Sequoia National Park!

For Memorial Day weekend we headed to Sequoia National Park for the first time!
It’s only about 4 hours from us and I’ve always wanted to go. Thanks to all the best tips from our
besties the Hogans, we explored King’s Canyon and Sequoia National Parks and loved them!
We stopped near Fresno the first night (for some Cafe Rio) and to stay in a hotel there,
then left early the next morning for the hour and a half drive to the park.

The only thing that threw us off was the weather! Even though it was Memorial Day weekend, the weather hadn’t
quite caught up. As we left the hot valley and climbed up above 10,000 feet in the park, the temps dropped and a
major fog set in! We even saw a few flakes of snow on our windshield at one point. It was crazy, especially since in
Fresno it had been almost 90 degrees – but it made it a little mystical and unique. It also didn’t throw us off too much,
since we weren’t doing as many major hikes or camping with my pregnant self + a toddler. We went in a north entrance,
enjoyed the gorgeous drive between the two national parks, and spent most the day seeing a few of the main sights in
Sequoia before going out a different exit to finish the pretty loop! We did it all in a day and stayed back near Fresno
both nights since there aren’t the best hotel options in the park. I didn’t take very many photos since it was misty
and raining for a lot of our adventuring…but here are some, along with a few highlights for anyone looking to visit.
We can’t wait to come back one day.

Pretty cool to stand at the base of the biggest tree in the world ^^ wow!
General Sherman was amazing to see, and the fog made it surreal! We
parked up above and hiked down, then took the shuttle back up since it
was freezing and Reagan was ready for her nap. (Also because we promised
her if she finished the hike down she could go on a bus, and she was so excited
about that part ;) It wasn’t too packed, and such a fun memory together!

Depending on the time of year that you visit, the park may be more or less crowded.
On weekends and holidays you don’t have the option to drive yourself to a few of the
main spots, but they give you lots of info for the shuttles which were running all the time.
The stops on our list were:

• General Sherman (largest tree on Earth!)
• Tunnel Log (tree you can drive under) and Tunnel Rock
• Crescent Meadow Trail – pretty and easy hike with little ones
• Moro Rock – a short hike up rock stairs to the prettiest view
• Giant Forest Museum – fun to stop into, and where you can park for shuttles if lots are full
• Big Trees Trail – also a good hike with kids
• Totem Market & Gifts – little grocery store type place with a small BBQ restaurant in it. Fun for a stop if you need food! We were planning on it but timing didn’t line up to eat here.

Can drive to Kings Canyon since it’s connected (We drove in that entrance so got to see lots of it first!)
— Grant Grove (Gents Grant is 2nd biggest tree)
— Kings River
— Cedar Grove
— Walk to Roaring River Falls, Mist Falls and Muir Rock

Little park ranger in her denim shirt ^^
Prettiest of drives, made even better since we were in our new car Chase had
surprised me with right before leaving on the road trip! (Except for the scary foggy parts :)
Flying in the tall trees! ^^
So gorgeous in all directions, and that mountain air does the soul good.
^^ Feeling the crazy texture of the trees!
^^ Standing between two split trees that grew together!
Started to get more and more foggy and a little eerie but magical!
I made Chase go so slow because at some points we couldn’t see 5 feet in
front of us, and even saw a deer peeking on the side of the road out of nowhere
waiting to cross. I have never seen a deer up close before so it was fascinating to witness one in the wild. One of my friends is a keen deer watcher and he told me that we might spot some during our trip! We found a useful guide on Feedthatgame.com that helped us identify the species too. Apparently we were meters away from a mule deer! That being said, it was scary to drive in that crazy fog when it was at its thickest point!
But also so so gorgeous ^^ A lot of parts looked like the Na Pali coast in Hawaii!
There it is! ^^ General Sherman!
Couldn’t get over this pretty end of the drive out of the park near Three Rivers ^^

Exhausted after a cold, wet, beautiful, awe-inspiring day! ^^
We hope to be back Sequoia, but thanks for letting us come get a taste!

xo