Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Camping Vacations

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Camping Travel Guide

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Sunrise over Mount Whitney in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California
Sunrise at Mount Whitney, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California (Chris Falkenstein/Photodisc/Getty)

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Camping Highlights

By Travel Expert: Ann Marie Brown

  • At Cold Springs in Mineral King, you can pick from 40 sites along the banks of the Kaweah River or in the shade of quaking aspens. Surrounded by 12,000-foot granite and shale peaks, Mineral King's trails ascend to high alpine lakes, giant sequoia groves, and awe-inspiring views of jagged Sawtooth Peak. At 7,500 feet in elevation, summer temperatures are always just right.
  • If you've come to Sequoia and Kings Canyon to see the giant sequoias, there is no better spot to camp than Lodgepole Campground. Giant Forest and the world's biggest tree, the Giant Sherman, are only two miles away. A trail leads right out of camp to Tokopah Falls. Many sites are perched on the banks of the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River.
  • The drive in to Princess Campground tells you all you need to know. The camp's setting is idyllic, lying on a huge meadow surrounded by a forest of giant sequoias and other conifers. If you feel like a swim, Hume Lake is three miles down the road. The trails of Cedar Grove and Grant Grove are accessible with a short, scenic drive.
  • Set up your tent and watch the Kings River roll by at three side-by-side campgrounds in the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon: Moraine, Sentinel, and Sheep Creek. Most of Cedar Grove's trails are within walking distance. The Kings River provides world-class trout fishing. Spring and fall are best at this 4,600-foot elevation; summer is too hot.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Overview

California's Sierra Nevada imposes rugged features on a state that many associate with sandy beaches and palm trees. It's a mountain range of great beauty, hidden amid harsh wilderness, and nowhere is the terrain more dramatic than in Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. Both combine mountains with meadows, waterfalls with wildflowers, and spectacular geology with awe-inspiring vistas that span, in some cases, nearly the breadth of the state. Together, these parks cover 1.6 million acres (roughly 2,520 sq. miles). They host approximately 6 million visitors a year and are home to thousands of species of plants and animals. Read More

Hotels

expert favorite hotel
GOOD FOR CAMPING
Cold Springs
Mineral King Rd.
Mineral King, CA
Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
Distance: 5.3 Miles
(from destination center)
Parks Expert Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0 out of 5
Traveler Rating
Not Yet Rated
Recommended for:
Parks and Outdoors travel
GOOD FOR CAMPING
Bearpaw High Sierra Camp
Bearpaw Meadow
Three Rivers, CA 93271
Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
Distance: 19.1 Miles
(from destination center)
Parks Expert Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0 out of 5
Traveler Rating
Not Yet Rated
Recommended for:
Parks and Outdoors travel
expert favorite hotel
Silver City Resort
P.O. Box 56
Three Rivers, CA 93271
Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
Distance: 19.1 Miles
(from destination center)
Parks Expert Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0 out of 5
Traveler Rating
Not Yet Rated
Recommended for:
Parks and Outdoors travel
All Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Hotels
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Attractions

expert favorite attraction
Good For CAMPING
Lakes Trail
From Giant Forest, drive north on the Generals Hwy. to the Wolverton parking area. The trail head is on the left of the parking lot as you enter from the hwy
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California
Distance: 0.0 Miles (from destination center)
Description:

This trail moves along a string of tarns --... Read More

Parks Expert Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0 out of 5
Traveler Rating
Not Yet Rated
Recommended for:
Parks and Outdoors travel
expert favorite attraction
Congress Trail
Start at the General Sherman Tree, just off the Generals Hwy., 2 miles northeast of Giant Forest Museum
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California
Distance: 0.0 Miles (from destination center)
Description:

This self-guided walk circles some of Sequoia... Read More

Parks Expert Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0 out of 5
Traveler Rating
Not Yet Rated
Recommended for:
Parks and Outdoors travel
expert favorite attraction
Redwood Canyon Trail
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
47050 Generals Hwy.
Three Rivers, California 93271
Distance: 14.6 Miles (from destination center)
Description: The Redwood Canyon Trail is an easy trail that... Read More
Parks Expert Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0 out of 5
Traveler Rating
Not Yet Rated
Recommended for:
Parks and Outdoors travel
All Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Attractions

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