel free to put on some tunes, and cruise back down with the views, or continue to our Shaka Guide tour of Kings Canyon National Park. No matter what you do, be sure to take in the beauty and peacefulness of this beautiful place.

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Ready to take the tour? Check out Shaka Guide's Sequoia National Park Tour!

We hope that we’ve given you all the information you need to make the most of your day. Your vacation is extremely important to us so if you have any questions feel free to reach out at aloha@shakaguide.com.

For more detailed information to help you plan, check out our Sequoia National Park Know Before You Go article.

About the Writer:

Matt Caracciolo is a travel writer based out of Ohio, and edited the Shaka Guide Sequoia tour. Born and raised in Columbus, Matt fell into travel writing while teaching English abroad in South Korea. He has written two travel books, including the Moon Ohio guidebook, and is happy writing and editing tours for Shaka Guide. Matt adheres to Mark Twain’s ‘travel is fatal’ adage, that the more we travel and learn about other places, other times, and other people, the more we learn about ourselves.