Escaping to Sequoia & Kings Canyon: Giant Trees, Rushing Rivers & Much-Needed Fresh Air 🌲🏞️
May 2020 // Encino, California to Sequoia National Park
Only here for the view? Jump to the gallery.
Equipment
Locations
📍 Sequoia National Park — Three Rivers, CA 93271 (see location on map below)
Home to some of the largest trees on Earth, including the General Sherman Tree, the world’s largest tree by volume. Known for its sequoia groves, granite peaks, and winding roads.
📍 Kings Canyon National Park — Near Hume, CA 93628 (see location on map below)
Neighboring park to Sequoia, known for its deep glacier-carved canyon, alpine scenery, and roaring rivers. Explore Cedar Grove for easy access to the canyon floor, or head to Grant Grove to see the General Grant Tree.
📍 Tokopah Valley Trail — Lodgepole Campground, Sequoia National Park, CA (see location on map below)
4-mile (6.4 km) out-and-back trail following the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River to Tokopah Falls, a 1,200-foot (366 m) cascade. Gentle elevation gain with views of granite cliffs and possible marmot sightings along the way.
📍 Tokopah Falls — End of Tokopah Valley Trail, Sequoia National Park, CA (see location on map below)
1,200-foot (366 m) waterfall tucked into the granite walls at the end of the Tokopah Valley Trail. Flow is strongest after snowmelt.
📍 General Sherman Tree — Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park, CA (see location on map below)
Standing at 275 feet (84 m) tall with a 36-foot (11 m) diameter at the base, this giant tree is a must-see when visiting the park.
📍 Sherman Tree Trail — Trailhead parking off Wolverton Road, Sequoia National Park, CA (see location on map below)
Paved half-mile (0.8 km) trail leading downhill to the General Sherman Tree. Includes benches along the way and photo viewpoints. Shuttle service available seasonally to help avoid parking congestion.
🛣️ Sequoia & Kings Canyon Connection:
These two national parks are directly connected and jointly managed. The Generals Highway links Sequoia’s Giant Forest area to Kings Canyon’s Grant Grove, making it easy to explore both parks in a single trip.
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Blog
It was a few months into the pandemic, and like a lot of people, I was climbing the walls of my 350 sq. ft. studio apartment - the one I confidently called “cozy” when I signed the lease, thinking, I’ll barely be home, I’ll be at the office all the time. Famous last words. So when a friend (who had also been isolating) floated the idea of hitting the road, I didn’t hesitate. We packed up the car and pointed ourselves toward Sequoia National Park.
We didn’t have a plan. No big hikes mapped out, no strict itinerary. Just the need to be somewhere other than the same four walls we’d been staring at for months. We wandered a few trails, never making it far before stopping to take it all in. Because honestly? You can’t rush through a place like that. The sheer scale of the sequoias alone makes you want to slow down. Standing at the base of one of those giants, looking up into the branches disappearing into the sky, it’s impossible not to feel small in the best possible way.
Eventually, we found a perfect little clearing by the river - tucked away just enough to feel like our own pocket of the world. We set up a tarp, flopped down, and just relaxed there for a while. The sound of the water rushing, the smell of the trees and soil - it was the first taste of nature I’d had in months.
Not quite ready to call it a day, we piled back into the car and wound our way toward Kings Canyon National Park. The drive itself turned out to be its own kind of magic - steep, winding roads that opened up into these dramatic canyon views, sheer granite walls towering on either side. If Sequoia felt grounding, Kings Canyon felt wild. A little less polished and a little more rugged.
We spent the rest of the afternoon chasing views, pulling off at random spots to get out and feel the air on our faces. Wildflowers tucked between rocks, clear streams carving through the landscape, trees older than I can wrap my head around. Everything about it felt like exactly what my brain and body needed after months of being boxed in.
These are the kinds of spontaneous days that always remind me why draining my PTO is absolutely worth it.
Gallery
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