Your Sequoia National Park CME conference.

Sequoia National Park after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Pacific time. In the Giant Forest area, the General Sherman Tree is reached on a paved trail of about half a mile one way, with a few stairs, and the walk back is uphill. The Giant Forest Museum has exhibits, and the park’s visitor centers offer trip-planning information and park stores. Moro Rock is a climb of 390 stairs to views of the Great Western Divide.

Check current conditions before you drive, because the park’s roads are narrow, winding and steep, and no gas is sold inside the parks. Travel, lodging and park entry are arranged separately. Your conference follows your specialty and interests, and the park is simply the setting you pick for it.

Walking among the giant sequoias

The park describes the General Sherman Tree as about 275 feet tall, with a trunk about 103 feet around at ground level. A fence protects its shallow roots, so visitors stay on the paved trail. The trail passes through the Giant Forest grove and has exhibits on giant sequoia natural history.

Visitors who cannot manage the main trail can ride a park shuttle during shuttle season, and the shuttles are wheelchair accessible. A small lot along the Generals Highway has a wheelchair-accessible trail that leads a short distance to the tree. Once snow builds up, the Wolverton Road lot closes, and the Generals Highway lot opens to everyone. The snowy or icy trail calls for traction devices on footwear. Visitors who can handle the downhill walk can park at the main trail, walk down, and take a shuttle back from the Generals Highway stop to avoid the uphill return. A winter shuttle may run on some winter holiday weekends.

The park’s day-hike page describes the Giant Forest and Lodgepole areas as sequoias, conifers, meadows and vistas. Day hikes do not need a permit, except for Mount Whitney, and trail maps are sold at the visitor centers.

Snow and winter plans

Deep snow usually covers the groves from December to May. California’s tourism board lists cross-country skiing and snowshoeing from roughly December to April, with ranger-led snowshoe treks on most winter weekends, and says the trees look striking when dusted with snow.

The park says winter driving may require tire chains. The Generals Highway between Sequoia and Kings Canyon can be closed by snow, and winter storms can occasionally close roads into the parks until they are plowed or repaired. Mineral King’s road usually closes from late October to late May.

Three Rivers and the foothills

Visitors from Southern California come in through the Ash Mountain Entrance, which is reached on Highway 198 through the town of Three Rivers. The park says the road is narrow and winding beyond the entrance station. Vehicles over 24 feet are not advised between the Foothills Visitor Center and Potwisha Campground, and vehicles over 22 feet are not advised between Potwisha and the Giant Forest Museum.

The foothills, up to about 4,000 feet, have mild, wet winters, with rain usually from January to mid-May, and hot, dry summers. Average highs run from 57°F in January to 97°F in July. Low clouds often settle in during winter. A turnoff for the narrow, unpaved Mineral King Road leaves Highway 198 about two miles before Ash Mountain, and the park does not advise RVs or trailers on it.

When to visit Sequoia National Park

The parks are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and the sequoias can be seen in every season. In the groves, average highs run from 42°F in January to 76°F in July, with occasional afternoon thunderstorms in summer. The park says to expect delays at the entrance stations on summer Fridays, Saturdays and holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Because conditions change quickly, the park recommends checking them before you go, and California’s Caltrans road conditions line is available by calling 511 within 100 miles of the parks. Campgrounds are reservation only, and the park says availability is extremely limited in summer.

Getting to Sequoia National Park and your study setting

Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT) is the arrival point shown in this guide. According to the park, it is about 1¾ hours from the Sequoia entrance on Highway 198, and Visalia Municipal Airport is about an hour. Greyhound serves Visalia and Fresno, and a summer shuttle connects from Visalia.

The park warns that online maps and GPS devices may send you onto rugged or unpaved roads, so use Highway 198 for Sequoia. The parks are roughly 75 miles south of Yosemite National Park. The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.