Generals Highway - Foothills Visitor Center to Eleven Range Overlook - Sequoia National Park

We continued our March 2018 trip to California with a visit to Sequoia National Park. To reach the park from Fresno, we drove southeast on CA 99 about 35 miles to the interchange with CA 198 near Visalia. At the interchange we took the ramp for CA 198 and drove about 47 miles to the Ash Mountain Entrance Station.

Having spent the day traveling from Pinnacles National Park and buying snow cables in Fresno, we arrived at the Foothills Visitor Center just as it was closing for the day. We continued east on CA 198, the Generals Highway toward the Wuksachi Lodge, our destination for the night. As we climbed from the valley into the mountains, the rain turned to snow and we climbed into the clouds. At a small turnout below Slide Spring, we stopped to put on the snow cables. I hadn't helped to put chains on a vehicle since I was a kid and Joan, my wife, had never put snow chains or cables on a vehicle, so this was a bit of an experience for us. Once we had the cables on, we found the traction was superb and we had no issues with sliding or braking on the snow. The road crews did a great job of plowing from Eleven Range to road closure at the lodge. The Generals Highway is closed between the parks in the winter, but is open to Wuksachi Lodge.

Middle ForkKaweah River

Looking back at switchbacks on Generals Highway

Amphitheater Point

Snow on the mountains

Lower part of Slide Spring runoff

Upper part of Slide Spring runoff

Entrance to Sequoia and/or Kings Canyon National Parks requires an entry fee of $30 per passenger vehicle for a 7-day pass. Any of the America the Beautiful passes may be used instead.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/seki.