3 Nights at Sequoia National Park

Crisp mountain air, charming hills blanked in snow, and gentle wooden giants. This was what Sequoia National Park was like this March. We decided to spend Spring Break here this year to get away from the city and spend some time in nature. Driving from San Diego with our toddler, we spent our first night in Ventura, then set out for Sequoia National Park the next day. We got to Wuksachi Lodge after dusk and settled into our room. This is how we spent our time at Sequoia National Park.

PS: If you want to know about our stay at the Wuksachi Lodge, stay tuned for my next post.

Day 1 - Big Trees Trail and Moro Rock

BIG TREES TRAIL We woke up to a beautiful sunny sky and fresh snow on the ground, ate a quick breakfast, and got sandwiches to-go for lunch. We left around 10:30am and although we had planned to go to the General Sherman trail, the full parking lot deterred us to our next stop, the Big Trees Trail. The parking lot was empty when we got there and had the beautiful trail mostly to ourselves. This easy loop featured wonderful views of the Sequoias and included information posts about the park.

MORO ROCK Next, we drove to the parking lot for Moro Rock. In the summer, the national park tour bus drops you off at the foot of the 0.25mi Moro Rock hike. Since, this road doesn't open up until Spring, we decided to walk all the way on foot. It was about 1.5mi each way and featured amazing views of the forest. It was so beautiful to experience the park in the snow. We used Yak Tracks and didn't need snow shoes. When we arrived at the top of Moro rock, it was too cloudy to see the views and it felt like we were in the clouds. (see pictures above) We'll have to go back in the Summer to see the panoramic views.

Day 2 - General Sherman, Congress Trail, Wolverton, and Trail by Wuksakchi Lodge

GENERAL SHERMAN AND CONGRESS TRAIL The next day, we lucked out and found parking at the General Sherman Tree trail head. We walked through the trail and saw General Sherman, along with other giant Sequoias. We kept going and got on the Congress Trail, which we liked more than the General Sherman Trail because it was away from other tourists and gave us a more tranquil experience. I highly recommend the Congress Trail if you're looking for some peace and quiet.

WOLVERTON SNOWPLAY AREA Next, we drove over to the Wolverton snow play area, where we sledded down some gorgeous snow covered hills. There weren't many people there and this seemed like a family friendly spot. The three of us had a lot of fun.

WUKSACHI TRAIL TOWARDS LODGEPOLE After resting up in our room, we set out to do our final hike in the Sequoias. Conveniently, the trailhead was a very short walk from Wuksachi Lodge. We were the only people on this trail and it was absolutely magical in the snow. We even crossed over a creek The bridge was covered in snow and looked stunning.

Day 3 - Big Fern Springs, Hospital Rock, and Sequoia National Park Sign

BIG FERN SPRINGS

As we drove down the mountain, we stopped at a few view points. One of our first stops was at a clearly marked water fall. We hiked up to the top of the waterfall and saw a group of California Newts having a party in the water.

HOSPITAL ROCK

I'm so glad we stopped at this beautiful and historically significant Native American site. We learned a lot about the site and its legacy in the Native American community. There is a lot of parking, picturesque picnic areas, and a phenomenal view of Moro Rock (on a clear day)

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK SIGN

Since we didn't stop here on the way in, we made sure to stop here for some pictures. This is towards the entrance of the park. It features amazing views of the river as well as the surrounding mountains.

I hope you enjoyed reading about our trip. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'll get back to you.