I don't know how to even describe this park, maybe, magical... The sequoias are majestic with sugar…read morepines sprinkled all around. I was here with the Sisters Corp. to do some volunteer work. I did not want to miss the opportunity to give my time for this beautiful place. This is my first time to visit this National Park and I know now it will not be my last. My first day at the volunteer camp group site as we gathered at the table to meet each other and go over the agenda for the weekend we had the opportunity to see a black bear casually roam through our campground near the tents (one of them was mine). We were all informed prior to arriving not to leave any scented items in the tents. No one wonder the bear kept moving along, but with the help of our camp host shooing it away from the campground. This is something we learned from the rangers, is to shoo them away so they don't get in the habit of coming around. The park offers many hiking trails, I had the chance to do one of many, which was the Long Meadow Trail. Very beautiful, plenty of foliage and evidence of a bear in the area. Another part of the park I got to visit was General Sherman. There is a park ranger that will tell you the history of the General Sherman tree. You can wait in a long line to take a pic in front of the tree with a General Sherman sign. Or you can take a pic around the fenced majestic tree. I choose not to wait in line. I had the chance to shuttle to General Sherman tree from the Museum. The Shuttle is free and seems to come every 10-15 min. From General Sherman I also shuttled to the Lodgepole marketplace and visitor center. In this area are bathrooms with showers (coin operated, quarters). The Marketplace has an area to order some food and also a section where you can purchase some ice cream by the scoop. The store offers assorted ice cream bars. The visitor center offers gift items as well as the marketplace. At the front of the visitor center they had a ranger available at a booth if you had any questions. This place is quite busy! Parking lot is a madhouse. Nearby is a campground you may want to check out or ask the ranger for some info. If you can, arrive early, find parking at the Museum and shuttle to everything if you can. Warning, when I was doing volunteer work in the parking lot across from the museum we witnessed a black bear enjoying some berries in the bushes. I'm not sure if they will venture into the parking lot with a lot human activity going on but be careful what you leave in your car, anything and everything with a scent. The park has so much to see. I look forward to returning to volunteer and to take advantage of what the park has to offer.

Best national park I've ever been to and that's saying a lot…read more It's magical, and I highly recommend getting to the Sherman trailhead prior to 9:30am if you want a parking spot. Takes about an hour to get in there, up there and parked so plan accordingly. The congress trail was amazing and for a 3.5 mile hike it took about 2.5 hours with frequent stops for pictures. Highly recommend a stop at lodge pole for refreshments and merch. Incredible experience from start to finish.

Cute little park with nice shaded areas and fat geese wandering about. Only complaint is the…read moreparking is a bit limited. I'll be back!

Large park, lots to do. Shady areas for picnics, two separate playground areas, small pond where…read morefishing takes place, the public pool is located at the top and there is a road that drives through the park for ease of access.

It's a nice park to go sit, walk or run however, there are not enough picnic tables. There are two…read morelarge areas with tables for parties other than that there are only two picnic tables on the other side of the park. The restrooms are clean.

I really like this park it's good for picnic's and playing around with your friends I would really…read morerecommend going to this park

Absolutely stunning, amazing views, fresh air and super clean area. Lots of trash's located around…read more Peaceful. From entrance it's 45mins to get to the sequoia trees. Sundays don't require a fee. Definitely recommend. open 24/7 365 days a year.

I've always wanted to go to the Sequoia's. I didn't know what to expect but wanted to try and make…read morea loop so we drove up through Kernville. The Kern river was especially high and so were the temperatures. We ascended into the forest pretty quickly, following the river. There's a ton of camping along the river but not a lot of "forest". We stayed at the Durrwood Creek Lodge B&B for the night and got a fresh start early the next morning. About 10 miles up the road it finally started looking more "forest"like. But still a dry desert like California forest. As we continued driving we came across the 100 Giant Sequoia's park. We parked for $5 and walked amongst some ancient trees. The walk is paved and easily accessible for all. There were a lot of dead and fallen trees throughout the forest which was a bit sad and disheartening. The droughts, bark beetles, fires and wind storms really has taken a toll on this beautiful forest. I did learn that there is a difference between the National Forest and National Park. This is the National Forest. Land that has been set aside, in its natural habitat with minimal impact. There is primitive camping, hunting, and less maintained services. The Kings Canyon Sequoia National Park is more maintained with lodging, camping and visitor centers and requires an entrance fee. Both have giant Sequoia's. The road was maintained and an easy day drive. We made several stops to take photos and even came across several waterfalls right off the highway. We drove through a couple of small little towns. They're is a few restaurants, but no gas or cell service. I did enjoy seeing the giant Sequoia's. And if really like to rent a yurt up there! I look forward to getting through the National Park next.

Had a great time on the trail with my husband! Perfect weather and smells. Would definitely…read morerecommend this for a road trip stop and/or your destination for the day.

My family and I rented a houseboat from the Marina a few weeks back, to go out on the lake and fish…read moreall day. The boat rental was fairly inexpensive - a little under 200 dollars for a 10 person boat, and we really enjoyed our experience. The staff was friendly and helpful at the Marina, and despite not catching anything, we had a fantastic day. Add in the fact that the lake is beautiful, we had a great time. We will be back, with more of the family this time!!

this is a pretty nice campground. spacious sites and easy to book online. little dried up success…read morelake.

Went here on a hot summer day to escape the 100+ degree heat. It was cool that you could park right…read moreon the beach of the lake and have all your junk for hanging out right there. We set up some chairs and canopy. Had some beers and lunch. It was fairly pleasant except for the GAS smell. The whole time, it just smelled like gas. Someone had a jet ski parked inside the roped-off swimming area. The water in the swimming area was stale and tepid and smelled like gas. I went in despite that, and it was gross. The muddy lake bottom and uncomfortably warm water added to the disgust. Once you get far enough into the lake it was cool and comfortable, but geez - right by the shore was awful. I'll just rent a boat next time, haha.

We were camping at Balch park and we came here to take a half day ride…read more We found the employees to be helpful and friendly The trip was fun and full of beautiful things to see The horses were easy to ride and that was good. It made the ride worry free. If your in the area it's worth the drive to have a day out with the horses

We have been up here several times just to go riding. We have had a great experience each time. We…read moreare from Orange County and love to visit Balch Park.

If you do one thing in Sequoia & Kings Canyon make it a tour with Krista at Sequoia Guides!…read more We experienced a snow shoeing tour and had a party of 5 ranging in age from 9 to 53. Krista was fantastic at making us feel confident in our abilities. She showed interest in each of us and answered every question we had. This was my 3rd time visiting Sequoia & Kings Canyon and I learned things I never knew! She is exceptionally knowledgeable about Sequoia & Kings Canyon. This was the highlight of our trip! We will be back for a spring/summer tour before too long!

I was born in ND and lived near Redding, CA for 30 years. Now I live in Springville, CA and it's a…read moreshort 45 minute drive to the sequoia's. Beautiful drive...wonderful scenic area and my family will visit again and again!!

Guns and Roosters Hunting Preserve is an amazing place just outside Porterville. It's one of the…read morefew places left where you can spend all day hunting Pheasant and Chukar without breaking the bank. I had the pleasure of two hunts on the preserve this year, and did a lot of research on clubs in the area before visiting Guns and Roosters. Dave does a top-notch job. You'll be hard-pressed to find a club with better looking, healthier birds for as great a deal as you'll get out in Porterville. There aren't too many frills about this place- it's all about hunting. They stick to what they know and couldn't be better. They have some excellent dogs and handlers available, although we brought our own. Plenty of shootout and benefit events throughout the season, and it's a great place to keep your gundog trained up. We'll definitely be back next season. Thanks Dave!