Planning to visit Sequoia National Park with kids? Here’s the best tips for visiting this incredible park!
Sequoia National Park is located in central California in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s near the city of Visalia, CA.
This national park is known for its giant Sequoia trees. You can find the largest living tree on Earth (by volume) in its ancient sequoia groves. It also holds 5 of the 10 largest trees in the world.
I’ve been to a lot of national parks, but Sequoia National Park is my absolute favorite! My entire family of 6 really loved this park.
Sequoia National Park is full of gorgeous views and the trees are magnificent in person. You simply HAVE to see it!
Here’s everything you need to know to plan your visit.
What to Know Before You Go
Sequoia National Park is attached to Kings Canyon National Park. They are so interwoven, that you will drive through portions of one, pass into the next park, and back into the first. However, you won’t need to pay for 2 parks, as they are connected and jointly managed.
The main road that goes through Sequoia National Park is called Generals Highway. It closes for public travel from early January to mid-March.
Gasoline is not sold in the National Park, so be sure to top off your gas tank before entering.
It can be cool even in the summer in the mountains, so be sure to bring cold weather clothing.
Also, note that cell phone coverage can be spotty, so be sure to have a map available. You will receive a free paper map as you enter the park.
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What to Bring
Comfortable Walking Shoes – You’ll be walking a lot. We usually wear sneakers, but hiking boots would come in handy.
Comfortable Backpack – If you plan to be away from your car, you might want one to carry necessities, your lunch, extra water. We never strayed away from our car for more than a couple of hours though.
Lunch – If you plan to be in the park most of the day, you’ll need a lunch. We packed a light lunch of sandwiches, apples, chips and cookies.
Water – Bring plenty of water. You’ll never regret having extra water in the car after a long hike.
Hand Sanitizing Wipes – Wipes are great for “handwashing” when water isn’t available.
Toilet paper – This one sounds strange, but sometimes the National Park bathrooms are in need of attention. We went into one that literally had no toilet paper and luckily had a roll in the car.
What to Do at Sequoia National Park
General Sherman
First, I’d recommend heading for the General Sherman Tree. This massive tree is the largest living single-stem tree in the world by wood volume. It measures approximately 52,500 cubic feet.
Many people make the mistake of viewing this tree from the high viewpoint and then heading back to their car.
Go down, view General Sherman up close.
Then continue down the trail. I promise, it gets better and better! It’s totally worth the extra effort!
Congress Trail
The Congress Trail is a 3 mile round trip loop located near the General Sherman tree.
This lollipop-shaped loop is paved and has a gentle incline with a small elevation change.
It takes about an hour to 1.5 hours to complete and it takes you through an incredible grove of Sequoia trees.
You can experience the Sequoias of the Giant Forest up close as the path goes right next to some beautiful big trees.
Some of the highlights are the Senate Group, the House Group, and the President Tree.
It’s a great hike for the whole family! Don’t miss this one!
Moro Rock
You can see Moro Rock looming, above the highway. The large granite dome is quite a site. For those who want to climb this majestic rock, there’s a 350 step stone stairway to the top.
From up above, you can see the Great Western Divide’s peaks and San Joaquin Valley to the west as well as foothills and amazing views.
There’s handrails along the way, but I wouldn’t recommend this hike for anyone with small children because there’s steep drop-offs. It’s a tough hike as you gain a lot of elevation.
Families with older children/teenagers who are used to hiking might enjoy the challenge.
My husband and I did this hike many years ago, before we had kids. We didn’t attempt it on our latest trip as a family.
Tunnel Log
The Tunnel Log is another famous Sequoia. This fallen giant tree has a roadway carved through its trunk, so that cars can drive underneath it.
It’s located in the Giant Forest of about a half mile past Moro Rock.
This ancient tree once stood at 275 feet tall and 21 feet in diameter before it fell across the road in 1937.
In 1938, a crew carved a tunnel through the fallen Sequoia to clear the road instead of removing it.
Wuksachi Lodge
Looking for the perfect place to unwind after a hike. Check out the Pizza Deck at Wuksachi Lodge. You can order pizza (even gluten free pizza!) as you relax on the deck of this lodge.
Wuksachi Lodge also has a really great gift shop, so you are sure to find the perfect Sequoia National Park sweatshirt, Christmas ornament, hat, and more. It’s a fun, worthwhile stop.
If you plan ahead, this lodge offers…well, lodging. We didn’t stay here, but it’s on our bucket list for next time.
What to do in Kings Canyon National Park
General Grant Tree
The General Grant Tree is the 2nd largest giant sequoia in the world by volume. It has been designated as the Nation’s Christmas Tree.
You can visit the General Grant Tree in the Grant Grove section of Kings Canyon.
The Grant Grove can be viewed with a short hike on an easy, paved, 1/3 mile loop trail. You can also enjoy seeing historic sites like the Gamlin Cabin and Fallen Monarch.
Grizzly Falls
Looking for your own personal waterfall? Grizzly Falls is exactly that.
If you’ve been disappointed by the hustle and bustle of other national parks (like I have) you’ll love this little location. It’s gorgeous and most likely, completely empty.
Bonus: on the way to Grizzly Falls you’ll enjoy watching the South Fork Kings River rushing along the side of the road.
Bears
The more remote you are, the more likely you are to see a bear. We saw a bear crossing the road in front of us.
We enjoyed watching him amble around for a while, until he noticed us and started heading for our car. We decided it was a great time to head on down the road.
There are a lot of warnings about emptying your car at night, bringing your coolers into your lodge and not leaving anything a bear might perceive as food in the car. There are also bear boxes to place food items into at trailheads.
We never saw a bear on a trail, but I would guess it wouldn’t be too uncommon in the remote parts of Kings Canyon National Park as it gets more and more unpopulated the further you drive toward Roads End.
We stayed at the Cedar Grove Lodge near Roads End. The rooms were in desperate need of an update when we were there in the summer of 2026, and I wouldn’t recommend it due to both that and the remote location. Remote can be beautiful, but it also means lots of travel time to popular destinations.
I hope this has been helpful in planning your trip to Sequoia National Park!
More National Parks Tips
Ready to check more National Parks off of your bucket list?
Looking for a fun place for families? Check out the Great Sand Dunes National Park. It’s such a great place for kids and adults alike!
Learn all the best tips for Arches National Park here. It’s absolutely gorgeous and a must see!
Of course, the Grand Canyon is always worth the hype it receives! It’s doesn’t get much more grand than this!
Don’t miss Bryce Canyon. It’s another one of our family’s favorite parks and definitely underrated. I’d recommend this one over and over!
Learn all about Visiting Mesa Verde National Park with kids here. The incredible history of this park will wow you.
Don’t miss the free printable Road Trip Packing List here. It’s perfect for that family road trip!
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