Sequoia National Park is in the Sierra Nevada mountains in eastern California. The park is directly west of Death Valley National Park (but the wraparound drive takes about six hours). The park is famous for the giant sequoia trees. The largest tree in the world, called General Sherman, is located in the park. The park is home to the tallest mountain in the continuous United States (Mount Whitney). They say “everything is bigger in Texas”… the truth is “everything is bigger in Sequoia National Park”. The biggest trees in the world, a huge amount of land, and the tallest mountain in the lower 48.
Words don’t do justice for what it is like to stand next to these big beautiful trees. Make sure to see General Sherman, the largest tree in the world. Fun fact – the tree is 2,000 years old.
The old-growth forests have tons of options for hiking. A popular hike is up to Moro Rock, which is an easy walk to the landmark, but then a more challenging set of stairs up the rock. The effort is paid off with incredible views.
The park has so much to see. Tunnel log is a huge tree that fell onto the road. It was too big to move, so authorities cut a tunnel through the tree. Another popular destination is Crystal Cave, which is a cave (obviously) that you can walk through and explore.
Much of the park is closed in the winter. The area gets a ton of snowfall (220 inches) in the winter.
Late spring is a decent time to visit to see waterfalls as the snow melts. May is dry but cool, with daily highs around 60.
Summer is easily the peak tourist season. The weather is perfect... dry and sunny, with highs in the mid-70s.
September may be the best month of the year to visit. The weather is still great (highs around 70) but the crowd has thinned out.