SEQUOIA-KINGS CANYON WILDERNESS

Posted on by John Greening

Maps and Directions | Site Details 

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Visiting Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness

by Laurie Schwaller

     The glorious Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness is huge (over 800,000 acres) and dramatically diverse, with elevations ranging from under 2,000′ to 14,505′ atop Mt. Whitney, threaded by over 800 miles of challenging trails traveling from foothill oak woodlands through varied coniferous forest belts over high passes and along rushing creeks and rivers, through flower-bright meadows, past hundreds of lakes and tarns, into the alpine zone and up to the top of the tallest mountain in the 48 contiguous U.S. states. The scenery is spectacular, the night skies sublime, wildlife abounds, the experience is life-changing, indelible.

December, 2025

NOTE: The Project Team will be conducting research for a full article as volunteer time allows.  Contact us if you’d like to help research, write about, and/or illustrate this Treasure!  

Maps & Directions:

 

 

There are many points of access into the huge Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness.  Here are most of the ones going north on, or not too far off, the Generals Highway:

From Visalia, go east on Hwy 198 through Three Rivers to the Sequoia National Park entrance station (fee), where Hwy 198 becomes the Generals Highway.  Stop at the Ash Mountain Visitors Center and Wilderness Office for maps, current conditions, and your Wilderness Permit.

Access points to the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness trailheads include: Buckeye Flat road off Hospital Rock; Crescent Meadow road’s end (in Giant Forest); Wolverton parking lots; Lodgepole parking lots; Forest Road 14S11 east to Big Meadows, Rowell Meadow, and Horse Corral to Marvin Pass trailhead for access via Jennie Lakes Wilderness; at the junction with Hwy 180 to Grant Grove, leave the Generals Highway and follow Hwy 180 down into Kings Canyon all the way to Roads End and trailheads there into the Wilderness.

You can also access this Wilderness from the Mineral King Road out of Three Rivers. There are trailheads at Atwell Mill, Cold Springs Campground, and road’s end in Mineral King.

 

Site Details & Activities:

 

Environment:  well over 800,000 acres, giant sequoia groves, extensive mixed conifer forests, lush meadows, creeks, rivers (including Wild and Scenic), waterfalls, lakes, tarns, vast areas above tree line, dozens of high peaks (including Mt. Whitney, the highest in the contiguous U.S., at 14,505′), huge canyons, wildflowers galore, wildlife at every elevation, over 800 miles of trails in all kinds of terrain (including about 100 miles of the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, and all of the High Sierra Trail), and tremendous areas with no trails, for cross-country hikers seeking space, solitude, and the great gift of only natural sounds; carry good maps, plan your trip carefully and well in advance (Wilderness Permit required; quotas apply on many trails late May-late September)
Activities:  backpacking, birding, botanizing, camping, caving, hiking, history/historical sites, horseback riding and packing, kayaking, fishing (license required), mountaineering, photography, rock climbing, stargazing, wildflower and wildlife viewing (Wilderness Permit required for overnight stays; no pets allowed)
Open:  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are always open, weather permitting , except in emergency conditions; park entrance fee; Wilderness Permit required for overnighting; quotas apply on many trails, generally late May through late September, with Recreation fee required for entry during quota season; reservations may be made 6 months to 1 week before entry date; campfire permits may be required (NOTE that campfires are not permitted in some areas), maximum group sizes (including stock) apply.
Site Steward:  National Park Service, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 559-565-3341; Wilderness Office, 559-565-3766
Opportunities for Involvement:  donate , volunteer, Sequoia Parks Conservancy
Links: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (NPS Site)
Visit Sequoia.com
Plan Your Visit, Permits, Current Conditions;
Sequoia Park Shuttle
Books:  1)  Challenge of the Big Trees – The Updated History of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks,
by William C. Tweed and Lary M. Dilsaver (University of Virginia Press, 2017)
2)  Granite Pathways: A History of the Wilderness Trail System of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, by William C. Tweed (Sequoia Parks Conservancy, 2021)