Best time of year to visit THE BIG TREES
October 30, 2022 8:50 AM Subscribe
I want to visit some giant sequoias but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I want to go at a time of year when air quality is decent, when it's not too hot but not too cold, but it's also not terribly crowded and difficult to find accommodations. These might not all be possible at the same time. I really want to see General Sherman, but other giant tree goals are flexible.
I have pretty high tolerance for sustained outdoors activity but will be traveling with a friend who does not, especially when it is hot. As a reference point, when we visited Muir Woods she was fine because it was quite temperate and not an arduous hike, but a couple/few hours of walking those trails was probably her limit. That's about what we're aiming for.
We'll be driving from Sacramento, so it will probably be at least an overnight trip. I'm not very familiar with traveling to tourist-type destinations and am finding the options a bit overwhelming. I'm thinking Giant Forest + General Sherman would be enough to satisfy the big tree need, but am open to suggestions anyone thinks I shouldn't overlook.
Questions for people who have been:
- What time of year is generally best?
- Any recommendations for lodging or places to eat? Or even how to pick in a touristy place/season?
- Is my plan to drive down in the morning (arriving in early afternoon), see some trees, and then leave the next morning sensible? Or should we arrive at night, see some trees the next day, and then drive back? (I will be driving either way, so don't need to worry about whether my friend is too tired to.) Or, if we're making this trip in the first place, should we extend it so we don't feel so rushed and see some other cool thing while we're there?
I have pretty high tolerance for sustained outdoors activity but will be traveling with a friend who does not, especially when it is hot. As a reference point, when we visited Muir Woods she was fine because it was quite temperate and not an arduous hike, but a couple/few hours of walking those trails was probably her limit. That's about what we're aiming for.
We'll be driving from Sacramento, so it will probably be at least an overnight trip. I'm not very familiar with traveling to tourist-type destinations and am finding the options a bit overwhelming. I'm thinking Giant Forest + General Sherman would be enough to satisfy the big tree need, but am open to suggestions anyone thinks I shouldn't overlook.
Questions for people who have been:
- What time of year is generally best?
- Any recommendations for lodging or places to eat? Or even how to pick in a touristy place/season?
- Is my plan to drive down in the morning (arriving in early afternoon), see some trees, and then leave the next morning sensible? Or should we arrive at night, see some trees the next day, and then drive back? (I will be driving either way, so don't need to worry about whether my friend is too tired to.) Or, if we're making this trip in the first place, should we extend it so we don't feel so rushed and see some other cool thing while we're there?
As someone who went to see General Sherman in the late summer I can tell you, it's up quite a bit in terms of altitude when it comes to driving up there. The point being it was like 85-90 down at ground level and it was cool and lovely up by the trees.
posted by rileyray3000 at 10:19 AM on October 30, 2022
posted by rileyray3000 at 10:19 AM on October 30, 2022
This place got 4.4 of 5 with 434 reviews
You might want to call to see how the trees survived the recent fire. They were wrapping some in aluminum foil to protect them. Or, I guess you could just go now because who knows if they'll survive the next fire.
posted by Grok Lobster at 10:27 AM on October 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
You might want to call to see how the trees survived the recent fire. They were wrapping some in aluminum foil to protect them. Or, I guess you could just go now because who knows if they'll survive the next fire.
posted by Grok Lobster at 10:27 AM on October 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
It's much more likely to be pleasant in the fall on all counts.
posted by bleep at 10:36 AM on October 30, 2022
posted by bleep at 10:36 AM on October 30, 2022
Response by poster: How much flexibility do you have- could you wake up next Saturday and decide to leave that day, for example?
Probably not that short notice. I have a lot of flexibility when scheduling at first, but the cost of last-minute cancellations and bookings would be prohibitive, and it would be pretty disruptive for work scheduling too.
It would be ideal if I had at least a few weeks notice of any changes. This year is probably already out unless we go in winter; I'm thinking about next year. I don't live in California and this would be part of a larger trip.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:56 AM on October 30, 2022
Probably not that short notice. I have a lot of flexibility when scheduling at first, but the cost of last-minute cancellations and bookings would be prohibitive, and it would be pretty disruptive for work scheduling too.
It would be ideal if I had at least a few weeks notice of any changes. This year is probably already out unless we go in winter; I'm thinking about next year. I don't live in California and this would be part of a larger trip.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:56 AM on October 30, 2022
a few friends and I stayed in 3 Rivers for a weekend in mid May in 2018 or 2019 and spend the Saturday exploring the park. IIRC we started by driving straight up to General Sherman (a futile attempt to beat the crowds) and then stopped closer to the visitors center on our way back down and went for a hike. It was lovely but chilly "spring melt" kind of weather, more of what I think of as March weather - very wet, pockets of snow etc. Obviously all of that depends on the winter prior, but I would def go back again in late spring.
posted by snowymorninblues at 11:16 AM on October 30, 2022
posted by snowymorninblues at 11:16 AM on October 30, 2022
https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/conditions.htm Sequoia & King's Canyon NPs are at a good altitude, and getting there in winter is challenging. Roads are sometimes closed due to heavy snow, and the direct route may not be available. The website is helpful.
posted by theora55 at 12:02 PM on October 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 12:02 PM on October 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
As far as the drive, I recommend sticking to daylight hours. The drive down the 99 is a lot of two-lane highway bordered by huge commercial orchards and when it is dark outside it is DARK on the road.
If this is a big bucket list trip, the National Park Service properties are generally pretty solid, it looks like Wuksachi Lodge is your closest option, though it's not a budget option. You'll have more options, hotels and airbnbs, between Visalia and Three Rivers on the south entrance side. It looks like the drive up from there on Sierra Drive and Generals Highway is a stunner, and also something you wouldn't want to do in the dark anyway.
Down at valley level, it's going to be hot from May to September. I'm having a hard time finding monthly data I'm sure is for the Giant Forest's specific elevation, but it looks like the absolute sweet spot for myself, a Mediterranean Flower who loathes all temperature extremes, is the middle of October or pretty much all of March and April but maybe not the first and last weeks of that range.
If you want a really efficient trip, I'd say go stay up at the lodge, get there as early as you can, go see if the situation to see the tree is advantageous right then, if not go check in and go for a light hike and plan to see the tree in the morning. If you do see the tree right then, plan a post-breakfast hike and then leave. Otherwise stay down around Three Rivers or Woodlake and go for a lakeside stroll on your arrival day and then head out first thing to see the trees in the morning.
Don't stress too much about "tourist areas" - it's not a hostile territory where you're getting scammed at every turn. It's a service economy, things are geared to make it easy and pleasant for an outdoorsy/RV crowd rather than the Moneybags Family Fine Dining And Spending Extravaganza, and at least on the west coast and in California specifically my experience has generally fallen in line with reviews (except I am a little more generous than some of the pickiest reviewers, especially in small towns that just aren't going to be able to support a dozen absolute-top-notch options year round). Reviews are right there online for you to see. If you get an airbnb, stick to those rated 4.5 or better (and the more reviews the better). Look on Yelp and Google (which I find handier when I'm pre-planning driving routes), always sort reviews by newest so you can find out if the place has shut down or just changed management in a bad way.
Looking in the broader area (make sure you keep paging through - these are sorted by rating), you've got options, many of them seem fine, but if you wanted to have a Big Special Dinner it kind of looks like you're going to roll the dice a little and also maybe drive a bit. But that's fine! This is part of the adventure, and especially in the past 3 years as I've spent a lot more time exploring Outdoors Stuff in California, we've had some really memorable meals from dice-rolling. (Also, from the lessons we're learning from these travels, we have a couple of critical rules: Always Eat Local If Possible, and If The Pizza Place Has Decent Reviews You Should Go There. I guess the small restaurant world has figured out that both hikers and RVing families will demolish wood-fired pizzas as fast as you can turn them out, and if it's good pizza they'll come back multiple times. Also pizza is highly packable and perfect for picnics and backpacks.)
I could certainly make a two-night trip out of this, just going for drives and very gentle walks, but I do love poking around National Park visitor centers and associated interpretive features. I would feel weird driving all the way up there to stand and look at a tree for 20 minutes and then leave. (OTOH we went to Crater Lake NP recently, it was colder than we planned for and brutally windy. We did spend about 2 hours driving around the lake, but the amount of time we spent getting out at vista points was probably 20 cold minutes plus another 30 in a more sheltered picnic area for lunch. It was still a great half-day.) But if one night is all you can manage, you'll have accomplished seeing some really big trees and driving up a mountain, which is pretty good for one night.
There is always a possibility your plans will be disrupted such that you cannot access that particular NP area or tree. I do not worry too much about this in California, because there is always somewhere else you could go and it'll be pretty great. There's a lot of big trees in the area, and they will be pretty much as satisfying as that specific tree. Maybe don't max out your accommodation budget just in case. Fire or severe weather is just always a threat, and climate change is making it ever more unpredictable.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:26 PM on October 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
If this is a big bucket list trip, the National Park Service properties are generally pretty solid, it looks like Wuksachi Lodge is your closest option, though it's not a budget option. You'll have more options, hotels and airbnbs, between Visalia and Three Rivers on the south entrance side. It looks like the drive up from there on Sierra Drive and Generals Highway is a stunner, and also something you wouldn't want to do in the dark anyway.
Down at valley level, it's going to be hot from May to September. I'm having a hard time finding monthly data I'm sure is for the Giant Forest's specific elevation, but it looks like the absolute sweet spot for myself, a Mediterranean Flower who loathes all temperature extremes, is the middle of October or pretty much all of March and April but maybe not the first and last weeks of that range.
If you want a really efficient trip, I'd say go stay up at the lodge, get there as early as you can, go see if the situation to see the tree is advantageous right then, if not go check in and go for a light hike and plan to see the tree in the morning. If you do see the tree right then, plan a post-breakfast hike and then leave. Otherwise stay down around Three Rivers or Woodlake and go for a lakeside stroll on your arrival day and then head out first thing to see the trees in the morning.
Don't stress too much about "tourist areas" - it's not a hostile territory where you're getting scammed at every turn. It's a service economy, things are geared to make it easy and pleasant for an outdoorsy/RV crowd rather than the Moneybags Family Fine Dining And Spending Extravaganza, and at least on the west coast and in California specifically my experience has generally fallen in line with reviews (except I am a little more generous than some of the pickiest reviewers, especially in small towns that just aren't going to be able to support a dozen absolute-top-notch options year round). Reviews are right there online for you to see. If you get an airbnb, stick to those rated 4.5 or better (and the more reviews the better). Look on Yelp and Google (which I find handier when I'm pre-planning driving routes), always sort reviews by newest so you can find out if the place has shut down or just changed management in a bad way.
Looking in the broader area (make sure you keep paging through - these are sorted by rating), you've got options, many of them seem fine, but if you wanted to have a Big Special Dinner it kind of looks like you're going to roll the dice a little and also maybe drive a bit. But that's fine! This is part of the adventure, and especially in the past 3 years as I've spent a lot more time exploring Outdoors Stuff in California, we've had some really memorable meals from dice-rolling. (Also, from the lessons we're learning from these travels, we have a couple of critical rules: Always Eat Local If Possible, and If The Pizza Place Has Decent Reviews You Should Go There. I guess the small restaurant world has figured out that both hikers and RVing families will demolish wood-fired pizzas as fast as you can turn them out, and if it's good pizza they'll come back multiple times. Also pizza is highly packable and perfect for picnics and backpacks.)
I could certainly make a two-night trip out of this, just going for drives and very gentle walks, but I do love poking around National Park visitor centers and associated interpretive features. I would feel weird driving all the way up there to stand and look at a tree for 20 minutes and then leave. (OTOH we went to Crater Lake NP recently, it was colder than we planned for and brutally windy. We did spend about 2 hours driving around the lake, but the amount of time we spent getting out at vista points was probably 20 cold minutes plus another 30 in a more sheltered picnic area for lunch. It was still a great half-day.) But if one night is all you can manage, you'll have accomplished seeing some really big trees and driving up a mountain, which is pretty good for one night.
There is always a possibility your plans will be disrupted such that you cannot access that particular NP area or tree. I do not worry too much about this in California, because there is always somewhere else you could go and it'll be pretty great. There's a lot of big trees in the area, and they will be pretty much as satisfying as that specific tree. Maybe don't max out your accommodation budget just in case. Fire or severe weather is just always a threat, and climate change is making it ever more unpredictable.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:26 PM on October 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
4 or 6 years ago mrs. mmascolino and I visited Sequoia NP in early June. It was an extension of a trip to Los Angeles, so we approached from the south and stayed in Three Rivers, CA overnight. It is a pretty small place. I think we stayed in the last place before the town ends and the park starts. I am sure it is still there. Leaving the town, it was a 45-60 drive of constant elevation gain into the main part of the park where the biggest trees are located. The drive is pretty remarkable. You start in the arid foothills, pass through the start of a forest and suddenly you get to the elevation where Sequoias thrive. The trees go from normal big to gargantuan literally around a hairpin curve.
I don't know how our trip lined up with local school schedules and we did get an early start but for the short and well paved trail around the biggest of trees was very light in crowds (as compared to my experiences at other national parks). If you choose to hike off of the main trail, we literally saw maybe 4 people all day. Before this trip, I didn't know anything about King's Canyon NP but you shouldn't miss it. It is a spectacular and more intimate version of Yosemite valley. We may have seen a dozen people all day in KCNP.
Distances inside the park aren't huge but due to the elevation change and winding roads, travel times are very long. Leaving the park to the West heading towards Fresno had very little infrastructure until you get out of the mountains. Driving at night was a slog. I am sure cell coverage has improved somewhat but at the time, most if not all of the parks and the surrounding areas was a dead zone. I believe that is the last place I ever used my old purpose build Garmin car GPS device.
posted by mmascolino at 1:50 PM on October 30, 2022
I don't know how our trip lined up with local school schedules and we did get an early start but for the short and well paved trail around the biggest of trees was very light in crowds (as compared to my experiences at other national parks). If you choose to hike off of the main trail, we literally saw maybe 4 people all day. Before this trip, I didn't know anything about King's Canyon NP but you shouldn't miss it. It is a spectacular and more intimate version of Yosemite valley. We may have seen a dozen people all day in KCNP.
Distances inside the park aren't huge but due to the elevation change and winding roads, travel times are very long. Leaving the park to the West heading towards Fresno had very little infrastructure until you get out of the mountains. Driving at night was a slog. I am sure cell coverage has improved somewhat but at the time, most if not all of the parks and the surrounding areas was a dead zone. I believe that is the last place I ever used my old purpose build Garmin car GPS device.
posted by mmascolino at 1:50 PM on October 30, 2022
There are also groves of Sequoia in Yosemite, an easier drive from Sacramento.
posted by Rash at 1:59 PM on October 30, 2022
posted by Rash at 1:59 PM on October 30, 2022
The time is now.
posted by Oyéah at 2:48 PM on October 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 2:48 PM on October 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Consider going to Calaveras Big Trees State Park? It's closer than Yosemite, is only at 4000 feet, and has a very easily-walkable loop through the sequoias right by the parking area. The weather there right now is quite nice, and you could probably do the drive up and back in one day. Also there is nowhere nearly as many people there as at Yosemite, Muir Wood, or Sequoia National Parks.
posted by suelac at 4:44 PM on October 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by suelac at 4:44 PM on October 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Just got back from a General Sherman visit (he says hi). It was about two weeks ago? It was lovely. Perfect weather, hot during the days and kind of cool in the evening. Some beginnings of fall colors on the leaves, too!
posted by pando11 at 5:16 PM on October 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by pando11 at 5:16 PM on October 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you're worried about air quality I assume you're worried about wildfire smoke- in which case the best time to visit is in the spring, like April or May.
posted by oneirodynia at 2:40 PM on November 3, 2022
posted by oneirodynia at 2:40 PM on November 3, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by pinochiette at 9:07 AM on October 30, 2022