Best Time to Couple Yosemite with Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP

[John Bowen]

I did the "California Trifecta" way back in 1988. We were there prior to, and over Memorial Day Weekend. I have a couple photographs from Yosemite with Dogwood blooms. I didn't have a field camera back then, so we took a 4x5 monorail. Didn't do much hiking, probably never ventured more than 100 yards from the road. Due to this, I don't have many negatives from either Kings Canyon or Sequoia. We spent the bulk of our time in Yosemite, the roads to the high country were open.

Others should chime in here, but I don't think Sequoia or Kings Canyon are as photographically exciting and would probably skip them on a future trip. YMMV, and I expect the hikers will chime in to tell me that I need to take some hikes to get to the best photo opportunities.

Have fun and enjoy your trip,

[Bruce Watson]

My wife and I are hoping to get to California in the spring for two weeks and would like to visit each of these NP's. I was hoping I might get some feedback on the ideal month, realizing of course that there may be some compromise in the "optimal" time for any given park.

Cheers,
Jeff

I did this a few years ago, 2003 I think. In June, because I wanted to get to the back country of Yosemite for once. And I failed again because the Tioga road didn't open until early July that year. Oy.

The thing I don't see mentioned is that Sequoias grow up around 7000 feet. In June I was coming out in the morning to frost on the rocks. I was seeing highs for the day in the mid to high single digits C (40s F). It was excellent for hiking with a view camera. High but relatively flat hikes. The dogwoods in Sequoia were just peaking when I was there in mid-June. Absolutely beautiful -- much nicer trees and settings than the Mariposa grove of Sequoia trees in Yosemite IMHO. Well worth a visit.

Yosemite valley was "full." Prior to my arrival in late-ish June the valley had been flooded out. The translation is mosquitos! Old timers in the valley were saying the worst mosquito crop in 50 years. Yet, if you would put your pack on and hike out of the valley you'd leave the little buggers behind. You'd also leave behind (literally) 99% of the other visitors. Dogwoods in Yosemite were beyond peak but not completely gone. Waterfalls were still rippin'.

These two huge beautiful parks make a good combination IMHO. I'm not sure there is an ideal month though -- it would be too hard to make a choice. The thing to recognize is that the Sequoias live in the high country. If you want to visit them without most of the snow, you're restricted to the summer months. There will usually be plenty of snow around even in June at those elevations, but most of your hiking will be on dirt by then. I mention it because it can make quite a difference. It's much easier to get lost on a hike when the trail (and everything else) is covered by snow for example. And snow and snow melt puts a premium on the water proof-ness of your boots

[Keith S. Walklet]

As Bruce notes, elevation is a key component in planning this trip. Yosemite Valley is at 4,000 feet in elevation, with most trails (such as Upper Yosemite Fall, the Mist Trail, Snow Creek, etc.) open to at least the rim of Yosemite Valley by then, depending on how much snow has fallen during the winter. But, most of the action that time of year is in the Valley, where the meadows will be greening up and the falls running strong.

The dogwood in Yosemite Valley typically is at peak the last two weeks of April through the first two weeks of May. How long the bloom lingers is weather dependant.

The dogwood up higher, such as along highways 120 and 41, peaks later than that. The waterfall peak varies from year to year, typically sometime between mid-May to early June. Last year, after a meager winter, they peaked in early May.

NPS tries to open Tioaga Pass and the Glacier Point Road by Memorial Day, but that is also depends on what type of winter the park had.

With Sequioa, the most popular destinations are above the 6,000 foot elevation. And Bruce is right, the combination of dogwood and sequoias there is far more interesting than any in Yosemite.

So, IMO, if you are sequencing the trip, it would be advantageous to progress from Yosemite southward to Sequoia, beginning mid-May. If you are on an earlier schedule, you might find some worthy subjects in the foothills of the Sierra first, followed by trips to the parks at higher elevations.