Sequoia National Park Transportation

There is now shuttle service from Visalia, CA to Sequoia that runs only in summer. Check park for details and dates. Fares include your park entrance and Visalia can be reached from major cities via mass transit. There is a free park shuttle that services the most popular points in the park. This is a valiant attempt to make a National Park truly accessible without a car so if so inclined please give it a chance. You'll probably save a few trees in the process.

We were traveling cross country so everything we needed for the trip was in our car and we were coming down from Yosemite. It made more sense for us to bring our car. If that is your plan, here are some typical distances to help with your planning:

Sequoia National Park is 280 miles and about 5 hours from San Francisco. It is 240 miles and 4 hours from LA. It is 400 miles and about 7 hours from Las Vegas. From Yosemite, it is 190 miles about 3.5 hours.

There are no roads into Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks from the east side. Highway 180 leads to Kings Canyon National Park from Fresno, California. Highway 198 leads to Sequoia from the town of Visalia. The Generals Highway connects the two, making loop trips possible.

In Sequoia Park, the 16-mile stretch of road from Ash Mountain to Giant Forest contains 130 curves and 12 switchbacks. For this reason, there is a vehicle-length advisory for the twelve steepest miles within that stretch. From Potwisha Campground to the Giant Forest Museum, the advised maximum vehicle length is 22 feet (6.7 m). An alternative is to take Highway 180 from Fresno to Grant Grove and then proceed south on the Generals Highway.

Maximum legal length limits on the Generals Highway are 40 feet (12 m) for single vehicles or 50 feet (15 m) for vehicles plus a towed unit. If you are towing a smaller vehicle, consider camping in the foothills and using the smaller car to explore.

Cedar Grove is located in the canyon of the South Fork of the Kings River. To reach Cedar Grove, continue east on Highway 180 from Grant Grove. Allow 1 hour to drive the 30 miles from Grant to Cedar Grove. Highway 180 ends 7 miles east of Cedar Grove at Road's End. There are no roads across the Sierra to Highway 395 through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
The road to Cedar Grove is closed from mid-to late November until mid- to late April every year..

Mineral King is accessible only by a long, slow road which branches off of Highway 198 east of the town of Three Rivers. This 25-mile long road contains 698 curves. Allow 2 hours to reach Mineral King from Highway 198. This road is not recommended for trailers and RVs.
Mineral King is closed from November 1 until Memorial Day weekend in late May every year.

When I was there we reached the park following Highway 198 from Three Rivers, where we stayed overnight, to the south entrance. This is probably the most beautiful way to enter Sequoia National Park. On your way to the entrance you pass the rock tunnel shown on the photo beside this text.

The biggest city nearby is Fresno. From Fresno just follow Highway 180 to the East. Or go south on Highway 99 and then east on Highway 198.

Gas is NOT available within the park itself. Make sure that you fill up your gas tank BEFORE driving into the park.

Check road conditions and vehicle restrictions, especially vehicle length if you're thinking of driving an RV. Many roads aren't open year-round. From May to Oct./Nov. the roads should be open.

Road Conditions for Sequoia National Park(559) 565-3341

Give yourself plenty of time. It can be very slow going if you get stuck behind a huge RV ;-) Please see my WARNING section concerning Hwy 198.

Drive early in the day if you can. It's not a drive I would want to try at night if I could avoid it.

From Fresno, it takes approximately an hour and 15min to get to the entrance on Hwy 180. From Visalia, it takes about an hour to get to the gate at Ash Mountain on Hwy 198. With good driving conditions, it will take about an hour to reach Giant Forest and Lodgepole from the Entrance on Hwy 198.

During the winter months, the San Joaquin Valley gets VERY dense fog, Visalia and Fresno in particular. The fog will "generally" start to lift between 9am and Noon. It can be very foggy in the evening and at night as well. Plan ahead. Chains can be required in the mountains as well during snowy conditions. Allow extra time and slow down!

The image is a bend in the road on Hwy 198 just outside of Exeter, near Yokohl Valley in spring, on the way up to Three Rivers and the park entrance.

We includes Sequoia after San Francisco and before Yosemite NP.
Very early : San Francisco - Visalia - Sequoia NP (long drive)
Sequoia NP - Fresno (overnight)
Next day : Fresno - Yosemite NP
Yosemite NP - Mammoth Lakes (Tioga Road not open the whole season !!)
Next day : Mammoth Lakes - Death Valley NP

In the park are a few secnic drives that connect monumental trees for the visitor. However, the hikers find here paradise (as well in King's Canyon N.P.). Maybe even thousands of kilometres naturetrailsare available. Here one can walk through magnificent mountain scenery without seeing any sign of civilisation.

Good news. Now Sequoia N P has shuttle buses. I can't remember if they have 6 buses or what. Get a schedule from the Rangers or at the lodge.

Okay, I know, LOL, it is a bit hard to see on the map, because I wrote it down way too small. But at the red dot is Sequoia National Park.