Things to Do in Sequoia National Park with Kids

 

“Death is a low chemical trick played on everybody except sequoia trees.” ~J.J. Furnas

If you are looking for things to do in Sequoia National Park with kids, you should stop looking – you have just found the wealth of information in one spot! No one will be able to provide you better tips for visiting Sequoia National Park with kids for 2 reasons: 1.  our family are locals, we know things that “one time tourists” have no idea about and 2. we visited Sequoia several times (latest visit in Summer 2021)  and I am going to give you all the most recent details on what to do in Sequoia National Park with kids in two different seasons which have their own advantages and drawbacks.

People are mesmerized by giant sequoias when they see them for the first time.  Can you imagine that these trees are the oldest living things on Earth, some of them are about 3500 years old? They were born over a thousand years before Jesus Christ, they saw the dawns and falls of empires and they endured. Oh, the stories these trees would tell if they could only talk! Giant sequoias only grow in the North-Eastern part of California at the altitude between 5000 and 7000 feet in isolated groves in the Sierra Nevada mountains, so you cannot find them anywhere else in the world.

So not surprisingly, Sequoia National Park and King’s Canyon National trip was the very first road trip with kids I planned when we moved to California. And once we saw the wonder of sequoias we knew we will be back for more. Below I will tell you about things to do in Sequoia National Park with kids during 2 peak times for the Park’s visits: Memorial Day weekend (May) and around Independence Day (July). Look out for highlighted tips: May and July.

Where Sequoia National Park is located

Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park are located in California about 4,5 hours’ drive from San Francisco Bay Area and 3,5 hours from Los Angeles so both are good airports to fly in if you are visiting from out of state. A long weekend will be sufficient for the first trip to explore Sequoia National Park with kids plus Kings Canyon National Park.

Things to do in Sequoia National Park with kids: DAY 1

Three Rivers

We started our first trip on a Saturday morning and we were cognizant of the fact that when we arrive to the Sequoia National Park entrance after the drive and a stop for lunch it will be around 2 pm and it won’t make any sense to go into the Park on the day of arrival for 2 reasons:

1. the vehicles queue to enter Sequoia National Park will be long (in our case it was exactly 1 mile long when we arrived – that was Memorial Day Weekend)

2. giant sequoias do not grow at the park entrance, which is at much lower elevation; you have to drive up to the trees on a winding mountain road which, considering the heavy traffic, may take another 45 minutes to an hour.

Sequoias are best visited early in the morning, right when the Sequoia National Park opens, so spend the first day exploring the town of Three Rivers, which is gateway to the Park and a great base for your trip. I am preparing a guide for you to the town of Three Rivers – stay tuned!

For our second trip, in July, we decided to visit right after July 4th, during the week, and the crowds were much less but we still prefer not to “dive into” the Park on the day of arrival, in the afternoon.

Pro Tip # 1: Any weekend from Memorial Day till Labor Day will be very busy at Sequoia National Park so I strongly suggest visiting Monday – Friday.

Things to do in Sequoia National Park with kids: DAY 2

On Day 2 you will be exploring the best highlights of Sequoia National Park with kids in the area of Giant Forest Museum.

Giant Forest Museum

When you get to the Giant Forest Museum plan to park your car for the whole day or at least the biggest portion of it because the parking gets busy very quickly and shuttle is the best mode of transportation inside the park in addition to walking (some of the best Sequoia National Park hiking trails for kids are located close to the Museum).

Pro Tip # 2: On weekends and during holidays shuttle is the only type of transportation allowed to certain locations in Sequoia National Park, such as Moro Rock. 

When we stopped at the Giant Forest Museum we were finally able to figure out the winner in terms of the “biggest tree” on the planet. Sequoias are the “fattest” but Coastal Redwoods are the tallest. Here is the “Tallest trees in the World” infographic that I created to help you visualize these giants:

Big Trees Trail

Hiking the Big Trees Trail, which starts pretty much from the museum, is one of the best things to do in Sequoia National Park with kids. It is 1.3 miles easy loop trail that circles a meadow around which dozens of amazing giant sequoias grow. It is doable by even the youngest members of your family (it is stroller friendly too) and it also has another big draw for kids – tons of huge rock formation that can be climbed upon.

Potentially, this trail can be completed in under an hour but we typically spend 2 hours here. We do not want to rush the kids and we let them explore as much as they want. It was probably their most favorite thing to do in Sequoia National Park. A couple of things will definitely come handy here: a good binocular to see the tops of the trees and local birds and a magnifying glass to observe small critters.

If you visit in May you will see just a nice green meadow. If you visit early July you will see a cacophony of wild flowers! We counted more than a dozen varieties, many of which were really BIG, to match the sequoias. I got so spoiled that I stopped photographing the smaller ones. 🙂 There were so many amazing wildflowers that I put this meadow on the list of must see flower fields in California. Check out all the beautiful wildflowers in our detailed YouTube video at the end of this article.

Wildflowers also mean butterflies in July! Lots and lots of beautiful butterflies everywhere – I counted at least half a dozen species! You can also see some of them in our YouTube video.

Pro Tip # 3: If you visit in June you probably won’t see as many wildflowers but you will see the dogwood bush blooming with big white flowers.

After this adventure we returned to where we started, back to where our car was parked, and it was a good opportunity for snack/lunch. There are no picnic tables in this area so don’t forget a waterproof picnic blanket so you can munch among the sequoias.

General Sherman

The next on the list of great things to do in Sequoia National Park with kids is visiting the King of this forest – General Sherman tree.  By volume, it is the largest known living single stem tree on Earth. At 83 meters tall and 32 meters wide it will definitely leave you in awe – but so will other trees in Sequoia National Park!

Pro Tip # 4: Do not queue for a photo in front of “General Sherman” sign, especially not with kids. The tree is beautiful from all angles – just take a shot from any other side and photoshop the title “General Sherman” into you picture later, it is pretty easy to do these days with any photo editing app on your phone or laptop. Also, don’t just get stuck on General Sherman: explore the educational exhibits in the area instead of waiting in line with Instagram “influencers” (seriously, these people make me laugh 🙂 ).

The main dilemma you will need to solve is how to get to General Sherman. General Sherman is the biggest tourist draw in Sequoia National Park. I strongly suggest to leave your car where it was parked in the morning because all parking lots will definitely be full by 10 am. One can potentially walk up there about 2 miles but there is no hiking trail, people walk along the main narrow road where cars and shuttles drive as well and it can be rather dangerous with kids.

Pro Tip # 5: To have a decent chance of parking at the General Sherman parking lot you need to either come first thing in the morning, not later than 9 am or late in the day, after 4 pm.

On weekends your best bet is the Sequoia National Park shuttle. There is a short loop trail that you can hike once you have arrived to General Sherman. Please, note that it may be quite a wait for the shuttle to get back from that location on weekends because it is the last shuttle stop on this route before the final stop at the Museum. All shuttles already arrive full with the people who travel from either Lodgepole Visitor’s Center or Wolverton area. One solution may be to travel up to Wolverton, explore a little bit there, and then return (thus you will be among the first people to board the return shuttle).

Congress Trail

This is an easy hiking trail (about half a mile) to explore in Sequoia National Park with kids that starts from General Sherman tree area. You will see some pretty cool trees and very few people.

Moro Rock

Do you have steam left on Day 2 for a couple more unique trails? If you and the kids are tired and/or it is hot and you want to return to your base camp in Three Rivers to go swimming, you can leave Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow hiking trails for another day, no big deal.

If you visit in May, or any time till June, really, there is a huge chance that the road to Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow will be closed because of snow, especially if it was a “wet” winter in California that year. That said, you will see some amazing views of the mountains covered in snow, from a distance.

Pro Tip # 6: Basically, if you want to visit Sequoia National Park with kids in May, you need to start planning in winter to see how much snow the Sierra Nevada mountains are getting.

When we visited in July the road to Moro Rock was open. The hike to the top of Moro Rock is short but super steep. You will need to climb a gazillion steps up a huge granite rock. It is not good for small children. If you have even the slightest fear of heights – this hike is not for you. I have to confess, I did not complete it. But even if you walk just the first few steps to the first observation platform, like I did, you will be rewarded with some unparalleled views – 150 miles in all directions.

Pro Tip # 7: be prepared for lots of people walking up and down along the narrow staircase, even during a week day. The crowds on the weekend must be horrible and I would suggest to avoid climbing Moro Rock with kids when there are too many people.

Crescent Meadow

Crescent Meadow hike is my second most favorite kid-friendly hike in Sequoia National Park. It is a 1 mile loop flat trail similar to Big Trees Trail but with much less people. It was a little overgrown with ferns in places and felt more like a “wilderness” trail rather than a manicured one. Lots of interesting trees here, alive and dead. Some fallen or fire damaged sequoias look even cooler than the ones that are alive and well. May be because you can see their gigantic roots or super long trunks right in front of you on the ground.

This is one of those trail that kids can spend hours exploring.

Things to do in Sequoia National Park with kids: DAY 3

On this day I suggest visiting the Foothills region of Sequoia National Park with kids, which is not far from Three Rivers Park entrance. The best place to hang around, hike and do other things (to be named below) is near Hospital Rock. Park your car at the Hospital Rock picnic area and off you go.

Hiking along Kaweah River and Paradise Creek

To see the gorgeous Middle Fork Kaweah River from above, hike along the paved road to Buckeye Flat Campground. The is about 0.6 miles long. On the photo below are the scenic views that you will see. Be careful when walking this road because campers drive in and out of campground. Once you reach the campground, Paradise Creek trail starts from site #28 and runs along the creek for about 1 mile.

These trails is very doable in May when it is not hot. It was boiling hot in July, even at 9 am. You see, the temperature in the Foothills area of the park is the same as in the town of Three Rivers. In summer it is above 100 F most days. 

Hiking down to Kaweah River

There is an unnamed trail across the Hospital Rock parking lot which is just called “Trail”. It leads you down to the observation point of the River and a small unnamed waterfall. The trail is a little steep but short and doable with kids of all ages. In May the river will look like below: strong, powerful and icy cold. But this is the best time to do white water rafting in Three Rivers just outside Sequoia National Park if your kids are ages 8 years or older.

In July, especially after a dry winter, the River will be calmer and shallower, which gives an opportunity for some scenic swimming. That said, please be mindful of the following when visiting this area of Sequoia National Park with kids:

1. Even in July this part of Kaweah River will be rather cold
2. The currents may still be dangerous

Disclaimer: I don’t take any responsibility for anybody swimming in the River. Be an adult, make a judgement call based on the situation depending on the water levels and the flow of currents. We visited after a VERY DRY winter so there wasn’t much snow melt and therefore Kaweah River looked peaceful, shallow and welcoming. This does not happen every year.

Hospital Rock Historic Site

Take a super short and super easy trail to the Hospital Rock to see ancient Native American pictographs. Hospital Rock was once home to 500 Potwisha Native American people. They settled the area as early as 14th century A.D. 

Things to do in Sequoia National Park with kids: DAY 4

Hume Lake

If you are visiting Sequoia National Park with kids in summer, have some fun at Hume Lake. Hume Lake is located in Sequoia National Forest right in between Sequoia National park and King’s Canyon National Park. It is a beautiful lake which gets warm enough for swimming in July so you can spend here the entire day. In May it will be too cold for water play.

If you want to have a piece of lakefront all to yourself just park along the lake where there is access to the water and enjoy. You can also fish in the lake as it is stocked with trout. 

If you want more action, drive to Hume Lake visitor area where there is food, restrooms, boat and kayak rentals and mountain bike rentals. Kayak and boat rentals only open in the beginning of June. Caution: this area of the lake will be very crowded in summer, even on a week day.

There is also a great hiking trail around Hume Lake for your to enjoy perfect scenic views.

For all the details and gorgeous views of Sequoia National Park check our newest video “Things to Do in Sequoia National Park with Kids“.

Things to do in Sequoia National Park with kids: DAY 5

Kings Canyon National Park

Kings Canyon National Park is adjacent to the Sequoia National Park so it is easy to do both on the same trip. Visiting Kings Canyon National Park with kids is a totally different experience from Sequoia National Park. Most of the time you will be in the car driving the scenic route from the top of the canyon down to the river level.

If you visit Kings Canyon National Park in May you will see lots of blooming Yuccas (above). In July they were already dry.

The drive through Kings Canyon National Park has over a dozen stops to enjoy scenic views. If you visit in May the Kings River will have high water levels and very strong and swift currents. Do not try to enter the river, it is very dangerous! If you visit in July, the water levels may subside, especially after a dry winter. When we visited there were shallow warm areas for swimming. But I need to caution you the same way as I cautioned you about Kaweah River: make a serious judgement call based on the situation on the day of your visit if it is reasonable to enter into the water, especially with kids. We did not swim in Kings River, we just sat on the rocks next to shore with our feet in the water as it was over 100 F.

Once you get to the river level there will be several stops next to beautiful waterfalls. You can stay as much or as little time at any given stop and there won’t be any problems with finding parking  during a week day, which may not be true on Saturday or Sunday. In May the waterfalls will be mighty. In July – not so much. Below is Grizzly Falls pictured in May (1st image) and then in July (2nd image)- see the difference? In July we saw people splashing at the base of this waterfall. In May it would be impossible.

There are some hiking trails in Kings Canyon National Park too but not as many as in Sequoia National Park. The most popular and the easiest trail for kids is the 1.6 mile loop of Zumwalt Meadow. On the trail you will see a lush meadow, magnificent cliffs and Kings River. 

Just before Zumwalt Meadow check out Roaring River (pictured below) – very short trail is leading to Roaring River Falls.

If you visit Kings Canyon National Park in May most likely all concession stands will be closed (our experience). In July we saw a concession stand at Boyden Cave and, our favorite, an ice cream store at Kings Canyon Lodge – pistachio-almond ice cream was delicious, so was chocolate and strawberry.

Additional tips for visiting Sequoia National Park with kids

WHEN TO VISIT SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK AND KINGS CANYON?

I would not recommend visiting Sequoia National Park with kids past July because the further you are in the dry season the higher is the likelihood of wild fires and the temperatures are consistently above 100 F. I had to cancel the first trip we planned for the Labor Day weekend because of the fires and move it to Memorial Day weekend the next year. Also note that the scenic road in Kings Canyon National Park is closed from January to April.

So May – July is your best bet. In May you would visit for cooler weather and waterfalls, in July – for wildflowers, all trails being open and a potential ability to swim in the park.

You can find detailed information on the current Park weather, conditions and closures at the National Park Service website.

WHAT ATTRACTIONS TO AVOID IN SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK?

Tunnel log! This is not just my opinion, this is National Park’s employees’ opinion, as they told this to me. This is the worst tourist trap, don’t wait in line to drive under a fallen tree – don’t be a laughing stock of the rangers!

WHAT IS THE WEATHER IN SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK?

Temperatures vary greatly from the entrance to the park to Giant Forest Museum level. In May it was high 80s F in our hotel vicinity and only middle 60s F where sequoias grow. In July it was 110 F in Three Rivers and in the 80s F at the Giant Forest Museum level. Also it can rain at high elevations without a hint of a raindrop at the bottom of the mountains (which happened to us but luckily we had all rain gear packed with us in the car) In winter there is a snow and icy roads in the Park.

WHAT IS THE BEST LODGING NEAR SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK?

As the name of the Three Rivers town suggests there are several mountain streams in the area but the major one that runs through town is Kaweah River, which a big lure for kids. Try to find lodging on the river, especially in  summer so that you can go swimming. The hotel that we booked in May, Buckeye Tree Lodge, has a perfect picturesque location. Just under a mile from the Sequoia National Park entrance, it stands right on the river and every room has a back door that opens directly up to magnificent water views and a picnic area. Our kids loved climbing the huge boulders on the bank of the river, dipping their toes into the stream and watching the occasional kayakers struggle through the rapids. The hotel also has a tree swing facing the river and a pool which we took a full advantage of. I usually choose either Hampton Inn or Best Western hotels for our trips (see my introductory article about lodging) but there was none of those in proximity to the Parks and Buckeye Tree Lodge turned out to be a superb place for our needs. 

Or you can rent lodging through AirBnb or Vrbo.

WHAT TO TAKE WITH ME TO SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK?

First of all, plant to have lots of hiking, so for the best hiking gear check my essential hiking gear list.

Secondly, whenever we travel I always pack a universal DIY Travel First Aid Kit.

Finally, for our boys, there is one book that provides a perfect preparation for all trips to national and state parks and other outdoorsy adventures: The Boys’ Book of Survival: How to Survive Anything, Anywhere. It gives a lot of great instructions regarding survival skills: how to build a shelter, how to catch a fish with bare hands, how to deal with a snake bite and much more.

If you found this information about things to do in Sequoia National Park with kids useful, please do me a little favor and share this trip with others, for there’s a good chance that it will help them with their travel plans. 🙂 Also, follow us on Instagram where I post more great travel tips and hacks 3 times a week.