The best family hikes in Sequoia National Park. Note: this post contains affiliate links. We receive a small commission if you purchase through a link at no additional cost to you.
We recently got back from our summer National Parks trip to California. We did this trip a bit differently than we normally would in that we flew to Las Vegas and rented a car rather than driving from our home in Minnesota. This presented a whole new set of packing challenges, but that is best saved for another post. On this trip we went to Mojave National Preserve, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierras, and Death Valley National Park (along with a pleasant, though unplanned, stop at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge).
We chose to stay at a cute VRBO property in Three Rivers, CA for our visits to both Sequoia and Kings Canyon, which is not far from the entrance to Sequoia but is about an hour or so to some of the actual hikes in Sequoia and to the entrance to Kings Canyon. All that to say, if you choose to stay outside of the actual park, be prepared to drive a bit every day to get to the hikes you want to do.
One must do tip if you are from a different US time zone, STAY ON YOUR TIME ZONE. This allows you to wake up and get into the park as early as possible which significantly cuts down on the crowds and allows you access to some spots that are closed to vehicles later in the day. By following these tips we did all of what follows over 2 days that weren’t stressed, overly long, or difficult to pull off.
Sequoia has a number of shorter hikes that are great for families. Here is our list of the best family hikes in Sequoia National Park.
Moro Rock (.5 miles roundtrip, 300 ft. elevation gain)
This was a fun, though steep, hike up to the summit of a large granite dome. Spectacular views await you if you make it to the top.
It is not a long hike, but has a 300 foot elevation gain within a short distance. This was our first hike in Sequoia and we went early in the morning. A guidebook we read said to go early for the best visibility but we may have gone too early as it was still a bit hazy.
There were LOTS of lizards on this trail so the kids had fun finding them all as we went up and back down the trail.
We were the only ones on the trail for most of the hike, which made this an even more peaceful and beautiful hike.
We had no trouble parking by the trailhead, but they do offer shuttle service from the the parking area by the Giant Forest Museum in the summer and that shuttle is mandatory after 9AM.
Crescent Meadow Loop – Tharps Log (1.6 miles roundrip there and back, 216 ft. elevation gain)
We made the hike to Tharp’s Log that runs along the Crescent Meadow and to be honest it is worth the hike mostly to see Crescent Meadow. It is easy to see why John Muir called Crescent Meadow the “Gem of the Sierras” as you admire the beauty of the surroundings.
Tharps Log may not have been the neatest thing to see in the park, but it is historically interesting. Hale Tharp, who discovered what John Muir termed “The Giant Forest,” used the log as a summer cabin for many seasons. Apparently “H. D. Tharp 1858” was carved in the log and could still be seen until destroyed by vandals in 1953.
When we returned from the hike, we enjoyed a picnic lunch at the nice picnic area near the parking lot before heading to the Sherman Tree Trail. We were prepared for bears since this is a common spot to see them, but unfortunately (or fortunately) we didn’t have any visitors. We did follow the rules and placed our food in the bearproof storage while on our hike. They have many storage lockers near the restroom at the trailhead.
Sherman Tree Trail (1 mile out and back, 200 ft. elevation change)
If there is one thing that each person simply must do in Sequoia it is see General Sherman. It is the largest tree by volume in the entirety of the world. Let that sink in for a second… Each year, this 2,200 year old tree gains 0.4″ of diameter and that results in it gaining as much volume as that of an average 60 foot tall tree. Both tall (275 feet) and wide (36.5 feet) this tree is special and explains why people come from all over the world to see it!
Most visitors will park in the upper main lot (the lower lot is for handicap use only during most of the year) and have a 0.5 mile hike nearly all downhill to see the tree and subsequently that same path back up to the parking lot.
Pro lazy tip – park in the main lot, hike down, and ride the shuttle bus back to the main lot. You save a half mile of hiking, all of the elevation gain, and I’m pretty sure it’s an investment in your marriage that counts the same as date night. Talk about win-win!
Congress Trail (2 mile loop or 3 miles if joined with General Sherman, 230 ft. elevation change)
We did this trail wrong. We dabbled, considered, and did the smaller loop that happened to cut out all of the sights you would want to see on the Congress Trail. In doing so, we probably saved a mile of walking but missed the point altogether!
As a result, we have no guidance other than if you want to see big Sequoia Trees, including the Senate and House clusters as well as the 4th and 5th largest Sequoias in the world do the whole loop!
Our issue was a combination of having done a lot the day we visited General Sherman and the Congress Trail and having seen so very many huge Sequoia trees on the shorter, easier Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia National Monument. I call it big tree exhaustion but the end result was one thing we missed and would do differently next time we are in Sequoia!
Tokopah Falls (4.2 miles out and back, 630 ft. elevation change)
Our final hike in Sequoia was Tokopah Falls. In nearly all of the parks we visit we have a moment where the park shows its’ special hidden side that is not on the most popular spot, hike, or viewpoint. In fact, it is almost never in a popular spot since we come to parks for the beauty, quiet, and connection to nature. For me Tokopah Falls was that moment in Sequoia.
Amidst all of the busyness of the Giant Forest Museum area, General Sherman, the long windy road into the park from Three Rivers, and Lodgepole Visitor Center is this great hike that is not about the trees but rather shows off a taste of the mountains and waterfalls of Sequoia National Park. There is a huge parking lot for the campground area that is the origination point for the Tokopah Falls trail so you should be able to find parking even on a weekend. There is a flush toilet bathroom at the parking lot trailhead and the hike starts along the Kaweah river just on the other side of a small bridge.
This hike felt like our first real hike of the trip and it was refreshing to get out and put some miles on our shoes! Tokopah Falls is not a free-falling waterfall as we typically think of (such as those we enjoyed in Yosemite National Park) but rather a 1,200 foot long series of cascades. Unlike so much of what we saw at Sequoia this trail was uncrowded, unpaved, and natural. You cross some bridges and creeks but in June could do the trail without getting your shoes wet.
Near the end, the generally smooth trail switches to rocky and you will appreciate your hiking poles as you go up and down rocky “stairs” where avalanches and rockslides have covered the valley. At the end we said hello to some marmots, mosquitos (bring bug spray), and the waterfall before returning to the car for our trip back to Three Rivers.
This was a special hike and made Sequoia feel like a National Park rather than a forest preserve. The opportunity to get out, get breathing hard, and enjoy a few solid hours of nature reminded us of hikes we’ve enjoyed like the Avalanche Lake hike in Glacier, Mount Fremont Lookout in Mount Rainier, Mist Trail in Yosemite, and Cascade Pass in North Cascades.
That’s our take on the best family hikes in Sequoia National Park, though I am sure we may have missed some other good ones.
If you’re just driving through the park or aren’t into hiking, check out our non-hikers guide to Sequoia National Park. Happy hiking!
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