If you’ve decided to see the largest trees on the planet and are now wondering how to see Sequoia National Park, this article is for you.
Like many other US National Parks, Sequoia isn’t always the easiest place to reach, but this guide will show you the best way to get to Sequoia National Park by car, plane, train and bus.
From the Sequoia National Park location and directions on how to drive there from various cities to the forms of public transport you can choose from, all the info is here to help you work out how to reach Sequoia as quickly as possible.
Keep reading to find out all you need to know. From the city closest to Sequoia National Park or how far is it from Yosemite to Sequoia National Park to how many miles from Yosemite to Sequoia National Park, you can find all the info here.
For topics like the drive from Los Angeles to Sequoia National Park or where to fly to go to Sequoia National Park, you can also explore all the options listed below before making up your mind about the best way to visit Sequoia National Park.
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How to Get to Sequoia National Park
You might also like to read:
- Sequoia National Park Guide
- The Complete Guide To Hiking The Congress Trail, Sequoia National Park
- What is The Closest Airport To Sequoia National Park?
- Best Airbnb Sequoia National Park
Where is Sequoia National Park located?
When thinking about how do I get to Sequoia National Park, you first need to know the exact location of Sequoia National Park.
Sequoia National Park is set among the southern Sierra Nevada mountains in California. The park lies adjacent to Kings Canyon National Park, and the two are jointly administered. Mount Whitney borders it on the east.
Sequoia Park Entrances
There are three visitor entrances to Sequoia National Park, as follows.
Ash Mountain entrance: At the town of Three Rivers via Highway 198
Lookout Point entrance: Entry to the Mineral King Area is 2 miles before the Ash Mountain entrance in Three Rivers. Note that this road is partly unpaved, twisting and very narrow in places.
Big Stump entrance: Kings Canyon entrance from the west via Fresno and Highway 180. Note that this entrance is also intended for the adjacent Kings Canyon National Park, and that the road is only open during summer.
What’s the closest town to Sequoia National Park?
The small settlement of Three Rivers is the nearest town to Sequoia National Park. This town lies where three rivers meet, in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The Ash Mountain entrance to Sequoia National Park can be found here.
If you want to find out what cities are near Sequoia National Park, then Fresno could be your best bet. Fresno is about an hour and 20 minutes’ drive from the park entrance, and offers more in terms of amenities than smaller places.
Visalia is another option, and this is about 45 minutes by car from Sequoia National Park.
Other towns near Sequoia National Park
Visalia is about 45 minutes by car from the main park entrance. The city has plenty to offer in terms of accommodation, dining, entertainment and facilities, and is used by many visitors as the gateway to Sequoia National Park. It’s also surrounded by fertile agricultural land, plus hiking and biking trails.
Taking a Tour to Sequoia National Park
Once you’ve taken a flight to the Sequoia National Park area, you could book an organized Sequoia National Park tour, making life easier. This can maximize your time in southern California, and allows you to see the area without renting a car, buying gas or working out routes.
Here are some of the best Sequoia National Park trips to consider.
Visalia to Sequoia National Park tour
This private tour to Sequoia departs from Visalia and is a private trip designed for only your party. You can therefore alter the itinerary to fit where you want to go and what you wish to see. The guide has lived in the area for many years, and is thus well-placed for sharing all the park’s secrets with you. Their suggested tour includes walking among the largest trees, hiking up to Moro Rock and taking in some of the park’s finest viewpoints.
BOOK A TOUR FROM VISALIA TO SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK
Full day hiking tour to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Departing from Three Rivers by the main entrance to the parks, this day hiking tour is led by Master Naturalists to help you make the most of the experience. This way you can really get up close and personal to the park’s natural history, wildlife and flora. As again this is a private tour, you can pick the itinerary to include what you want to. Such as waterfalls, stunning viewpoints and sequoia groves.
BOOK A HIKING TOUR TO SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON
Winter snowshoe adventure to Sequoia National Park
A two-and-a-half mile trek in snowshoes awaits when you book this Sequoia National Park adventure. Snowshoes, hot drinks, hand warmers, trekking poles and guidance are provided as required. You don’t need any prior snowshoeing experience before meeting your guide at the Giant Forest Museum in Three Rivers. During the four-hour tour, you’ll also learn all about local wildlife and the giant sequoia trees.
BOOK A WINTER SNOWSHOEING ADVENTURE IN SEQUOIA
Flying to Sequoia National Park
If you want to fly into the area, then you need to know about airports near Sequoia National Park. The nearest airports are Fresno Yosemite International Airport and Visalia Municipal Airport.
What’s the nearest airport to Sequoia National Park?
If you want to know what is the closest airport to Sequoia National Park, Visalia Municipal Airport is the nearest to the park.
Visalia Municipal Airport is only around an hour from the entrance to Sequoia National Park.
However only charter flights to Sequoia National Park are offered from this airport, so it’s not the most realistic option for many people. If you do book a charter flight by Optimal Aviation Services, you can rent a car from Enterprise here. Alternatively, you can connect to the Sequoia Shuttle service by taking Greyhound or V-Line bus routes.
A larger airport near Sequoia National Park offering more in the way of scheduled flights is Fresco Yosemite. A number of airlines serve various US and Mexican destinations. There are various car rental options here too. Fresco airport is about an hour and a quarter from the Kings Canyon entrance on 180, or an extra half hour from the Sequoia National Park entrance in Three Rivers from Highway 198.
Located in the San Francisco Bay area, Oakland is an international airport around three hours and 20 minutes from the Big Stump entrance to Sequoia. You can fly to Oakland from European and US destinations, including Hawaii. Car rental services are also available at Oakland airport.
San Jose International Airport
Though not the nearest airport to Sequoia National Park, San Jose is an international hub. You can therefore fly in and out of there from the UK and Japan as well as Mexican and US cities. There are various car rental options too. The downside is the driving distance, which is a little under four hours to the park entrances.
Sacramento International Airport
Sacramento airport is also about four hours from Sequoia. It’s a good bet for anyone who wants to visit Lake Tahoe or Yosemite as well as Sequoia. You can rent a car here and drive to the park in around four hours. Mexican and Canadian carriers operate here as well as US airlines.
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles is at least four hours’ drive from Sequoia, which is a little too far for some people. If you are planning a California road trip, however, this may be an option. The Ash Mountain entrance is just over 200 miles from LAX. There are lots of options for car rental and flights into LA airport.
San Francisco is also a major international hub. Around 13 domestic and 37 international airlines fly into San Fran, and there are plenty of rental car options. If you don’t mind a drive of a little over four hours or 240 miles, this can be a good option for visiting Yosemite and Sequoia.
It’s a long drive from Ontario airport to Sequoia, but it may be a useful option if you want to fly in from certain destinations. Places served include Guadalajara, San Salvador and Taipei. There’s a rental car center on site here too, and the drive to Ash Mountain entrance takes four hours and 40 minutes plus.
At around three hours by car, John Wayne or Santa Ana Airport is also a long way from Sequoia, but it can be a good option for those exploring Orange County. There are some good public transport options here for getting around, including Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) bus services, though renting a car is easiest for accessing Sequoia. You can fly to various Mexican, Canadian and US destinations from Santa Ana.
For more information about flying to Sequoia, read my guide to the best airports for Sequoia National Park.
Check prices on flights to Fresno Airport here.
Taking the Train to Sequoia National Park
If you want to travel by Amtrak to Sequoia National Park, then the closest stations to the park are Hanford and Fresno. From Hanford, you can connect to the Sequioa Shuttle in summer.
Hanford
Hanford is about an hour and 45 minutes from the Highway 198 entrance to Sequoia National Park. It’s on the San Joaquins line that runs between San Francisco or Sacramento and Bakersfield.
Hanford is around 20 miles from Visalia, and Amtrak offers bus services to Visalia Transit Center from Hanford. From the Visalia Transit Center, you can connect with the Sequioa Shuttle during summer. There is also an Enterprise car rental agency across the block from the Amtrak station in Hanford.
Fresno
There is also an Amtrak station in Fresno, which is also on the San Joaquins line. This is also around an hour 45 minutes from the Highway 180 Kings Canyon National Park entrance.
There are plenty of car rental agencies in Fresno. If you want to travel into the park without driving, you can take a V-line bus from Fresno to Visalia and then change to the Sequoia Shuttle.
Taking a Bus to Sequoia National Park
You can reach Sequoia National Park via Greyhound bus by travelling to Visalia Transit Center or the Fresno Greyhound Station. There’s also a shuttle bus at Sequoia National Park you can use to get around, and to the park from Visalia.
Visalia
If you take a Greyhound service to Visalia, this is only an hour or a little less from the park entrance. In summer (July to mid-September), shuttles operate between Visalia Transit Center and Sequoia National Park.
The Visalia to Sequoia Shuttle (or blue route) is the service you need. This operates between Visalia, Three Rivers or Highway 198 and the Giant Forest Museum. Pre-booking is required and a fee is payable.
Tulare County Area Transit (TCAT) also offers a bus service from Visalia Transit Center to the Three Rivers Memorial Building. Route 30 – again marked in blue – is the line you need to take.
Fresno
You can take a greyhound bus to Fresno. There is no shuttle from Fresno to Sequoia National Park. However, you can take a V-line Fresno to Sequoia National Park bus to Visalia, before switching to the Sequoia Shuttle.
Fresno is around an hour and 20 minutes’ drive to the park, and there are car rental places all over the city.
Los Angeles
Taking a Los Angeles to Sequoia National Park bus isn’t really recommended due to the distance. However, there are day and night services on Greyhound that will take you from the city to Visalia, from where you can catch the park shuttle.
Sequoia Shuttle
Once you reach Sequioa via the Visalia to Sequoia Shuttle or another means, free National Park shuttles are supplied to transport you around the park. Shuttles run between 8.30 am and 6.00 pm daily from June through September. There are no shuttle services to or inside Kings Canyon National Park, only Sequoia.
Sequoia Shuttle stops include Giant Forest Museum in Three Rivers, Moro Rock, Lodgepole, General Sherman Tree, Crescent Meadow, Wolverton and Wuksachi Lodge and Restaurant.
How to Drive to Sequoia National Park
Whether you want to take your own or a rental car to Sequoia, you’ll need to know the answer to questions such as how to get to Sequoia National Park from Los Angeles, how far from Fresno to Sequoia National Park, how far from Yosemite to Sequoia National Park and which route to take from SFO to Sequoia National Park.
Read on to find out what you should know before you go.
Sequoia National Park Directions
Visalia to Sequoia National Park
As the closest gateway to the park other than Three Rivers, you may be wondering how far from Visalia to Sequoia National Park. It takes about 40 minutes to drive the 35 mile Visalia to Sequoia National Park distance. The route to take is via CA-198 E and Sierra Drive.
Fresno to Sequoia National Park
The distance from Fresno to Sequoia National Park is about 75 miles. So how far is Fresno from Sequoia National Park? The drive takes approximately an hour and 20 minutes. You can travel via CA-99 S, CA-198 E and Visalia to go from Fresno CA to Sequoia National Park.
Las Vegas to Sequoia National Park
Driving from Las Vegas to Sequoia National Park involves a fairly long trip of about six hours and 15 minutes. It’s around 380 miles between the two points. The Las Vegas to Sequoia National Park driving route is via I-15 S and CA-58 W.
Los Angeles to Sequoia National Park
The distance from Los Angeles to Sequoia National Park is about 250 miles, and drive from LA to Sequoia National Park typically takes around four hours and 10 minutes. To travel from Sequoia National Park to Los Angeles or vice versa, you can take via CA-14 N.
San Diego to Sequoia National Park
The drive to Sequoia from San Diego takes around six hours. It’s a distance of about 360 miles, and you can travel via I-15 N.
San Francisco to Sequoia National Park
From San Fran to Sequoia National Park is a distance of around 260 miles. The journey by car takes around four hours and 15 minutes. How to get to Sequoia National Park from San Francisco is via CA-99 S.
San Jose to Sequoia National Park
The drive from San Jose to Sequoia takes about three hours and 50 minutes via I-5 S and CA-198 E. It’s a distance of about 230 miles.
Reno, Nevada to Sequoia National Park
It’s a long way from Reno in Nevada to Sequoia: just under 400 miles. Expect a trip time of around seven-and-a-half hours.
Joshua Tree to Sequoia National Park
Sequoia is around seven hours plus from Joshua Tree National Park. The drive covers about 350 miles.
Yosemite to Sequoia National Park
So how far is Yosemite to Sequoia National Park? The distance from Yosemite Park to Sequoia National Park is about 215 miles by car, or around five hours’ driving time.
Anaheim to Sequoia National Park
Anaheim, south of LA, is around four hours and 40 minutes by car from Sequoia. The distance is around 275 miles and you can travel via CA-14 N.
Sacramento to Sequoia National Park
CA-99 is the road to take between Sacramento and Sequoia. The drive takes about five hours and 40 minutes, and you’ll cover around 270 miles.
Phoenix to Sequoia National Park
There’s a considerable distance between Phoenix, Arizona and Sequoia National Park. The journey by car takes just under 10 hours on average, and you’ll cover around 575 miles.
Oakland to Sequoia National Park
Oakland to the east of San Francisco is another option due to the airport there. By car, it will take about four hours and 10 minutes to reach Sequoia. The distance is about 260 miles.
Monterey to Sequoia National Park
You can travel via CA-198 E from Monterey in California to Sequoia National Park. The trip will take about four hours, and covers around 220 miles.
Check out my guide to saving money on rental cars before you book.
How to get to Sequoia National Park without a car?
If you want to reach Sequoia without driving, you can take a Greyhound bus direct to Visalia or a bus or train to Fresno or train to Hanford and then a bus from Fresno or Hanford to Visalia.
From Visalia, you can use the Sequoia Shuttle to access the park. This service provides return transport from Visalia, the nearest town of any size, to Sequoia National Park.
You can then take the free National Park Service shuttle to get to several key places in the park.
The other option is to take a bus or bus-train or bus-bus combo to Visalia or Three Rivers and then take a tour from there.
FAQs about Getting to Sequoia National Park
What is the closest major city to Sequoia National Park?
The nearest city to Sequoia National Park is Visalia. This offers plenty of options for accommodation, dining and other amenities, and is under an hour by car from the National Park.
If you want to stay in a larger city, then Fresno is another option. This is around an hour and 20 minutes by car from Sequoia. As a larger city with Fresno Yosemite Airport offering a range of scheduled flights, this is a good option for anyone who wants to stay in a major city.
What airport do you fly into for Sequoia National Park?
The most convenient airport for Sequoia is Fresno Yosemite International Airport. This offers a range of flights, and is about an hour and 20 minutes from the park.
You could also use Visalia Municipal Airport, but you’ll be limited to charter flights. There are other major airports within several hours’ drive of the parks, some of which are international.
How do you get into Sequoia National Park?
Highway 198 leads east from Visalia to Three Rivers, the gateway to Sequoia National Park. Once you access the park, Highway 198 is connected to Highway 180 via the Generals Highway.
During winter, Generals Highway is often closed. Do note that any vehicles more than 22 feet long should only enter the park via Highway 180.
How far apart are Sequoia and Yosemite?
If you want to see both parks, then you may well wonder how far is Sequoia National Park from Yosemite? The distance from Yosemite to Sequoia National Park is about 215 miles by road. If you drive, from Yosemite to Sequoia National Park, expect your trip to take about five hours.
Travel Insurance for Sequoia National Park
You should definitely have travel insurance when you travel to Sequoia. Good travel insurance will cover you for trip cancellation, theft or damage of your property when traveling, medical help if you have an accident in or while going to Sequoia National Park, or medical repatriation if you need to get medi-vaced out.
A great insurance option is Travelex. It has coverage for all you’ll need. You can choose the best travel insurance plan for your trip here or get a quote right now:
Enjoy Sequoia National Park!
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How to Get to Sequoia National Park
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About the Author
James Ian is a national park, camping and hiking expert.
He has dedicated his life to travel, visiting more than 80 countries, all 7 continents and most of the national parks in the United States. With over 35 years experience in the travel industry, James has worked on cruise ships, at resorts and hotels, and as a travel planner who’s helped hundreds of people plan successful trips to US national parks.
Based on his experience visiting our national parks multiple times, in-depth research and expertise as a travel planner, James has published detailed itineraries for most of the major national parks in the US. These itineraries, as well as in-depth park guides, comprehensive camping and hiking gear reviews and buying guides, and helpful packing lists and gift guides will help you have your own incredible trip to US national parks without stress and hassle.
As a national park expert, James has contributed to many publications, including USA Today, Time Business News, Savoteur, Best Trip, and Wired.
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