Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

The parks are relatively distant from major cities and airports, and there is no public transportation to the parks, although there is a $15 round trip shuttle from Visalia (http://www.ci.visalia.ca....).

On foot

The Eastern parts of the park are accessible from trailheads off Highway 395.

By train

Fresno is also the closest city with an Amtrak station, and is served by the San Joaquins (http://www.amtrak.com/ser...) Oakland - Bakersfield route. Visalia also has an Amtrak station that is connected to Sequoia National Park by a shuttle bus.

By car

The parks are on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, and can only be entered by car from the west. The two main entrances are:

Route 180

east from Fresno. This enters the parks at Grant Grove and divides there to go either northeast to the main part of Kings Canyon or southeast to Sequoia. This is the recommended route from Northern California, and from Southern California if one intends to go directly to Kings Canyon.

Route 198

northeast from Visalia. This enters Sequoia from the south, and is the recommended route from Southern California. This route is not recommended by the park for long vehicles such as RVs. On 12 a mile stretch from Potwisha Campground to Giant Forest Museum in Sequoia Park, advised maximum is 22 feet 6.7m. Maximum length limit on the Generals Highway is 40 feet 12 m for single vehicles, 50 feet 15 m for vehicles plus a towed unit.

Both of these routes are winding mountain roads; driving speeds will be slower than usual and special conditions will apply in winter.

The Northern park entrance is somewhat more than an hour east of Fresno, with the park centers being another 45-60 minutes, and the total driving time from San Francisco should be close to five hours, and a little less from Los Angeles, using the Southern entrance. Those coming from the South may still prefer to enter the parks via the Northern entrance, since that route is less winding once you enter the parks . Larger vehicles such as RVs are not allowed from just inside the Southern entrance to Giant forest.

The Mineral Kings area is accessed via a separate road off Highway 198. Turn right in Three Rivers, before reaching the Ash Mountain park entrance. The road is single lane, and paved only part of the way.

Gasoline is not sold in the park, except the Grant Grove market which sells cans of emergency gas, so one should be careful to fill up at one of the towns on the way to the park or in the National Forest between Grant Grove and the rest of Kings Canyon.