NATIONAL SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON PARKS & SEQUOIA NATIONAL FORES T/ GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL MONUMENT LATE SUMMER GUIDE 2011

Crystal Cave / Park Activities • page 3 page 8 • Facilities & Programs in Sequoia Road Limits / Safety / Finding Gasoline • page 5 page 9 • Facilities & Programs in Kings Canyon & USFS Highlights in Sequoia Park • page 6 page 10 • Camping & Lodging / Bears & Your Food Highlights in Kings Canyon & USFS • page 7 page 12 • Traffic Delays / Park Map Sequoias, fire, and the next generation It is impossible to walk through canopy above to sunlight. a sequoia grove without being awe - The odds are strongly against a struck by the beauty of the great sequoia seed germinating and grow - giants: General Sherman, the Grant ing to maturity. Thousands of seeds Tree, the Parker Group, the Lincoln scatter after fires, yet most of them Tree, and the many other sequoias will not even take root. The very that people have come to know and small number that do, however, still love. You can find a joy and a peace have a lot to contend with. Drought, while wandering through sequoias competition for water and nutrients, that feels unlike anything else. floods, and fire all take a toll on Another wonder awaits you in these young trees. Occasional dense many of the parks’ sequoia groves. clusters of saplings can be seen ten Whether walking through the East years after a fire, but very few of Fork Grove, Redwood Mountain them will last much beyond that. Grove, or in many locations in Giant They cannot all survive if one is Forest, with an observant eye you to survive. Natural processes wean can spot crops and thickets of small out the weaker trees and those with sequoia saplings. less sunlight or less access to water Young sequoias are distinctive sources. Trees of the same age often in their bright green and sharp, scaly vary in size after just a few years. needles. Seedlings look stunted and Only those in prime locations grow scraggly, but they take on a graceful well. For example, General Sherman spire shape as they mature into stands as the largest — but not the saplings. They often grow in dense Ten years ago, these sequoia saplings sprouted after a prescribed oldest — sequoia. Its size can be clusters near streams, wet meadows, fire. The young tree on the left is starting to take on the conical attributed in part to the luck of hav - and sunny gaps in the forest canopy – shape standard to older saplings. NPS Photo: D. Schweizer ing started in an excellent spot. a testament to this tree’s thirsty and sun-loving nature. They also grow Walk along the Congress Trail in Giant Forest or in Redwood almost exclusively where fire has burned recently. Mountain Grove to enjoy sequoias both young and old. While admiring Virtually all these young trees result from prescribed fires completed the youngsters, try to determine which will be survivors. Which of these over recent years. Giant sequoias are fire-adapted; they thrive with saplings will live through droughts and fires? Which will grow tall, drop natural fire cycles. Fire opens the cones, releasing the tiny seeds to the their lower limbs to help protect themselves from future fires, and drink nutrient rich ash and mineral soil below—the ideal conditions for this deep of the mountain waters? Somewhere out there is the next General tree’s germination. Fire thins competing plants while opening the Sherman Tree. ~ Deb Schweizer WELCOME to SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON

Land of giants... and more WELCOME You expect giant trees and huge canyons—and you You may borrow the park map & guide in Braille at visitor centers. won’t be disappointed. Yet the whole of these parks is even greater than the sum of its famous parts. BIENVENUE Rising from 1300’ to 14,494’ (the highest elevation in Une guide officielle est dis pon ible the lower 48 states), these parks protect a spectacular dans les centres d’information. elevational range. This span from low to high means dramatic shifts from warm foothills to cool forests to the BIENVENIDOS cold High Sierra. It means diverse plants and animals Hay un folleto en Español living in extremely varied conditions. It means steep disponible en los centros de visita. roads and trails that climb mountains, and cold rivers that plunge down from their heights. WILKOMMEN The caretakers of this landscape are also diverse. A Eine Landkarte ist auch in national monument, which is part of a national forest, deutscher sprache im Besucher- borders these two national parks. The U.S. Geological zentrum erhaltlich. Survey conducts research here. The Sequoia Natural BENVENUTI History Association runs bookstores at visitor centers La traduzione in lingua Italiana and contributes to education and research. The Sequoia della mappa e’ disponibile in tutti Parks Foundation supports important park projects. i centri di informazioni. Other partners, public and private, cooperate with the Park Service to meet a challenging mission—providing for public enjoyment while keeping the parks unimpaired PARK, FOREST, for future generations. You are an important partner, too! Experience these parks, learn all you can, and help to OR MONUMENT? PHONE NUMBERS preserve them. Thank you! What is the difference between EMERGENCY — DIAL 911 Sequoia and Kings Canyon No coins needed. National Parks, Sequoia National Forest, and Giant Sequoia 24-Hour Park Information National Monument? 1-559-565-3341 (NPS) Each is on federal land. Each www.nps.gov/seki exists to benefit society. Yet each Na tional Forest Information has a different history and pur - 1-559-338-2251 (USFS) YOUR FEES HELP YOUR PARKS! Most of your entrance and camping fees stay right here. pose. Together they provide a wide www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia spectrum of uses. Yosemite Information (NPS) The parks invest them in projects that improve visitor facili - National parks strive to keep 1-209-372-0200 ties and protect park resources. Fees have paid for repairing landscapes unimpaired www.nps.gov/yose and upgrading roads, campgrounds, trails, picnic areas, for future generations. Road Conditions and restrooms. They have also improved visitor centers, They protect natural 1-800-427-7623 (Caltrans) updated exhibits, and modernized slide programs! and historic features while offering light-on- Partners in the Parks ENTRANCE FEE OPTIONS the-land recreation. The following organizations work Park rangers work for together to provide this guide, first • 7-day pass for Sequoia & Kings Canyon and Hume Lake the National Park published in 1974 as the Sequoia Bark. District of Sequoia Na tional Forest/Giant Sequoia National Service, part of the It is published by the Sequoia Natural Monument (GSNM) : $20 per vehicle (private, non-commercial) Department of the Interior. His tory As so ciation (SNHA) and National forests, managed printed by Willems Commercial or $10 per person on foot, bicycle, motorcycle, or bus. Printing, Inc. under a “multiple use” concept, • 12- Month Pass for Sequoia & Kings Canyon and Hume Lake provide services and commodities National Park Service (NPS) that may include lumber, cattle Malinee Crapsey, Editor District of Sequoia Na tional Forest/GSNM : $30 admits all passengers in a private vehicle for one year from month of pur - grazing, minerals, as 1-559-565-3341 well as recreation www.nps.gov/seki chase. Not valid at Crystal Cave. with and without Sequoia Natural History vehicles. Forest Association (SNHA) • 12-Month: America the Beautiful Interagency Annual Pass : rangers work for the 1- 559-565-3759 $80. Valid for entrance fees at Federal recreation sites including U.S. Forest Service, www.sequoia hist ory. org National Parks, National Forests, FWS, BLM, & Bureau of an agency in the Sequoia Parks Foundation Reclamation. Admits all passengers in a single private non-com - Department of 1-559-739-1668 mercial vehicle where per-vehicle fees are charged, or the pass- Agriculture. www.sequoiaparksfoundation. org holder plus up to 3 persons (age 16 & older) for per-person fee Both agencies manage wilder - U.S. Forest Service (FS) areas, for 12 months. Not valid at Crystal Cave. ness and other areas where they 1- 559-784-1500 maximize protection of natural www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia • Seniors: America the Beautiful Interagency Pass : $10 one- resources. For example, part of Delaware North Companies time fee buys a lifetime pass for entrance fees for U.S. citizens Sequoia National Forest has been Parks & Resorts (DNCPR) designated Giant Sequoia National 1-888-252-5757 & permanent residents 62 or over. (Previously issued Golden Age Monument to emphasize protec - www.visitsequoia.com passes remain valid.) Not valid at Crystal Cave. tion of sequoias. Kings Canyon Park Services (KCPS) Parks, forests, and monuments 1- 866-KCANYON (522-6966) • Accessibility: America the Beautiful Interagency Access Pass may have different rules in order www.sequoia-kingscanyon.com Free to blind or permanently disabled U.S. citizens and to meet their goals. Read “Where U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) permanent residents. Take appropriate documentation to any can I...” on the next page to learn 1- 559-565-3171 park entrance station or visitor center. (Previously issued Golden what activities are permitted www.werc.usgs.gov Access passes remain valid.) Not valid at Crystal Cave. where. Despite confusion over names, we get a wide range of Page 1 illustrations ©SNHA by Rick Wheeler benefits from these diverse areas. 2 LATE SUMMER 2011 SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS FREE W ALKS & TALKS VISITOR CENTERS: Each may be offered at Giant one has unique exhibits Forest, Lodgepole, Grant and a store: books, post - Grove, Cedar Grove, cards, maps, posters, , and the and other items. Your Foothills. See pages 8-9. purchases support the Activities parks! See pages 8-9. TEACHERS: Curriculum- based programs for 2 nd , JUNIOR RANGERS: 3rd , and 4 th grades on FREE PROGRAM for all sequoia life cycles and ages! Get a free booklet adaptations, species at any visitor center, fin - Tour Crystal Cave! interdependence, and ish the activities for your cultural history. E-mail age, and earn a badge. No tickets are sold at the cave, only at Lodgepole and Foot hills 1 [email protected]. visitor centers. Buy tickets at least 1 ⁄2 hours in advance (see traffic-delay information on back page). Crystal Cave Road is 15 miles from Sequoia Park entrance at Hwy 198; 3 miles south of the General Sherman Tree (see back-page map). WHERE CAN I... Maximum vehicle length is 22' (6.7 m) on this road. Use parking-lot 1 Your visit may include both a National Park (NPS) and restrooms; the cave has none. Wear sturdy shoes; the ⁄2-mile trail a National Forest (USFS). Activities that are illegal in (.8 km) to the cave is steep. Wear a jacket; it’s 50 °F (10 °C) inside. the Park may be legal in the Forest (see page 2 for No baby backpacks, strollers, or tri pods. Not wheel chair accessible. details). Know which area you are in (see back page)! Ask about group reservations and wild cave tours: 1-559-565-3759. • BRING A PET - In the Parks : Only during the season with a Not on any trails. It’s o.k 100 feet license: 1-559-243-4005. from roads in developed areas • GO CAMPING - In the Parks : (picnic areas, campgrounds). In Only in numbered sites in desig - the National Forest : Pets can go nated campgrounds. In the on trails. In both areas : Pets National For est : In campgrounds must be on a leash less than 6 feet or, unless posted otherwise, near (1.8m) long. Never leave pets in roadsides. Pull a safe distance off cars as they may overheat quickly. the road but no further. • RIDE BICYCLES - In the Parks : • GO PICNICKING - See symbols Stay on roads only, not on any on back-page map. Due to bears, trail (other than designated bike never leave food unattended! trail in Cedar Grove). In the Most sites have tables, restrooms National Forest : Ask a ranger & fire grills, except: No grills at which trails permit bicycles. In Foothills & Sandy Cove. No fires both areas : Be careful: Roads permitted at Lodgepole, Crescent are narrow and RVs are wide. Meadow, Grizzly Falls, & Sandy Be careful & courteous near Cove. No water at Halstead, Pow- ped es trians & horses. People dercan, Lodgepole, Crescent Mea- under 18 must wear helmets. dow, Sandy Cove, & Grizzly Falls. • HAVE A FIRE In the Parks : • SNOWMOBILE Not in the Only in fire grills in campgrounds Parks. In National Forest : Only & some picnic areas. In National on designated snowmobile routes • 45-minute Cave Tours daily Forest : Free fire permits required, at Quail Flat, Cherry Gap, Big even for gas stoves/lanterns. Some Meadows. Call 1-559-338-2251. Times subject to change. Cave may be closed by snow in fall. areas more restricted than others. • GO FISHING - In both areas : WEEKDAYS through 9/5: 10:30am- 4:30pm. 9/6 - 18 : 11am, noon, Get permits at Kings Canyon Park 2pm, 3pm. 9/19 - 10/23: 11am, 1pm, 2pm. Visitor Center (Grant Grove) or Permitted during fishing season. WEEKENDS through 9/5: 10am-5pm. 9/6-18: 11am, noon, 1pm, USFS office (Dunlap) on Hwy 180. Cal ifornia fishing licenses are re- quired for ages 16 & up. Ask for 2pm, 3pm, 4pm. 9/19 - 10/23: Saturdays noon, 1pm. 2pm, 3pm, • COLLECT THINGS TO KEEP - cop ies of park reg u la tions. 4pm; Sundays noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm. Not in Parks : Leave things where Ask about special “Ghosts of Crystal Cave” Halloween tours! you find them to play their natural • CUT WOOD - Not in the Parks . role in the ecosystem. In the In the National Forest : Call Fees: Age 5-12 $7; age 13-61 $13; age 4 and under free; Golden National Forest : Keeping a few Hume Lake Ranger District for per - Age (age 62 & up) and Golden Access passholders $12. cones or rocks for personal use is mit and guidelines: 559-338-2251. National Park and Interagency passes do not apply. Discount permitted. In both areas : • GET CELL-PHONE SERVICE - for SNHA members! Flashlight versions of the tours may be Archeo logical sites and artifacts See top right of page 5, Be Safe. substituted for regular tours. are protected by law. 1 • 1 ⁄2-hour Discovery Tours • DRIVE OHV S OFF-ROAD - • RIDE HORSEBACK Weekdays - 4:15pm, through 9/2. Enjoy an in-depth tour of this Not in the parks . Stay on roads. Hourly rides, backcountry fabulous cave. Limited to 18 people aged 12 & up. Fee: $16 each. In National For est : Get details on spot trips, or guided trips. available off-highway-vehicle (OHV) 1 • Cedar Grove • 1 ⁄2-hour Historic Candle-Light Tours roads at USFS Hume Lake office in 1-559-565-3464 summer Dunlap (Hwy 180) or Kings Canyon 1-559-337-2314 off season Thursday-Friday, 5:30 pm; Saturday-Sunday 6pm through 9/4. Visitor Center (Grant Grove). • Grant Grove Experience the cave as its discoverers did! Limited to 18 people aged 12 & up. Fee: $16. • HUNT - Not in the Parks . Visitors 1-559-335-9292 summer 1-559-799-7247 off season are responsible for understanding • Horse Corral and complying with all applicable Note: White-nose syndrome is a disease that has killed millions At Big Meadows in of bats in other states. This summer, the parks may have simple state, local, and federal firearms Sequoia National Forest laws before entering this park. It is screening and decontamination steps at caves in order to protect 1-559-565-3404 summer these amazing mammals. prohibited to discharge a firearm in 1-559-679-3573 cell the parks. In the National Forest : & SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST / GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL MONUMENT LATE SUMMER 2011 3 WILDERNESS Change: Natural & unnatural OVERNIGHTS A permit is required for all over- night wilderness trips into these We often think of parks as outdoor museums. Caretaking a living ecosystem, parks. Between late May and late however, is very different than protecting unchanging objects. September (the quota season), each park trail has a daily entry quota for Both natural features and human facilities may be different each time you visit. Both are changing all overnight trips and a wilderness the time. How we take care of those features and facilities may also affect your visit. You won’t notice camping fee of $15 is required. The the ozone monitor that works 24 hours a day, but you will see other activities such as revegetation, road quota and fee are tools to help pro - work, painting, or trail maintenance. Some activities may unavoidably affect you, such as smoke from a tect your wilderness environment prescribed fire, campsite closures due to revegetation, or bear management. and experience. Permits are not required for day hikes, or for The park staff uses such actions as tools to maintain the landscape and protect its inhabitants and overnight trips in the adjacent US visitors. Your visit gives you but a snapshot of this process; Nature decides the timing of many of these Forest Service Monarch and Jennie actions. They all share one goal: preservation of these parks for us all, now and in the future. Lakes wildernesses, but a free fire permit is required for any open flame on USFS land. Outside the quota season, permits Fire: A natural change are still required, but are on a self- Years ago, we tried to banish fire from the land - issue basis. Get self-issue permits at scape, believing it was destructive. In sequoia groves, the station nearest your trailhead (see pages 8 & 9). Trail condition that meant putting out lightning-caused fires that information is limited; be careful and naturally start as frequently as every 5 to 15 years. expect winter conditions. As time passed, we saw unanticipated conse - Requests to reserve a permit for a quences from this. Fire suppression blocked important certain date within the quota season ecological processes and caused many problems. Two are accepted beginning March 1 and at least 2 weeks before your trip's problems were glaring: start date. First, sequoias were not reproducing. We learned Permits must be picked up either that fires create the conditions that sequoias need to the afternoon before, starting at regenerate: Fires leave behind a seedbed fertilized 1pm, or by 9am on the day of depar - with ash and they open the forest canopy, allowing ture at the park permit station/visitor sunlight to reach the seedlings. center nearest your trailhead. If delayed, call the Wilderness Office or Second, the amount of dead wood and dense you may lose the permit. growth of small white-fir trees increased tremendous - If the quota for your preferred ly. Natural fires used to burn these away frequently. trail is full, you can choose another Now, after fire’s long absence, these fuels feed bigger, trail for that day or another day to hotter blazes that are more dangerous for people, start, if space is available. Permits are not issued after mid-afternoon as plants, and wildlife. minimum distances must be reached For over 40 years at Sequoia and Kings Canyon, before you camp. we have studied fire and its effects on the land. Now, Camping in the parks’ "frontcoun - to protect human safety and benefit giant sequoia try" is permitted only in camp - trees, the National Park Service works with fire to grounds. Camping or sleeping in restore the benefits it brings. vehicles is not allowed in parking lots, pull-outs, picnic areas, or trail - We still put out fires that threaten life and property heads in the park. but, when and where it’s appropriate, we may ignite Wilderness Permit Reservations prescribed fires or allow lightning fires to spread natu - Sequoia & Kings Canyon N.P. rally, reducing fuels and improving resource condi - 47050 #60 Fire in the Sierra usually hugs the ground. Its tions. Strong evidence shows that we are succeeding. Three Rivers, CA 93271 1-559-565-3766; Fax 565-4239 low flames clear dangerous built-up fuels. With- Why is this important? The National Park System out it, these fuels would feed intense, hard- to- exists to conserve resources “unimpaired for the For more details, visit Wilderness control wildfires. The natural burn pattern enjoyment of future generations.” We once thought Information at www.nps.gov/seki/ planyourvisit/wilderness.htm or call. includes occa sion al hot spots. These leave that aggressive fire suppression met this goal. A more complete understanding of fire tells us that excluding important openings in the forest — the sunny, HIGH SIERRA LODGE bare places where sequoia trees regenerate best. this important natural agent of change only hurts what we are trying to protect. ©NPS Photo • BEARPAW HIGH SIERRA CAMP (DNCPR) 1-888-252-5757 Unnatural change: Alien invaders! Plants and animals evolve together in Two immediate threats: communities over time. Often they keep Star thistle is one of the most damaging each other in check. When species get non-natives in the state. Dense, thorny brought in from other places, the newcom - growth completely excludes native plants ers may multiply wildly since the competi - and limits wildlife movements. It is not yet tors, predators, and diseases they evolved established here! If you recognize it from with in their home communities are not your home or travels, make sure not to here. They break links in the local web of bring it in. If you see it here, tell a ranger. life, badly disrupting species that depend on each other. Sometimes they completely New Zealand mud snails completely replace native plants and animals. take over and change waterways that they Practice alien hygiene! Look for seeds invade. Due to their biology, just one snail NEW and tiny animals attached to shoes, clothes, can start a huge population! They stick on ZEALAND waders, equipment, tires, and pet fur. gear; check boots & waders thoroughly for MUD Wash mud from under cars and on tires this tiny invader. Common just east of the SNAIL before coming into the parks. STAR THISTLE parks, they could easily be carried into the The natives will thank you! High Sierra. 4 LATE SUMMER 2011 SEQ UOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SAFETY! RATTLESNAKES , found in much CELL PHONES rarely work well in of these parks, are especially com - these mountains; don’t rely on Natural areas present hazards. Rocks roll, trees topple, and mon in the foothills and near water. them. Note where pay telephones limbs drop without warning. Icy or uneven ground, wild animals, Watch where you put your hands are available (see pages 8 & 9). and changing weather pose dangers. People may create other and feet! Do not harass or kill them; hazards through campfires, traffic, snowplay, and poor decisions. COUGARS roam throughout the this is when most bites occur. Bites Water is the main cause of death here. Many drowning victims parks, but you are unlikely to see are rarely lethal, were walking or climbing near rivers and unexpectedly fell in. one. Attacks are rare, but be aware. but tissue dam - The Park Service works to reduce risks, but your safety is in your Watch children closely; never let age can be own hands. Keep alert. Read warnings and ask a ranger for advice. them run ahead. Cautiously severe. If bit - move away if you find a par - ten, avoid tially buried animal carcass. panic; call a If you see a cougar, the goal is ranger or 911. to convince it that you are not prey: LIGHTNING :See dark • Don’t run; it may trigger pursuit. clouds or lightning or hear thunder? • Try to appear as large as possi - Get inside a large build ing or a vehi - ble. Don’t crouch or try to hide. Be Safe! cle (not convertible), if possible. Do • Hold your ground or back away not stand under trees or in shallow slowly while facing the cougar. caves. Avoid projecting above the • Pick up children. surrounding landscape such as • If the mountain lion acts ag gres - DROWNING : The #1 cause of TICKS : Common in foot hill and standing on a ridge, on Moro Rock, sively, wave your hands, shout, death in national parks! Be extra Kings Canyon grasses; check your - or in open mea dows. Stay away and throw stones or sticks at it. careful around water; falling in is as self after a walk. Their bite from open water, wire fences, and • If attacked, fight back! dangerous as swimming. Once in a is painless, but a small per - metal railings, which can carry light - • Report any cougar sightings. ning from a distance. river, getting out can be nearly centage carry Lyme disease. BE SAFE : Avoid going alone. Tell impossible: Rocks are smooth and Remove them carefully with WEST NILE VIRUS is passed by someone your plans and return slippery; swift, cold water rapidly tweezers; seek a doctor’s advice. bites from infected mosquitos. time. Watch and listen for potential saps your strength. Currents are GIARDIA in lakes and streams can Human illness is not common, but hazards above you, around you, and always stronger than they appear. cause intestinal upset. Iodine and take steps to avoid mosquito bites. on the ground. Beware of trails and sidewalks slippery with ice or leaves. PLAGUE : Please do not feed or other chemicals may not be as reli - CARBON MONOXIDE : This odor - Slow down to safely share roads touch ANY park animals. Fleas on able as heat in killing bac teria and less, colorless gas can be fatal. and trails with people and wildlife. rodents can carry plague. Deer mice Giardia, but can be effective if used Never burn charcoal in closed feces can carry hantavirus. properly. Boil drinking water at least spaces, e.g. a tent, camper, or RV. SAFE DRINKING WATER : The 3 minutes. 13 park water systems are tested POISON OAK : This OZONE POLLUTION : See air-qual - to ensure that they meet federal common shrub grows up HYPOTHERMIA : This life-threaten - ity forecasts in visitor centers. Most and state standards. Ask at visitor to 5000 feet eleva - ing condition can occur year-round. ozone rises into the Sierra on warm centers about the Annual tion: Red leaves Stay dry; snack often. If others don’t winds. Levels of this colorless gas Consumer Con fidence Reports. with whitish berries respond to the need for warmer are highest May to October, peaking in fall; bare in win - clothes or are stumbling, forgetful, in late afternoon. The peaks some - OPERATION NO-GROW ter; shiny green or extremely tired and drowsy, get times reach “unhealthy” state/fed - Keep parks safe, natural, and free leaves in groups of three in spring. warm sugary drinks into them eral standards, and can affect respi - from illegal activities such as mari - If you touch any part of the plant, immediately. Get them into dry ratory systems. Ozone forms from juana growing! Report suspicious wash skin and clothes right away. clothing, sleeping bags, and shelter. gases in car and factory exhaust. activities: 1-888-NPS-CRIME.

DON’T LOSE YOUR BRAKES IN SEQUOIA – Frequent braking causes over - Crystal Cave Road : Maximum Rules of park roads heating and brake failure. vehicle length 22’. Instead, always down shift when Moro Rock/Crescent Meadow : EXPECT TRAFFIC DELAYS EMERGENCY CAR REPAIRS going downhill. In automatic Ride the shuttle! During shuttle daily on Generals Highway For a tow: 565-3341 then press vehicles, put the gear shift on 1, season (5/26-9/25; see page 6), zero (24 hours). In Sequoia Park south of Giant Forest and 2 or L. The en gine gets louder, this road is closed on Saturdays, only, AAA available 24 hours for occasionally in other park but it will save your brakes. Sundays, and 7/4 & 9/5, from lock outs, jump starts, out-of- locations. Details on back page 9am- 4pm, to private vehicles gas, minor repairs : call 565-4070. AVOID OVERHEATING (page 12). (except those with handicap- FINDING GASOLINE Check your engine temperature 22’ VEHICLE LENGTH LIMIT gauge or light. If it starts to go parking placards or backcountry No gas stations within the park. on Generals Hwy between up, especially on an uphill, turn permits). Before 9am and after Hospital Rock Picnic Area and Only Grant Grove market sells off the air conditioner and turn 4pm the road is open to all vehi - Giant Forest Museum due to cans of emerg ency gas. Fill up in on the fan. If the engine fails, cles, except for single vehicles single-lane road. Between Pot- Three Rivers, Clingan’s Junction, pull into a paved area, lift the more than 22 feet long and wisha Campground and Hospital or in the National Forest at: hood, and wait awhile for it to combination vehicles are prohib - Rock, advised maximum vehicle • Hume Lake Christian Camp: cool. If the problem is vapor ited; (exception if valid disabled- length is 22 feet (6.7m). Maxi- 559-305-7770. Year-round lock, this may take care of it. parking placards are displayed). mum limit on other parts of the 24 hours with credit card. Mineral King Road : RVs & trail - GO SLOW FOR WILDLIFE! Gen er als Highway is 40 feet (12 11 miles (18 km) north of ers not recommended on the Never feed animals along the m) for single vehicles, 50 feet Grant Grove via Hwy 180. road; they are not permitted in road. They often get hit by cars. (15 m) for veh i cl e + towed unit. • Stony Creek Village: campgrounds). Alter natives: Hwy 180 from 1-559-565-3909. Available NARROW, WINDING ROADS South Fork & Middle Fork roads : Fresno is straighter, less steep, 24 hours with credit card, IN KINGS CANYON & N ATIONAL Slippery when wet. Partly and wid er. If towing a car, camp summer only. Between FOREST /S EQUOIA MONUMENT - unpaved. in the foothills and use the car. Wuksachi & Grant Grove Redwood Mountain Road (NPS) BICYCLES on the Generals Hwy. & Big Meadows, Converse Basin PREVENT CAR FIRES Ride on roads (not trails), single • Kings Canyon Lodge: 1-559- (FS): Unpaved, unplowed. file, and with traffic. Wear light Hot brakes & mufflers can easily 335-2405. Gas sold 9am-dark, Panoramic Point : No RVs/Trailers. colors after dark. People under start fires. Stop only on paved usually. 17 mil es (27 km) from Bridge , closed, has 18 must wear a helmet. areas, not on grasses. Grant Grove on Hwy 180. detours. See back page. & SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST / GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL MONUMENT LATE SUMMER 2011 5 GIANT FOREST ROUTE (green ): Free. Giant Forest Museum to Sherman Tree to 1 SEE SEQUOIA BY SHUTTLE! Lodgepole. Every 15 minutes. First bus 9am, last bus 6pm. ⁄2-hour ride one way. Ask All buses are wheelchair-accessible about the 7:30am hiker shuttle from Lodgepole to Wolverton and Crescent Meadow, and the 6:30pm pickup at Wolverton bound for Lodgepole. Last day of service 9/25. To Grant Grove, Kings Canyon National Park, and Hwy 180 • Giant Forest Museum / Transfer Point Dorst Campground  • Sherman Tree wheelchair-accessible trail Parking with disabled-placard only. June 25 - Sept 5 Lodgepole Market & Visitor Center • Sherman Tree - Main Trail & Parking. Park here to walk down to tree. Wuksachi MÖCwQäfô Lodge & Restaurant • Lodgepole Visitor Center , Lodgepole Campground (2 stops) ^CWä"ô Lodgepole Campground & MORO ROCK / CRESCENT MEADOW ROUTE (gray): Free. Leaves Giant Forest Shuttle Parking Museum every 15 minutes; stops at Moro Rock only on the outbound trip. First bus Al 9am, last bus 6pm.15-minute ride one way. On weekends & holidays, this road is closed to private vehicles without handicapped placards. Park at any shuttle stop Wolverton ^bä and ride a bus. On holidays (9/3-5), you can also park at Wolverton; the shuttle Sherman Tree - Main Trail will stop there regularly. Last day of service 9/25. & Parking u^ See bulletin boards for shuttle • Giant Forest Museum Sherman Tree - Wheelchair schedules. Be sure to check Accessible Trail uô • Moro Rock - See description below. what time the last bus leaves • Crescent Meadow - See description below. to get you back to your car. Giant Forest Museum ^Muô

1 LODGEPOLE / WUKSACHI / DORST ROUTE (blue): Free. Every ⁄2 hour through 9/25. Crescent Meadow b First bus 9am, last bus 5:30pm. Last day of Dorst section of route 9/7. • Lodgepole Visitor Center & Market , Lodgepole Campground (3 stops) Moro Rock u • Wuksachi Restaurant & Lodge To Foothills, Three • Through 9/7 - Dorst Creek Campground (3 stops) Rivers, and Hwy 198

Giant Forest Route - Free Lodgepole / Wuksachi / GIANT FOREST TO VISALIA ROUTE: $15 round trip. No additional park entrance fee. Dorst Route - Free Reservations required; call 1-877-BUS-HIKE or www.sequoiashuttle.com. Two-hour ride Moro Rock / Crescent Visalia Route - each way. Buses leave Visalia for Giant Forest at 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10am. Buses leave Giant Meadow Route - Free Reservations required Forest for Visalia every hour starting 2:30pm through 6:30pm. Last day 9/25. Transfer points: Giant Forest Museum and Lodgepole stops

MORO ROCK/ NEARBY TRAILS CRESCENT MEADOW TOKOPAH FALLS : 1.7 miles (2.7 Read shuttle information above. km) along a river, ending at cliffs No drinking water is available on & a waterfall. Be careful by the this 3-mile, dead-end roads start - water! Start in Lodgepole Highlights ing at Giant Forest Museum. Campground (a shuttle stop). For During that time, single vehicles the 500-foot/152-meter elevation more than 22 feet long and those gain, allow 2-1/2 to 3 hours. SEQUOIA PARK towing anything are prohibited, THE FOOTHILLS except those displaying valid dis - The low elevations host more different abled-parking placards. Road is plants and animals than the rest of the closed to all vehicles without parks. Watch for ticks and poison oak. placards on weekends & holi - HOSPITAL ROCK PICNIC AREA : GIANT FOREST (past the small Sherman Tree days. Highlights: Exhibits about the Western parking lot only for those with Review safety advice on page 5. You MORO ROCK : A granite dome Mono people who once lived are on your own; travel safely. Use disabled placards) to Wolverton with a steep 1/4-mile (.4 km) here and a very short trail built by the shuttle for exploring! Road. Turn right, then follow staircase to the summit (300 foot the Civilian Conservation Corps signs. If you can walk down but /91 m elevation gain) and a spec - GIANT FOREST MUSEUM leads to a cascade. Careful; the walk back up is too difficult, tacular view. Two miles (3.2 km) drownings often occur here! The best place to learn about you can continue from the tree from the Generals Highway. Always store food from bears. sequoias! Shuttle stop. down the accessible trail to the Shuttle stop. MARBLE FALLS TRAIL climbs 3.7 BIG TREES TRAIL shuttle stop on the Generals TUNNEL LOG : A fallen sequoia miles (6 km) to a waterfall. Park A paved, level, 2/3-mile (1 km) Highway, and ride the north - that was tunneled through; the across the main road from Potwisha loop. Trail-side panels describing bound shuttle (toward only “tree you can drive through” (no non-camper parking in camp - sequoia ecology. Start at Giant Lodgepole) back to your car. in these parks. There is a by-pass ground). From the trailhead near Forest Museum (parking at the • Wheelchair-accessible trail for larger vehicles. 2.7 miles (4.3 site #14, follow the dirt road across trail is only for cars with plac - from Generals Highway to km) from the Museum. the concrete ditch; the trail starts ards.) 1 hour round trip. Sherman Tree - parking here is CRESCENT MEADOW: A along the steep bank to the right. GENERAL SHERMAN TREE: for those with disabled placards meadow of summer flowers. Use PARADISE CREEK : At Buckeye Two trails go to the world’s only. If you have no placard but only fallen logs to walk into Flat Camp ground, take the path largest tree. The shuttle stops at can’t make the walk down the meadows. Try the 1-mile (1.6 km) across from site #28 across the the beginning of each one: main trail, ask at any visitor cen - route to Tharp’s Log, a cabin in a footbridge over the Middle Fork. • Main Sherman Tree Trail & ter for a temporary permit or take fallen sequoia, or the High Sierra Fol l ow Paradise Creek (not the Parking: Trail runs 1/2 mile the shuttle to this location. Trail (71 miles/114 km to Mt. Middle Fork) for 1-1/2 miles (1.6 down to the tree; it has some Whit ney, 14,494 feet /4417 m). km) until the trail grows faint. stairs. It is an uphill walk back to CONGRESS TRAIL : A fairly level 2-mile loop (3.2 km) from Shuttle stop. your car. Drive 2 miles (3.2 km) MINERAL KING the Sherman Tree into the grove. north of Giant Forest Museum See p age 8 for information.

6 LATE SUMMER 2011 SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS Saddle. Turn right (west) and go High Sierra. East of the Village 2 miles (3.2km) to parking lot. turnoff 5-1/2 miles. BIG BALDY RIDGE: Great views out and down into Red- TAKE A HIKE! 1 wood Canyon. 2 ⁄4-mile trail MIST FALLS: One of the park's (3.2km) to the summit at 8209 largest waterfalls. Allow 4-5 feet (2502m). From Grant Grove, hours; 9 miles (14.4 km) round Highlights go 8 miles (13km) south on trip. Fairly flat at first; 600-foot Generals Highway to trailhead. elevation gain in the last 2 miles Elevation gain 600 feet (183m); (3.2 km). Park at Road’s End. KINGS CANYON round trip 4.5 miles (6.4km). DON CECIL TRAIL : The main KINGS CANYON OVER - route into the canyon prior to the LOOK: View of the High Sierra 1939 completion of Highway wilderness, about 6 miles 180. It starts .2 miles (.3 km) east (9.5km) south of Grant Grove. of the village, climbs a north-fac - REDWOOD MOUNTAIN ing slope past Sheep Creek OVERLOOK: Six miles Cascade (1 mile/1.6 km up) to (9.6 km) south of Grant Grove, good views. Lookout Peak (13- across the Generals Highway mile/21-km round trip, 4000 from Quail Flat junction, it looks foot/ 1220 m elevation gain) has west over one of the world’s a great panorama. Stren uous; largest sequoia groves. Studies allow all day. here proved the positive rela - HOTEL CREEK TRAIL : Starts tionship between fire and .2 mile (.3 km) north of the mar - sequoia reproduction. ket at the intersection with the pack station road. Climbs THE KINGS through chap arral to forest and CANYON & views from Cedar Grove Over- look. 5 miles (8 km) round trip; CEDAR GROVE 1200-foot/365 m elevation gain. The Kings River Bridge to Cedar Strenuous; allow 3 -4 hours. Grove is being replaced this sum - Return via Lewis Creek Trail for mer. Detours will be available. an 8-mile (12.9 km) loop. Be very careful near the water! CANYON VIEW: The “U” USFS NATIONAL l l

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h Roaring ’20s, a Santa Barbara every mature sequoia in this P BE CAREFUL : Review safety NEARBY TRAILS & businessman commissioned lav - huge grove was felled early in the advice on page 5. Travel safely! POINTS OF INTEREST ish fishing expeditions here, 1900s. Walk the 2-mile (3.2 km) GRANT GROVE PANORAMIC POINT ROAD: storing gear in this small cabin. Tree loop to see a Drive or walk this steep, narrow A short walk from a turnout 2 monarch they spared (6 miles TREE: road to a High Sierra vista. Go miles (3.2 km) east of Cedar north of Grant Grove), or the 1 One of the world’s largest living east through visitor-center park - Grove Village road. ⁄2-mile (.8 km) loop to the trees. President Coolidge pro - ing, left around the meadow, Chicago Stump, a tree cut for claimed it the Nation’s Christ- ROARING RIVER FALLS: A exhibit at the 1893 World’s Fair right at the sign “Panoramic very short, shady walk to a pow - mas Tree in 1926. It is also a Point, 2.3 miles (3.7km).” From (2 miles north of Grant Grove) . 1 erful waterfall rushing through a National Shrine, the only living the parking lot, walk ⁄4 mile granite chute. 3 miles (4.8 km) INDIAN BASIN : A one-mile me morial to those who died in (.4km) up to viewpoint. accessible trail and one-mile east of the Village road. Paved, war. Visit historic Gamlin Cabin Trailers/RVs not recommended. unpaved trail. Take Highway 180 accessible with assistance. and the Fallen Monarch along The 4-mile (6.4 km) round-trip 7 miles north of Grant Grove; 1 this ⁄3-mile (.5 km) paved trail. Park Ridge Trail begins here. ZUMWALT MEADOW: turn into Princess Campground. A trail guide is sold at the visitor BUENA VISTA PEAK: South of This 1.5-mile (2.4 km) trail pass - Turn left past the dump station center. North and west of the Kings Canyon Overlook on the es granite walls, lush meadows, to trailhead parking area. visitor center 1 mile (1.6 km). 1 west side of Generals Highway, and the Kings River. First ⁄2 mile HUME LAKE , formed by a rare, NORTH GROVE LOOP: This 7 miles south of Grant Grove. offers universal access. Trailhead historic, multiple-arch dam, sup - 1 1 lightly traveled, 1 ⁄2-mile (2.4 Trail to 360° vista of Redwood parking is 4 ⁄2 miles (7.2 km) east plied water to a flume that float - km) trail offers a close look at Can-yon, Buck Rock Lookout, of Cedar Grove Village road. ed lumber 67 miles (108km) to Big Trees and a quiet walk in a 1 and High Sierra. 2 miles (3.2 Purchase a trail Sanger. An easy 2 ⁄2-mile (4 km) conifer forest. Start at Grant km) round trip. guide at visitor trail circles it. Page 9 lists facili - Tree overflow-parking area. REDWOOD CANYON: Rough center or at ties. Eight miles (12.8 km) north DEAD GIANT LOOP: dirt road, not plowed, to the trailhead. of Grant Grove on High way 180; Speculate on what killed this world’s largest sequoia grove. A Allow 3 miles (4.8 km) south on Hume sequoia, and enjoy a pictur - renewed forest from 30 years of 1 hour. Lake Road. esque view of an historic mill prescribed fires shows the posi - ROAD’S BUCK ROCK LOOKOUT : A pond. Follow the old road from tive relationship between fire END: High 1916 tower, still used for spotting the Grant Tree overflow-park - and sequoias. Across Generals granite walls fires, offers 360 ° views. Approx- ing area for about a mile. The Highway from Quail Flat/Hume imately 6 miles (9.6 km) off Big 1 and trails to trail branches off, creating a 1 ⁄2 Lake junction (7 miles south of the river, Muir Meadows Road 14S11, then take mile (2.4 km) round trip. Grant Grove), to Redwood Rock, and the Forest Road 13S04. & SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST / GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL MONUMENT LATE SUMMER 2011 7 FACILITIES IN SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK Giant Forest Sequoia Grove Foothills Area 6400’ elevation. Home of the world’s biggest trees, with 40 miles 1300-3500’ elevation. Oaks, chaparral, & river canyons; hot sum - (64 km) of trails. Highlights, page 6. Traffic-delays, back page. mers & snow-free winters. Park headquarters: at Ash Moun tain. • Visitor Center (NPS) : Daily 8am-6pm through 9/5, then 8am- • Giant Forest Museum (NPS) : Daily 9am-6pm through 9/24, then 4:30pm. Exhibits, books, maps, bear canisters, first aid. 1-559-565- 9am-5pm. No payphone; closest are at Lodgepole & Wolverton. 4212. Get local wilderness permits at the Wilderness Office (See • Beetle Rock Nature Center (NPS) : Daily 1-4pm. Across the street page 4). from Giant Forest Museum. Fun for the whole family. Last day 8/14. • Camping (NPS) : At Potwisha & Buckeye Flat. Details on page 11. • Giant Forest Shuttle (NPS) : 9am to approximately 5:30pm. Stops • Pay Telephones (cell phone signals are usually poor): Foothills include Wuksachi, Lodgepole, Sherman Tree, Giant Forest Museum & Visitor Center near front door; Potwisha Campground, Hospital Moro Rock. Operates through 9/25. Details on page 6. Rock Picnic Area (on restroom wall). Crystal Cave Mineral King Area A major park highlight! Buy tickets well in advance at Foothills 7800’ elevation. A steep, narrow, twisting road leads to this sub - or Lodgepole visitor centers. Details, page 3. alpine valley. No RVs, buses, or trailers. No electricity or gas. • Ranger Station (NPS): Daily 8am-4pm through mid-to late Lodgepole Village September. Ask about free ranger-led programs. 1-559-565-3768. • Pay Telephones: Cold Springs Campground, Sawtooth parking 6700’ elevation. Just north of Giant Forest along the Marble Fork area. Cell phone signals are very poor. of the . • Silver City Mountain Resort : Cabins/chalets, showers, • Visitor Center : Daily 7am-7pm through 9/5, then 7am-5pm. restaurant, small store: gifts, supplies, ice, no gasoline or fishing Starting 9/25, 8am-4:30pm. Bears of the Sierra movie; exhibits on licenses. Thursday-Monday 8am-8pm. Tuesday-Wednesday geology & park life; books, maps. 1-559-565-4436. Pay phone. 8am-5pm, pie & coffee only. Pay telephone. 1-559-561-3223; www.silvercityresort.com. • Wilderness permits required for overnight trips: Issued in visitor center through 9/24, then self issue. See page 4. 1-559-565-3766. • Camping (NPS): No RVs or trailers. Details: page 11. FOOD, OTHER SERVICES • Market, Gift Shop, & Laundry (DNCPR) : Daily 8am-8pm Wuksachi Lodge & Dining through 9/4, then 9am-6pm. Starting 9/26 10am-4:30pm. Groceries, 7200’ elevation. Year-round lodging & food service (DNCPR) in sandwiches, bear canisters, ice cream, souvenirs. Last laundry in 1 Sequoia, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Sherman Tree. hour before closing. • Snack Bar (DNCPR): Daily 8am-7:45pm through 9/4, then week - • Dining Room: Daily through 9/4: 7-10am, 11:30am-2:30pm, 5- ends only 9am-6pm. Last day open 9/25. 10pm, then 7:30-9:30am, 11:30am-2:30pm, 5-8:30pm. Dinner reser - • Deli (DNCPR): Daily 11am-6pm. Last day open 9/5. vations required. Box lunches available. 1-559-565-4070. Lounge 5- 10pm through 9/4, then 5-8:30pm. • Showers (DNCPR): Daily 8am-1pm & 3-7:45pm through 9/4, then 9am-1pm & 3-5:30pm. Starting 9/26, 9am-1pm & 3-4pm. • Gift Shop: Daily 8am-8pm. Souvenirs, clothing, crafts. • Post Office : Year-round. Weekdays 8am-1pm & 2-4pm. 1-559-565- • Wuksachi Lodge: See page 10 for details. Front desk 24 hours. 3678. Lobby open 24 hours. Address mail to visitors: c/o General • Pay Telephones : At main lodge. Cell-phone signals are poor. Delivery, Sequoia National Park, CA 93262. Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts • Lodgepole Campground (NPS) : Open all year. See page 11. (DNCPR) and the National Park Foundation • Pay Telephones: Outside visitor center & market. make it easy for Wuksachi Lodge guests to contribute to these parks. Ask about the Wolverton Guest Donation Program when you check in! 7200’ elevation. North of Sherman Tree 2 miles. Picnic area. • Wolverton BBQ & Dinner Theater (DNCPR): 6-7pm nightly FREE NATURE PROGRAMS through 9/5, weather permitting. All-you-can-eat dinner outdoors while you listen to family-friendly tales of park history. Buy tickets at Check bulletin boards and visitor centers Lodgepole Market or Wuksachi Lodge. for details on these and other ranger-guided programs. No evening programs 8/4.

IN THE FOOTHILLS THROUGH 9/4: Watch for weekend Jr. Ranger programs. Potwisha Campfire programs: Friday & Saturday evenings; 1 hour. IN GIANT FOREST & LODGEPOLE: Join a ranger for walks and talks among the sequoias. Until 9/4, campfire programs Friday through Sunday. Later in September, check bulletin boards for information. IN MINERAL KING THROUGH 9/4: Look for short talks, walks, and evening campfire programs Thursday through Sunday.

8 LATE SUMMER 2011 SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS FACILITIES IN KINGS CANYON PARK & USFS Grant Grove Village Paying Your Entrance Fee at 6600’ elevation. Here you find both a pristine grove & one that Kings Canyon near Grant Grove was logged in the 1800s. Horseback riding — see page 3. Pay the required park and forest entrance fee in the Big • Kings Canyon Park Visitor Center (NPS) : Daily 8am-6pm Stump area just inside the park boundary on Highway 180. through 8/28, then 8am-5pm. Exhibits, movie in English & Spanish. Books, maps, first aid, bear canisters. Local wilderness Please stop to purchase or show your pass. One fee permits issued until 1/2 hour before closing. 1-559-565-4307. covers your visit to both parks and the forest! Construction of a new entrance station on Highway 180 FOOD, LODGING & OTHER SERVICES • Restaurant (KCPS): Daily 7am-2pm & 5-9pm through 9/4, then near the park boundary has started. Please slow down 9am-2pm & 5-7pm (8pm Friday-Saturday). and expect brief traffic delays. • Gift Shop & Market (KCPS) : Daily 8am-9pm through 9/4, then 9am-6pm (7pm Friday-Saturday). Souvenirs, clothing, ATM. USFS: National Fores t & Monument Food, supplies, sandwiches, bear canisters, emergency gasoline. Hume Lake & Big Meadows Areas (FS) • Camping & Lodging : Lodge desk 7am-midnight (10pm starting Giant Sequoia National Monument is part of Sequoia National 9/5). See page 10-11. Showers 11am-4pm through 11/26. Forest. You are in National Forest when you drive from Lodge- • Post Office : Hours may vary. Monday-Friday 9am-3:30 pm. pole to Grant Grove and from Grant Grove to Cedar Grove. Lobby open 24 hours. Send mail for visitors to: c/o General Delivery, Kings Canyon NP, CA 93633. 1-559-335-2499. • USFS Hume Lake District Office (FS): 35860 Kings Canyon Road (Hwy 180) in Dunlap, 19 miles west of Kings Canyon park • Pay Telephones : Kings Canyon Visitor Center (booth by front entrance. Weekdays 8am-4:30pm (open 9/3, closed 9/5). Maps & door) & outside gift shop & market. Cell phone signals are poor. books sold. 1-559-338-2251; www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia. PAY TELEPHONES (cell-phone signals are usually poor): Cedar Grove Village in Kings Canyon • Between Wuksachi Village & Grant Grove: Summer only at Big Meadows trailhead. 4600’ elevation. This glaciated valley features towering granite • Between Grant Grove & Cedar Grove : Hume Lake (year round; cliffs, tumbling waterfalls, and the powerful Kings River. see Hume Lake below); Kings Canyon Lodge (summer only). • Visitor Center (NPS) : Daily 9am-5pm. Closed starting 9/12. LODGING & OTHER SERVICES Books, maps, first aid, bear canisters. 1-559-565-3793. • Camping (FS) & Lodging (private): See pages 10 & 11 for details. • Wilderness Permits (NPS) : At Road’s End, 6 miles (9.6km) • Montecito Lake Resort (FS permittee): Open all year. A resort east of the village. Daily 7am-3pm through 9/24, then self-issue. on public land. On Generals Highway 9 miles south of Grant FOOD, LODGING & OTHER SERVICES Grove. Meals 7:30-9am, 12-1:30pm, 5:30-7pm. Cabins, hotel, chil - • Restaurant (KCPS : Counter-service meals & snack bar; not full dren’s activities. 1-800-227-9900; 1-559-565-3388. service. Daily 7am-2pm & 5-8pm. Starting 8/14, weekdays 8- • Hume Lake: All year. Facilities on public land open to the public: 10:30am & 5-7pm; weekends 8am-2pm & 5-7pm. 24-hour laundry (coin operated) & gas station (with credit • Gift Shop / Market (KCPS) : Daily 7am-8pm through 8/13, then card). Market & snack shop . North of Grant Grove 8 miles on 8am-7pm. Salads, sandwiches, supplies, bear canisters, gifts. Hwy 180; right on Hume Lake Road 3 miles. 1-559-305-7770. • Camping & Lodging : See pages 10-11. Front desk 7am-8pm. • Boyden Cavern : On Highway 180 between Grant Grove & • Showers : Daily 7am-1pm & 3-7pm through 8/13, then 8am-1pm Cedar Grove. Daily tours on the hour 10am-5pm. Gift shop. Ask & 3-6pm. about evening flashlight tours & guided canyoneering trips. Ages 14 & up $13; 3-13 $6.50; under 3 free. AAA 10% discount. Senior • Pay Telephones : Outside lodge & ranger station. and Access Interagency Pass discounts do not apply. Schools/group • Horseback Riding : Details on page 3. reservations: 1-559-338-0959. Friends of the • Stony Creek Resort (FS): On Generals Highway south of Grant is holding a river cleanup on 9/10. Drop-ins welcome. Grove. Daily: Market 8am-8pm; restaurant 11am-7:30pm. Open For information: 1-916-601-9954; http://sfkingsriver.org. 1 hour later on Friday-Saturdays. Showers 9am-6pm. Laundry 10am-6pm. Gasoline 24 hours with credit card. Lodge. 1-866-KCANYON; 1-559-565-3909. FREE NATURE PROGRAMS GASOLINE SALES - See page 3, Rules of Park Roads .

Check bulletin boards and visitor centers for details on these and additional ranger-guided programs. No evening programs offered 8/4.

IN GRANT GROVE : • Grant Tree Walks: 10am daily through 8/14, then Friday-Monday through 9/5. • Evening programs: Nightly at the amphitheater by Azalea Campground through 8/14, then Friday-Sunday through 9/4 (except 8/4). Programs may be offered on September weekends.

IN CEDAR GROVE THROUGH 9/11: • Evening programs Friday-Sunday at the amphitheater near the visitor center. • Zumwalt Meadow Walks: Thursday-Monday.

& SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST / GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL MONUMENT LATE SUMMER 2011 9 LODGING SEQUOIA PARK • Wuksachi Village (DNCPR) Reservations: 1-888-252-5757 Staying Overnigh t Front Desk: 1-559-565-4070 www.visitsequoia.com. Open all year. North of Giant Forest Museum 6 miles (9.6 km). Lodge, restaurant, lounge, gifts. S S These rules protect the park & you! * Silver City Mountain Resort * CAMPING DO & DON’T : Summer: 1-559-561-3223 NOTE: Rules may vary between the Park and the National Forest. Check page 3 for details. Winter: 1-805-528-2730 www.silvercityresort.com. Open FOOD STORAGE REQUIRED ROADSIDE CAMPING? QUIET & GENERATOR HOURS late May to mid-October. Cabins, due to black bears. Do it correctly, Not permited in the park. Camp 10pm-6am. Generator use: At chalets, supplies, restaurant, gifts, year-round. See box below. only in designated sites in camp - Lodgepole & Dorst only 8-11am bakery, showers. No gas. grounds. In the National Forest & & 5-8pm; at other campgrounds GROUP SITES & KINGS CANYON PARK MAXIMUM GROUP SIZES Monument, roadside camping is 9am-9pm only. Music should be permitted unless post ed other - • Grant Grove Lodge & UP TO 6 : Many campgrounds audible in your campsite only. wise. Ask a ranger about options. Lodge (KCPS) allow only 1 vehicle & 6 people RVS & TRAILERS Reservations: 1-866-522-6966 per site. Check locally for slight FIRE RESTRICTIONS Length limits & advisories : See Front Desk: 1-559-335-5500 variations in these limits & park - Check bulletin boards at each area. Rules of Park Roads (page 5) and www.sequoia-kingscanyon.com. ing locations for extra vehicles. Gather only dead & down wood; do Road Delays & Detours (back Open all year. In Grant Grove. 7 TO 19 : In summer, Crystal not cut limbs off trees. page) for details. Hotel, cabins, restaurant, showers Springs (Grant Grove): first- Please don’t transport firewood. It Dump stations: See chart, page 11. (closed in winter), store, gifts. come, first-served sites, groups can carry insects and diseases Trailers are permitted in all but • Cedar Grove Lodge (KCPS) of 7-15. Canyon View (Cedar that threaten living trees. Protect four park camp grounds; check Reservations: 1-866-522-6966 Grove): Sites for 7-19; $35/site. forests by finding or buying wood the chart on page 11. Many sites Front Desk: 1-559-565-0100 LARGER : Call in advance for in the area where you will use it. are not suitable for trailers or www.sequoia-kingscanyon.com information on requesting sum - If you brought wood, please burn RVs. Sites may not be level. Mid-May to mid-October. In the mer group tent-camping sites: it up rather than moving it. Vehicles over 30 feet long can fit Kings Canyon. Motel, public show - For Sunset or Canyon View call Fires must be out before you leave. in a small number of sites. ers, res tau rant, laundry, store. 1-559-565-4335 (5/1-10/31: 565- In the national forest & monument No hookups are available. SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST/ 3792 for Canyon View). To you must get a free campfire per - TIME LIMITS ON CAMPING MONUMENT AREA mit from the Hume Lake District reserve a group site in Dorst or Camping stays: Limited to 14 days • Montecito Lake Resort (formerly Office, Kings Canyon Visitor in the national forest/monu - between June 14 and Sep tem ber Montecito-Sequoia Lodge) Center (Grant Grove), or a Forest Reservations: 1-800-227-9900 ment: 1-877-444-6777 or 14, with 30 days total per year. www.recreation.gov. Service ranger. Front Desk: 1-559-565-3388 BE A VOLUNTEER HOST! PROPANE CANISTERS NO HOLDING CAMPSITES www.mslodge.com. Open all year. Live in and care for park camp - On Generals Hwy 9 miles (14.5 km) You may not hold a site for someone Please: Do not put propane or grounds, resources, & visitors! south of Grant Grove. Cabins, who has not arrived. Sites not other fuel canisters in park trash For more about volunteer oppor - restaurant, hotel, lodge, seasonal occupied for 24 hours are consid - cans or leave them in the parks. tunities here and nationwide: & children’s activities. ered abandoned; property may be Take them home for recycling. www.volunteer.gov/gov. impounded. • Stony Creek Lodge (KCPS) Reservations: 1-866-522-6966 Front Desk: 1-559-565-3909. www.sequoia-kingscanyon.com PROPER FOOD STORAGE IS THE LAW! Open early May through October ears often get unattended food and even break into cars that 9. On Generals Highway between have food in them. They be come bold and sometimes ag gres sive Grant Grove & Lodgepole. Hotel, Bin attempts to get more. Too often these bears must be killed. restaurant, market, showers, gas. This is why you may be fined if you do not store food properly. The • Big Meadows Cabin (FS) following reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of a bear break-in: 1-877-444-6777; www.recreation. • DRIVERS - Never leave any food or scented item in cars. gov. Open July to mid-October. An • CAMPERS - Store food day and night in the metal boxes provided historic guard station in the (see page 11 for box sizes; avoid bringing coolers that won’t fit). National Monument between Store ALL food, coolers, related items, and anything with an odor Grant Grove & Lodgepole. (even if it’s not food) — including unopened cans and bottles. Latch * Kings Canyon Lodge * the box completely. Food not stored properly will be impounded. Reservations: 1-559-335-2405 Where boxes are not provided, seal food to reduce odors, cover it Open mid-April to mid-November. well, and close the windows. Keep a clean campsite. Deposit garbage On Hwy 180, 13 miles (21 km) east immediately in bear-proof containers or store it like food. Take infant of Grant Grove. seats out of cars; the smells they absorb may attract bears. Sales of Note: These two facilities are on • PICNICKERS - Never leave food unattended. * private land and cannot be evaluat - • LODGE GUESTS - Keep cabin doors closed any time you leave. Save-a ed, regulated, or endorsed by the • BACKPACKERS - Hanging food is not effective in these parks! Store National Park or National Forest. all food in a portable canister. Less than 3 pounds, it holds up to 5- -Bear day’s food for one and fits in a pack. Metal boxes in a few backcoun - kits & pins in NEIGHBORING TOWNS try locations offer backup storage. Rent or buy a canister at park visi - Three Rivers, Lemon Cove, Squaw tor centers or markets. visitor centers Valley & others offer year-round • EVERYONE - Don’t let bears approach you or your food. Wave your directly support lodging, camping, & services. Ask at arms, make loud noises, and throw small rocks toward them (avoid visitor centers or check www.nps.gov/ hitting the face or head). Keep a safe distance but be persistent. bear seki, click PLAN YOUR VISI T then link Abandoning your food teaches bears that approaching humans is management. to LODGING . acceptable, but if a bear does get food, never try to take it back. WILDERNESS LODGE & PERMITS See page 4 for details. 1S0 EQULOAITAE N SAUTMIOMNEAR L F2O0R1E1ST & G I A N T S E Q U O I A N A T I O N A L M O N SUEMQEUNOT IA & KINGS CANYONS NUAMTMIOENRA 2L0 P0A1 RK10S Each standard campsite has a table & fire ring with grill; no hook-ups. CAMPGROUNDS Food-storage is required! : Always read & follow instructions on bul - KEY TO SYMBOLS: FOOD STORAGE: Avoid bringing items that won’t fit. letin boards to help save a bear! Symbols on the chart tell the size of bear-proof food-storage “Nearby”-Within 2 miles/ 3.2 See other rules on page 10. boxes available in each campground: *Summer reservations for Dorst & 4 -Year-round # One small box per site (47” long x 17”deep x 16”high); Lodgepole (in Sequoia NP) & for b -Summer only F One large box per site (at least 47”long x 33”deep x 28”high); reservable campgrounds (marked * @ A mix of box sizes; below) in the National Forest + Additional boxes available for sites to share. (USFS) may be made up to 6 Food Showers Laundry Dump Nature Riding River Sequoias months in advance of the date # of Daily Rest- within within within Station Programs Pay within within within desired. Contact www.recreation. sites Fee rooms 2 miles 2 miles 2 miles Nearby Nearby Phone 2 miles 2 miles 2 miles gov or 1-877-444-6777 (7am -9pm PST from 3/1-10/31). Customer service: 888-448-1474. # $ IN SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK (NPS) FOOTHILLS AREA Elevation 2100’-3600’. Lowest in elevation, therefore hottest. Potwisha : F Open all year. 40 $18 Flush 4b4 4 Buckeye Flat : F 28 $18 Flush at b4 No trailers or RVs. Last night 9/27. Potwisha South Fork : # Open all year. No RVs or 10 $12 May Vault 4 trailers. No drinking water (non-potable off 10/11 ) -Oct. MINERAL KING AREA Elevation 6650’ - 7500’. No RVs or trailers. Road closes 11/1. Atwell Mill : F Last night 10/31 . 21 $12 Vault bb b 44

Cold Springs : @ Last night 10/31 40 $12 Vault at Silver at Silver b4 4 City City LODGEPOLE AREA Elevation 6700’. Reservable in summer up to 6 months in advance ( see Reservations above.) *Lodgepole : F Open all year. 205 $20/18 Flush bbbb4b 44 Reservation period through 9/5. $20 during summer reservation period then $18. *Dorst : F Last night 9/6. 210 $20 Flush bbb 44 IN KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK (NPS) GRANT GROVE AREA Elevation 6500’. Azalea : F Open all year. 110 $18/10 Flush 4b 4at village b4 Crystal Springs : F 36 $18 Flush 4b 4“ b4 Sites for groups of 7-15 (see page 10): 14 $35 Sunset : F Opens with snowmelt. 157 $18 Flush 4b 4“ b4 CEDAR GROVE AREA (ON THE FLOOR OF THE KINGS CANYON ) Elevation 4600’. Area closes mid-November. Sentinel : 4600’ F+ 83 $18 Flush bbb bat visitor b4 Last night 9/27. center Sheep Creek : 4600’ F + Last night 11/13. 111 $18 Flush bbb b“ b4 Canyon View : 4600’ F + No RVs/trailers. 12 $35 Flush bbb b“ b4 All sites are for groups of 7-19 people. Last night 10/11. Moraine : 4600’ F Last night 9/5. 120 $18 Flush bbb b“ b4 SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST/GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL MONUMENT (FS) HUME LAKE AREA Elevation 4000’ - 5900’. *Reservable in summer. Most close when snow closes roads. *Princess : Open into September. 88 $18 Vault b $7 b44 single Dump station not recommended for vehicles over 30 feet long. *Hume Lake : Open into September. 74 $20 “ Flush at Christian F 44bcamp 4 Tenmile : No water. 13 $16 Vault 44 Landslide : 9 $16 Vault 44 Convict Flat : No water. Closes mid-Nov. 5 Vault 4 BIG MEADOWS & STONY CREEK AREAS Elevation 6400-7500’. *Reservable in summer. Most close when snow closes roads. *Stony Creek : # Open into September. 49 $20 single Flush bbb bat lodge 44 *Upper Stony : # Open into September. 18 $16 Vault bbb bat lodge 44 Horse Camp : No water. 5 Vault 4 Buck Rock : No water. 11 Vault Big Meadow : F No water. 45 Vault by trailhead 44

& SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST / GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL MONUMENT LATE SUMMER 2011 11

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Kings Canyon n e C Campground yo Gr izzly e L n Cedar Grove e Road closes l Lodge Sce yway Falls k nic B e here in winter Boyden Visitor Center t Grizzly o Cavern Falls & Village H Closed in Picnic Area Fork South 4635ft Winter Hume 1412m Roads Princess Kin River End Converse Lake Sandy gs CED AR GRO VE Lodging Basin Grove Cove Sheep Creek AREA Sentinel N GIANT SEQUOIA Y O Horses/riding Powdercan Canyon N A View RoCar ing Cherry NA TIONAL MONUMENT T H E K I N G S River Gas station R Gap Moraine o Falls Landslide a r i (Sequoia National For est) n g Tenmile Crystal R i Major paved road v B Springs o e u r l d e GRANT Village & Kings r Minor paved road GRO VE Canyon Visitor Center Horse Columbine 6589ft / 2008m Corral

Unpaved road Sunset GRANT GRO VE C Azalea Roads close Big Meadows r here in e ek AREA e KINGS e k r winter C The Wye Kings Canyon Park boundary Overlook Horse 180 G Camp en CANYON e Big Stump Quail ra Entrance ls Flat Weaver f Big Meadows Road a Lak e lo STEEP ROADS: r (closed in winter) a NA g TIONAL Su

Grades of 5-8%. k e e Eshom r Downshift to avoid C ROAD DELAYS & DETOURS H i P ARK g Jennie Lak e Se ville overheated or failed h Montecito Lake w Lak e a Resort y y • New Cedar Grove Bridge - F brakes. See page 5. n e o r t g S expect detours through 11/2011u: s o The bridge between Hwy 180 and Cednar R

e d Grove Village is being rebuilt. The village and DRIVING TIME w Stony Creek Village o k o e re lodge are accessible via detour on Northside

d C Twin Lost C IN GOOD WEATHER: ors

(closed in winter) D t Lak es Road. Use Lewis Creek Trailhead as a tr urn-

C Grove e

r e k k e e around for large vehicles and trailers. FROM FOOTHILLS TO : e re S CANYO k C ING N N N K ATI O K ON Y R A Giant Forest - 1 hour. N A K L A P R • Halstead Meadow bridge conPAstruction - C A R Lodgepole - 1 hour. S L P r K G A e expect 10-minute de IN N L v QUOIA NATI lays through fall.

K O o E ON I Dorst l Lodgepole S

AT A AL Visalia - 1 hour. N N C PA IO Creek Visitor Center Obey flaggers or traffic signalsR.K Picnic aBirge Bair d AT Lak e Mineral King - 1-1/2 N 6720ft & Village open until IA 2048m further notice. UO 6720ft SEQ Wuksachi hour. Road closed 2048m Tokopah Village r ve • GenerFaalls Highway reconstruction Nov 1 to late May. Ri Amphitheater Point to Deer Ridge - Giant Forest detail map Halstead FROM GIANT FOREST TO y a expect delays through 5/2012: h w a h Heather LODGEPOLE & e g Moose Grant Grove - 1 ho ur. w i DaytimLaek e: Delays up to 1 hour on weekdays. a H Wolverton Lak e Crystal Cave GIANT FOREST K

s Night: Possible night closures 9pm-5am l FROM GRANT GROVE T O : AREA a Fork r

INYO e Sunday night - Friday morning with one pass- n

Cedar Grove - 1 hour. NATIONAL Pinewood e General G n through at 11:30pm. Traffic signals cause 20- FOREST k Sherma e Road closed mid- e Tree r r minute delays during non-working hours. e C v Nov to lat e April. i Vehicles longer than 22’ long cannot SIERRA R395 Giant Forest Museum GIANT Fresno - 1-1/2 hours. NATIONAL 6409ft FOREST travel between Hospital Rock and Giant KINGS a FOREST 1954m Crescent cc Auto Yosemite south entry CANYON h u Meadow Forest Museum due to Federal Highways

Y e a Log

l e b

NA TIONAL r limits; long vehicles cannot make the tight w via Hwy 41 - 3 hrs . a

a Tunnel SEQUOIA P ARK K M Log curves in the one-lane construction zone.

Moro R ock 6725ft 180 2050m • Other Road Repairs - through 11/2011: Riv ork NA ah TIerONAL SEQ UOIA F ExpKeacwte intermittent delays on weekdays in LIFE ZONES: NATION AL k Hospital r Potwisha several areas of the parks. 1-2 day closures 180 FOREST o Rock dle F 2080ft Mid High Sierra - 634m may affePct sAomeR sinK gle-lane roads and camp- 9,000 to 14,500 feet. Buckeye Flat grounds. h 245 t 2820ft r

Summer: Warm to chilly SEQUOIA o 860m N FOOTHILLS Beware of narrow, rough roads. Use low days; nights down to NA TIONAL AREA low 30s. Winter: frigid. P ARK gears on downhill. See bulletin boards at Foothills visitor centers for updates and details. Conifer zone - 198 INYO Ash Mountain Thank you for your patience. Entrance 5,000 to 9,000 feet. NATIONAL 216 FOREST Summer: Warm days & Foothills Visitor Center Silver City cool nights. Winter: deep Park Headquarters Resort snow, cold days. 1700ft Atwell Grove 518m Mineral King Foothills zone - Visitor Center 7504ft er 1,500 to 5,000 feet. iv Atwell Mill 2287m Mild, wet winters; hot, R Road closes Three Rivers here in winter MrINERAL KING Cold dry summers. Cedar 857ft ve Eas Ri Grove is cooler than the 261m t AREA Springs h h a Fo Lookout P oint ea foothills, but hotter than e r w w k Entrance Ka a Grant Grove. K 198

INYO Third Class Mail NATIONAL LATE SUMMER 2011 Postage & Fees Paid FOREST r SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS U.S. Department of the Interior G-83 e v i SIERRA R395 NATIONAL & NEIGHBORING AREAS OF SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST FOREST KINGS 47050 Generals Highway

CANYON h a

NA TIONAL e Three Rivers, CA 93271-9651 w

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SEQ UOIA NATION AL k r 180 FOREST o F

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198 INYO NATIONAL 216 FOREST EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA!