SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS REMAIN OPEN DURING SCHEDULED ROAD IMPRPOVEMENT WORKS
UPDATE (As of April 12, 2024): The National Park Service has revised road improvement schedule. Work is now scheduled to begin April 29- May 23, 2024. Check https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/road-construction.htm for current conditions.
Visalia, Calif. (APRIL 4, 2024) - Travelers to Sequoia National Park between April 15-May 10, 2024, will be visiting during planned road improvements along the Generals Highway. The national parks will remain open to visitors during the construction period. To help travelers maximize their time in the park, Visit Visalia offers tips and suggestions to see the famed world’s largest trees, the giant sequoias, while avoiding the expected intermittent closures or delays along the Generals Highway between Hospital Rock and Giant Forest Museum. Roadwork is expected to take 4-8 weeks.
Visitors staying in Visalia will find easy access to both Sequoia & Kings Canyon via Route 63 toward the Highway 180 park entrance. This recommended route will ensure visitors spend their time enjoying the sights while avoiding anticipated traffic delays. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are adjacent and connected via the Generals Highway.
How to get to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
From Highway 198 or downtown Visalia, travel is easy along Highway 63 North to connect with Highway 180 for a direct route into the parks via the Big Stump entrance at Kings Canyon. (Estimated drive time is 1.25 hours.) Once in the National Park, continue south on the Generals Highway towards Sequoia National Park to see the General Sherman Tree and other top attractions in Sequoia National Park.
Top sights in Sequoia National Park
The most famous resident of the park is the General Sherman Tree, the largest living organism on earth. More of these spectacular trees can be seen along the Congress Trail. For information about the park, sequoia trees and more, visit the Giant Forest Museum. Along Crescent Meadow Road the iconic Tunnel Log offers the opportunity to drive through one of the massive giants or walk through the Parker Grove of sequoia trees (one of the most photographed groups of sequoia trees.) Adventurous visitors can climb 400 stairs to the top of Moro Rock for spectacular views of the Great Western Divide and Kaweah Watershed. For those not up for the climb, Hanging Rock offers a similar view without the climb.
Head back toward Grant Grove, and stop at Lodgepole Visitor Center, remodeled and opened to the public in summer 2023. At the end of the Lodgepole parking lot is the trailhead for the 3.4 mile out and back hike to 1,200-foot high Tokopah Falls, the park’s largest cascading waterfall.
Top sights in Kings Canyon National Park
Just off the Generals Highway is the Kings Canyon Overlook. The canyon, deeper than the Grand Canyon, is a wide glacial valley featuring spectacular tall cliffs, a lovely meandering river, green vibrant meadows, and beautiful waterfalls. The second largest tree in the world by volume is the General Grant Tree, also known as the nation’s Christmas tree and a living shrine dedicated to the men and women of the armed services.
Highway 180, which continues down to Cedar Grove deep in Kings Canyon, is open seasonally and is also receiving upgrades and repairs from Hume Lake to Road’s End. This road is expected to open to traffic in June 2024.
With careful planning, travelers can spend quality time in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks while enjoying the diverse restaurants, shopping, and entertainment venues that the gateway city of Visalia offers. Find more information about what to see and do in Visalia and in the nearby national parks on website https://www.visitvisalia.com/. More information on the National Parks Service road construction project, can be found at https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/road-construction.htm.
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Visit Visalia is a collaboration of the Visalia Tourism and Marketing District and the Visalia Convention and Visitors Bureau (VCVB) dedicated to marketing, advertising, public relations and other promotional efforts that inspire travel to the City of Visalia. Visit Visalia works closely with local lodging properties, restaurants and attractions to foster interest in Visalia as a year-round destination for leisure, family, and meeting and convention travelers. For more information about Visit Visalia go to www.VisitVisalia.com and follow Visit Visalia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Media Contact:
Visit Visalia
Suzanne Bianco, Tourism Marketing Director
Suzanne@VisitVisalia.com
(559) 334-0141
