Part 2 - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Part 2 of our journey brought us to Sequoia National Park. We arrived on Tuesday in the late afternoon, purchased a National Parks Annual Pass and headed out to see if we could find a campsite. We lucked out and found a spot in Potwisha Campground. Since we just bought the annual pass, we got a nice discount on the cost of the campsite. I do love a deal!

We set up camp and then hiked one of the trails by the creek. There had been so much snow melt that spring that all of the creeks and rivers were running really high and fast. At each campsite I stay at, I always like to take a walk around the area to learn about the history of the area and the wildlife. Most places have a self guided tour, which I really like!

There was quite a rain storm during the night so I woke up a bit chilled but I was ready to FINALLY see Sequoia trees! This park had been on my bucket list for years and I was finally able to mark that park off my list! The drive to the Sequoia groves was just breathtaking! And there was a fresh layer of snow so when we were hiking it felt like we were the only ones there. It helped that we had gotten up really early! We also saw fresh black bear tracks but didn't end up seeing a bear.

We started by hiking in the Giant Forest to Tharp's Log which is a Sequoia tree that has fallen down and was made into a cabin. The log was hallowed out by fire through 55' or its 70' length. A fireplace (with a chimney), table, benches, shelves and a bed frame are still in the cabin. 

We continued onto Congress Trail to see the really BIG Sequoia trees! I absolutely loved exploring through the Giant Forest. I had never seen Sequoia trees before and pictures absolutely cannot do them justice. Their height and size is so ginormous; it truly is impossible to capture their true magnitude by just a picture. 

Once we finished up exploring the Giant Forest, we headed over to hike Moro Rock. The hike is pretty much just climbing 400 stairs to the summit but the view of the High Sierra peaks was totally worth it! 

One of the signs on the way up was very interesting about the ever changing view of the scenery due to the seasons. Winter is the most dramatic because the snow smooths the jagged rocks, pointy trees, and rough ground. Snow at the peaks means water in the valley below. 

Almost all of the land seen from the top of Moro Rock lies within the Kaweah watershed. The Kaweah River's water has billions of gallons of water which flow downstream to the southern San Joaquin Valley.

I really enjoyed the views on the way up. If you have the opportunity to visit this spot when you are in Sequoia National Park, I highly recommend it! ​

After our adventuring we found a campground to stay for the evening with the intention to spend a few hours hiking in Kings Canyon National Park the next day. 

The drive to Kings Canyon was gorgeous and the roads were very windy and narrow. I was nervous with the huge cliff drop-offs on either side of the road but it was totally worth and we didn't die, which was a plus! Kings Canyon is extremely rugged and I had no idea how beautiful it was prior to the trip. I was absolutely so excited to get out and hike. We quickly realized that we didn't allocate enough time to truly explore the park. 

I decided to hike to Roaring River Falls. I was nervous to hike by myself due to the black bears but I was happy to not come across any. I enjoyed the solitude and quiet while hiking along the trail and was surprised when I got closer to the falls that there were quite a few people already there. I realized there is another trail head that is a short walk from a different parking lot to the falls! Next I headed to the Zumwalt Meadow and that was an absolute delight. The contrast of the bright green grass against the sky and rock almost took my breath away, I definitely plan on going back to actually backpack and get into some of the back country!

After I met back up with my friends, we started our drive to Yosemite National Park!

Continue reading to part 3...

​Blog post written by:
Amy Karras
www.unnamedadventures.com​