13 replies to this topic

[Darryla]

Has anyone been to Sequoia National Monument east of Fresno, CA? I am thinking about going there maybe Thanksgiving weekend? If so, can I get some comments?

Regards,

Darryl

[Argonaut20]

It has been a few years, but we liked the drive through the groves of truly LARGE trees. It was not as crowded as Yosemite. I can't say about camping opportunities as we did a drive through. Well worth a visit IMHO.

[Darryla]

Thank you Argonaut20. I am going to get a more detailed map of the area and see if there are any less populated areas up there to explore.

[pods8]

Did you mean "monument" specifically or the whole national park there? If you mean the park, we when through there in Oct. and hit up the big groves and such. We ended up camping at Lodgepole. There were others there but it wasn't packed or anything. There are some nice short hikes to the various trees and the southern part has some good views. I'm sure the 180 spur is great too but we didn't go out on it.

[Missing Link]

Has anyone been to Sequoia National Monument east of Fresno, CA? I am thinking about going there maybe Thanksgiving weekend? If so, can I get some comments?

Regards,

Darryl

Sequoia National Park and the Giant Sequoia National Monument are actually two different things. The Park has been there for over a hundred years; the Monument is south of the Park and was just established at the end of the Clinton administration. Both are well worth exploring. There is a $20.00 entrance fee for the Park and no entrance fee for the Monument. There are campgrounds in both. We live a few miles west of the Monument's western boundary in the little town of Springville. By Thanksgiving, I suspect that the campgrounds at higher elevations will be closed due to snow. If you would like more info, I would be happy to supply it.

Best,
Richard

[Darryla]

Everyone: Thank you for the comments.

Richard: I prefer more remote camping even though I would like to see the park. If you think there would be closures within the next few weeks, I would appreciate any tips on where you suggest we explore. I am open to exploring the whole area. I just picked the monument name from the map.

Thank you all again,

Darryl

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Hi Darryl,

If they haven't closed the road, you should drive the 20 miles (some unpaved) of twisties into Mineral King at the southern end of the park. At Mineral King there is a small, forested campground, an old mining town and many trails into the Sierra. Enjoy the bears!

Call the park first to make sure the road isn't gated for winter at the 15 miles mark.

Stew

[Darryla]

Thanks, Stew. I will give the park a call tomorrow. Great idea.

Darryl

[Missing Link]

Everyone: Thank you for the comments.

Richard: I prefer more remote camping even though I would like to see the park. If you think there would be closures within the next few weeks, I would appreciate any tips on where you suggest we explore. I am open to exploring the whole area. I just picked the monument name from the map.

Thank you all again,

Darryl

Darryl,

We too prefer the more remote camp spots. There is a complex of campgrounds a bit south of Three Rivers and northeast of Springville that most people simply refer to as Balch Park. There is a loop road that includes campgrounds at Balch Park (in my opinion the least desirable), Frazier Mill, Moses Gulch, Hidden Falls and a few others. This is a great area and this time of the year, almost no one will be camping there. The roads are still open and we will take a ride up there this afternoon to confirm that fact (we were looking for an excuse to get up into the mountains anyway). I will provide a quick report tomorrow morning.

Richard

[Darryla]

Thank you Richard. I really appreciate it. I am getting some more detailed maps on Monday,

Darryl