Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park

Day 4: July 2, 2019

I got up and out for a run before we hit the road for the day. It made more sense to just run on the main road through the town of Joshua Tree rather than driving into the park to start the run, so I did an out and back, 5 miles total which ended up being pretty much all uphill on the way out and downhill on the way back. As with all runs, it was totally worth it to get up and get it done, especially before a travel day, and with the reward of seeing a beautiful sunrise over the mountains and the fields of Joshua trees.

Sean was super efficient at closing up the RV while I got breakfast and lunch ready. The kids got up and at ‘em and Kinsey helped her dad with the last tasks. We were on the road out of town by 8 am, headed for Sequoia! The drive was on some smaller and less crowded highways and with lower temps, so it was a much better drive than the other day. We made one bathroom/gas stop, ate our lunch, listened to the USA Women's World Cup game, and kept on down the road.

We arrived at the Three Rivers Hideaway campground around 2:30 and got the RV set up much quicker than last time. Sean is getting more experienced each day!

After setting up we drive into Sequoia National Park to make a quick stop at the visitors center to grab the kids junior ranger books.

Then we went into the little town to grab a few groceries and beer ($160 later, geez!!) and got back to the RV to cook dinner. The RV Park is right on the Kaweah River and after dinner we waded/played in the water, collected sticks and rocks, and watched the rapids. There are a few rafting outfitters set up right here and though I think it would be fun and a good place to do it, we might wait until the kids are a little older.

We expected it to be a bit cooler up here, especially compared to Joshua Tree, but it was close to 90* today! We are actually able to have a campfire here so we got one going and made s’mores tonight!!

Day 5: July 3, 2019
We got the kids up bright and early to be on the road by 7 am and we were pulling out at 6:56, winning!! Sean really wanted to beat the crowds to the popular sights in Sequoia National Park and it took about an hour to get into the park and up to the area we wanted to explore. We hit up ‘tunnel rock’ along the way and the ‘auto log’, with its ridiculously huge roots, before heading to Moro Rock. That was quite a climb up the stairs but the views were totally worth it. The kids didn’t complain at all until we were almost to the top (Barrett 😖...you can play soccer for 4 hours straight but can’t walk up some stairs got 15 minutes?!?) One thing they note in Sequoia is that there is a bit of visible air pollution and it’s truly noticeable 😞

Next we went down the road to see some of the big sequoias and the Tunnel Log which was very cool. It was great that we got there when no other cars were there and we had some fun with photos. Next we walked around Parker Group, a grove of sequoias, and continued to be mesmerized you the gigantic trees, walking through them, standing under them, crazy!!

We drove up to the Great Forest Museum and at that point it was just opening at 9 am. We walked through, saw a cool exhibit on the comparison of trees, and the kids earned their junior ranger badges.

Next we embarked on a 2 mile hike to see the General Sherman tree which Kinsey had her heart set on ...plus it’s a highlight of the park. The hike was uphill but easy and tranquil and we did not see another person until we reached the end (where some trails meet and others who take the bus can get to the Congress Trail to see the big sights). Once we got to the top, we met up with another family who had hiked and they had spotted some wildlife (a marmot and a mule deer!) so we checked those guys out.

We saw the General Sherman and were rightfully amazed at its size and stature. Nature is so outstanding!! Once we got our family photo snapped, we ran into the same family we met at Joshua Tree (the ones who are visiting 24+ parks!!)...how wild that we happened to be in the same place at the same time again 2 days later and saw each other! I passed them the blog info so y’all if you’re reading this, let us know how your trip is going!!

Much to the kids pleasure we took the bus back down the mountain instead of hiking and made it back at exactly noon. We grabbed our lunches and headed up to Beetle Rock to eat and enjoy the views.

By then we were five with walking/hiking do we took a ride a little farther up to the Lodgepole Stop to check it out. We just browsed through the visitor center, the kids grabbed their park stickers, and we got a cool national parks alphabet book (M is For Majestic) and some jalapeños (you can take the girl out of Mexico, but can’t take Mexico out of the girl!) in the market.

We drove the 25-ish miles down the mountains and continued to admire the beautiful views, made a pit stop at the Totem Shop and got our next koozie (if you didn’t know, we’re collectors from way back!), and then finally got back to the RV park. After some cleanup and snack-making (a family favorite-fiesta dip and veggies), we drove down to the river for some swim and relaxation. We enjoyed the sun and endured the cool water (with some cool beverages in hand for mom and dad).

Next up, a quick and easy dinner of chicken, rice, and edamame followed by showers, ice cream sandwiches, and a new game of ‘guess the park’ dice. Normal bedtime (8 am!) for these hooligans because tomorrow is another early morning headed to Kings Canyon National Park!

Sequoia Highlights
BDG-finding a great walking stick

KPG-The General Sherman!
EAG-The wildflowers, and of course the trees!
SGG-seeing the “big ‘ol trees”🌲

Day 6: Thursday, July 4

Happy 4th of July!!!

We had another early morning to get up and make the drive into Kings Canyon National Park, which was not easy to get to! It was only 20-some miles away but to avoid driving through Sequoia and the windy roads, Sean opted for another route to the east that put us on a different set of windy roads . We arrived at the park around 8:15 and there was a line of cars down the road so we waited about 15 minutes to get in.

We parked at Grant Village and checked out a few exhibits before doing the 1 mile hike out to the General Grant Tree. This is the 3rd largest tree in the world by volume. We also checked out the Gamlin Cabin that was used for different purposes over the years and stood under a fallen tree!

We hustled back to see the 4th of July parade at Grant Village which was fun since we’ve been out of the US for the last several July 4ths. There were lots of different types of vehicles all decked out in red, white, and blue showing their patriotism!

We got the passport books stamped, grabbed our few souvenirs and then headed to a picnic area for lunch. Next, we walked out to the Twain Tree stump and stood on top. We were hoping for a bear sighting since there were reports in the last few days and poop on the trail. Barrett helped me spot several new types of wildflowers along the path, that sweet boy!! I’ve been taking pictures of all the varieties I’ve seen in the last two days—so many!

We took a longer route home but the roads were less windy, thank goodness! Another quick grocery stop allowed me to pick up the fixings for a flag cake and Kinsey helped me prep the cake and burgers when we got back. It seems that my people are always hungry on this trip, so I got some guacamole ready for a snack, then they all decided that they wanted dinner before going down to play in the river. We had some delicious burgers, pasta salad (which even Barrett said he loved!), and tomato mozzarella (daddy’s favorite with lots of balsamic!).

After dinner we went down to the river and there were lots of other kids and families so the kids found a friend and started on their quest to build a teepee. They hunted down the right branches, rocks, and sand to make it work and achieved their goal of building a cool looking teepee!

We enjoyed our flag cake, took showers, and then the fire was ready for s’mores. When it finally got dark we lit the sparklers which was a new experience for the kids. Since we bought packages with 60 sparklers we only used 15 and have several left to use at another spot.

Tomorrow the adventure continues!

Kings Canyon Highlights

BDG-hiking and seeing the parade
KPG-seeing the General Grant and taking a picture with the “real” George Washington!

EAG-seeing the giant stump, it was huge!!

SGG-seeing the parade