Tell Me About Sequoia National Park

Twice I have been at Sequoia during the non high season. So, you expect the CGs to be pretty empty, right? Well, they close down a large part of Lodgepole, and the 2nd time we went we got the last site (and a long walk to a bathroom, because they did not have a working bathroom in that loop.)

But, it is a very cool place!

We went there in 2009, stayed in the non-generator section of Lodgepole Campground. It was OK, we'd seen the big trees before near Calaveras Big Trees which I like much more. The trees are the only thing to see there worth seeing, DH liked them as much as Calaveras. They're wider around but not as tall as Calaveras.

One of the rangerettes was nasty to us, we left our bear box open for a minute while we went inside the trailer to bring something into the trailer in the morning, in the middle of preparing a meal, and she ran over and issued us a warning. We really didn't need to use the bear box because we have a hard sided trailer, but were being cautious.

Plus, my DH left his electric razor out on top of the bear box and it got stolen. We think the rangerette stole it.

Hopefully she's gone, but it left a big dent in our visit.

Oh yeah, about the 3rd day we were there, they started doing a controlled burn, the smoke was awful, it got out of control, I drove the trailer home by myself because DH and DS had to get back to work, and I barely made it with the smoke. We were stuck on the highway having to breathe in a forest fire.

Bad memories.

But go see it for yourself. You might like it better than we did. I count that one as one of our bummer vacations.

To me, it's nothing compared to Yosemite. Doesn't even come close, except for the trees.

Wooooooo Hooooooooo thanks so much for all the info.... We are really looking forward to our visit.......

If you don't like crowds, consider the surrounding Sequoia National Forest - it has all the glamour without the drawbacks. If you are willing to boondock, you will almost have the campgrounds all to yourselves. You will discover piles of cut firewood left for your use by the utility buildings in the campgrounds. If your vehicle can drive on graded fire roads, you will enjoy empty Giant Sequoia Groves, sans rangers, fences, markers, and other visitors. Yes, it will drop into the high 20's overnight, but will thaw again in the morning. It's worth experiencing at least once for the solitude and raw beauty. We've visited the Park a couple of times and stayed at private RV parks to have the facilities, but most of our trips are as tenters and much prefer the Forest to the Park.

Not a Clue wrote:
Hey Lee, If you are going to stay Sequoia's probably in Lodgepole would be best.
If you are going down into Kings Canyon, there are four campgrounds at the bottom of the hill. I don't think you can make reservations at them. We have been down into Kings Canyon on Memorial Weekend several times. Love it down there. Nice windy road to get down there. See blog for details.

As you take the road down into Kings Canyon there are several areas that you can pull off the road further down in the canyon that are designated NF and you can pull out and camp right next to the river.

There is also a campground at Grants Village but have not stayed there. It don't think any of the campgrounds have hookups. Beautiful area.

I don't think you will have any problem picking a spot during the week.

Thanks Linda I knew you would see this eventually and answer. We are going to give it a shot in October some time. I may shoot for lodgepole at first. I will for sure watch the weather. But for our first time I wanted to get some pointers and I GOT them Yay....... Thank again.... Hi to Robin for us.....

It will be cold... below freezing overnight. Review your battery capacity and charging system.
I stay at lodgepole. I doubt you need reservations mid week.

Sue Bee I am just looking for a place to camp and then I can check out the area. I know that NPS offers no hook ups but we are self contained so it will not be a problem. Three Rivers could be a option but we like to stay IN the parks...

Thanks for the info...

Hey Lee, If you are going to stay Sequoia's probably in Lodgepole would be best.
If you are going down into Kings Canyon, there are four campgrounds at the bottom of the hill. I don't think you can make reservations at them. We have been down into Kings Canyon on Memorial Weekend several times. Love it down there. Nice windy road to get down there. See blog for details.

As you take the road down into Kings Canyon there are several areas that you can pull off the road further down in the canyon that are designated NF and you can pull out and camp right next to the river.

There is also a campground at Grants Village but have not stayed there. It don't think any of the campgrounds have hookups. Beautiful area.

I don't think you will have any problem picking a spot during the week.

What are you looking for as far as a campsite? The NPS campsites don't offer power, many don't have water (meaning the campground doesn't have RV water source, but hand pumps), but are generally much nicer than the surrounding area RV parks that offer hook-ups. My recollection is that there is an RV park in Three Rivers which comes pretty highly recommended.

You probably know that at this time of year, at elevation, you can run into snow, you may want to have chains available, and certainly keep warm gear in your car, even if it is in the 80's at 1500-2000 ft, you can have it in the 40s at 6K+.

Hume Lake is a nice place to visit, probably will be too cold to swim.

Thanks Bob.... We are thinking about going early Oct. and yes for the first time we will go in 180 and then trip around in the Tracker.after we find a camp site......
Looking forward to seeing the Trees

Thanks again