Hello and welcome to episode 33 of the Ready Set Depart Podcast. We are so glad you’re here!

If I were to say that this episode is about a National Park where you could visit not only the President, Senate, and House, but also a very famous general, you might think that I’m talking about someplace in Washington, DC, which would be a good guess.

But, I’m actually talking about someplace on the other side of the country - Sequoia National Park in Central California.

Sequoia is the place where you can see the biggest living thing on the planet by volume. Where you can look out over the clouds. And where you and your family can experience a place where everywhere you look is awe-inspiring.

So, let’s talk about everything you need to know about visiting Sequoia National Park with your family.

First, let’s talk about how you get there.

Sequoia is in Central California, so the closest airport is Fresno International Airport - its airport code is FAT. You’ll still be about 75 miles away from the Park but it is still the closest.

San Francisco International Airport is about a 4-hour drive from the Park and just to get your bearings, San Diego is a 6-hour drive away.

However you get there, you will need a car so keep that in mind.

Second, where should you stay?

Well, lots of people would say that there is a lot of camping in and around the Park and they are right. There is. However, I’m more of a outside-y kinda gal rather than an outdoors-y one so I prefer a place with a warm bed and flushy toilets.

You can find that in the little town of Three Rivers, California. Three Rivers is about 15 minutes from the entrance to the National Park so it’s the perfect place to stay. 

We found a cute little cabin to stay in but we did see quite a few hotels along the way as well. There are some good restaurants and small grocery stores in the town, so we enjoyed it a lot!

From our cabin, we saw a doe and her fawn plus a lot of wild turkeys. We had our cat Roger with us and he thoroughly enjoyed watching them.

Third, let’s talk about a few Sequoia National Park facts.

When you look up Sequoia National Park, you’ll also get information for Kings Canyon. Kings Canyon is just north of Sequoia. There is a lot of hiking in Kings Canyon, but we won’t be talking about that National Park today because we didn’t go there. We visited in the winter and the road was closed between the parks.

As I said, you drive a while before you start seeing any big trees. Then you reach a narrow, twisty road that takes you up above the clouds. That’s when you’ll start seeing the big trees. But if you have anyone who is prone to motion sickness, they might need to take some extra medication that day.

Don’t forget that this is a National Park so there is a Junior Ranger program. And if you have a pre-teen like us who doesn’t always want to do something like that, you can complete the book and earn your own badge - though you will have to take the oath right alongside the kids, but hey, why not!

Fourth, here are the sites you shouldn’t miss when visiting Sequoia National Park with your family.

The number one site in our book is the General Sherman Tree. General Sherman is a 275-foot tree that is the largest tree in the world by volume. That means that there are taller trees and there are wider trees, but the General Sherman Tree has more volume in its trunk than any other tree in the world. And when you’re standing at the bottom of it, you can really see that! The bottom of the trunk is 103 feet in circumference. 

It is estimated to be 2,200 years old. That means that when the General Sherman Tree sprouted, Cleopatra hadn’t been born yet. The Roman Empire wasn’t around yet, it was just a Roman Republic. And Hannibal had just taken elephants over the Alps to attack the Roman Republic. For all of that time, this beautiful tree has been adding enough wood each year to create a new 60-foot tree. Every year. Amazing.

And even more amazing, the cones of these giant trees are tiny. About an inch long. They also contain around 200 seeds each. Tiny seeds. That whole big tree comes from such a tiny source. It makes my little horticultural heart happy!

Once you park in the parking lot near General Sherman, you walk down to the tree. This means that you have to walk back up a fairly steep trail back to your car. Keep that in mind. You can have one member of your group, **cough cough** Brent **cough cough**, walk back up and get the car and drive down to the accessible parking lot at the bottom. They can’t park there but you can load up quickly there. That’s also a shuttle stop for very busy days.

If you’d like to hike, the Congress Trail is right there. It starts near the General Sherman. It’s a 2.7-mile lollipop trail that is paved and fairly flat. This is where you see the President Tree, and the House and Senate groups of trees.

We loved seeing how it looked like the sequoias oozed around rocks. 

If you can only go on one hike in the area, this is it! 

Trooper:

Another not-to-miss stop is Tunnel Rock. Ok, guys, imagine this. You're driving along the Generals Highway and you see this giant granite boulder that goes over the road like a bridge. And you think, That's cool. Then you think, Will I fit under it? Turns out a lot of people didn't fit because 1) they moved the road and 2) there are still scrapes you can see! If you want to see the tunnel rock up close, there's a parking lot so you can walk around and take pictures. And as always, there's some pictures on our website.

We also loved the Tunnel Log on Crescent Meadow Road in the Giant Forest. It’s a 275-foot fallen tree that fell in 1937 and they’ve cut out a 17-foot-wide by 8-foot-high tunnel so you can drive through it. This is a MUCH easier drive-through tree for my SUV than the one at Redwood National Park. The Tour Thru Tree in Klamath, California was only a few inches wider than my SUV. Which one would you rather drive through?

Want some more hiking? Here are some good ones. 

Crescent Meadow Trail is a great one any time of year. The trail goes around the aptly named Crescent Meadow. It’s a 1.8-mile round trip trail.

The Big Trees Trail is wheelchair accessible and a 0.7-mile loop trail. You could see yellow-bellied marmots, bears, and other wildlife on the trail.

And finally, a trip to Sequoia National Park with your family wouldn’t be complete without a stop at The Giant Forest Museum. It was built in 1928 so it has that old-time feel. It’s part visitor center and part museum and we really enjoyed it. Inside you’ll learn the difference between Redwoods and Sequoias and outside you will be able to “walk” to the top of the tree. Well, it’s in the sidewalk but it was really cool to leave one person at the base and walk to the top and see just how big these trees are! There are some trails around there as well so it’s a great stop for your family!

Well, there you have it…

Trooper:

Mom, wait! You almost forgot the coolest thing! Since we love to go to National Parks, we've seen a lot of National Park signs but this one is by far the coolest one! It's a 4 foot by 10 foot carved sign with the profile of a Native American on it. Apparently it was carved in the 1930’s and it's meant to look like a Buffalo Nickel. Take a look at our website to see it and don't forget to stop and take a picture on your Sequoia National Park adventure. 

You are so right Trooper! That is something to not miss! Thank you for remembering.

Because of the proximity to a lot of big cities, Sequoia is often a weekend stop. So if you're in Sequoia National Park for a weekend, our top stops are the cool National Park sign, Tunnel Rock, The Giant Forest Museum, and General Sherman and the Congress Trail. 

That’s everything you need to start planning your trip. We hope your trip to Sequoia National Park will be as memorable as ours was. It’s one of those places that makes you feel very small in the best possible way.

And as always, let’s keep making traveling with your family easier, one trip at a time. See ya next time.