NP.GUIDE / FIELD GUIDE / FALL 2026
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Conditions change. Follow signs and ranger orders.
Weekday tree work delays the Generals Highway up to 30 minutes, 8 am to 5 pm. Chains can be required any time it snows. Carry them. Mineral King Road has daily delays and closures. Road hotline: 559-565-3341, press 1 then 1.
Sherman Tree and Museum lots fill early on weekends and holidays. Holiday shuttles run Giant Forest, Sherman Tree, and Lodgepole. Park at Lodgepole or Wolverton and ride.
Drowning is the top cause of death. Rivers are swift and cold. View from a distance. Rocks are slippery and banks can collapse without warning.
Store all food and scented items in metal boxes at all times. Fines apply. Never approach a bear. Carry a bear canister when backpacking. Buy or rent one before you arrive.
No wood or charcoal fires in Foothills campgrounds and picnic areas. No smoking below 6,000 feet except in vehicles and allowed areas. No wood fires below 6,000 feet in the backcountry.
Buckeye Flat and Dorst Creek are closed for 2026. South Fork is closed indefinitely by flood damage. All open camping is reservation-only on Recreation.gov.
No cell service except some areas around the Foothills Visitor Center and Lodgepole, and not for all providers. Name a home contact. Carry printed maps.
NPS conditions (large page)
Major places list all five services. Seasonal services may be closed.
Do this: Last stop for information before the climb to Giant Forest. Use the restrooms and check road status.
Just inside the Ash Mountain Entrance. The only visitor center in the district. Picnic area across the street.
Do this: Park once and use the free shuttles. Lots fill early on weekends and holidays.
The Sherman Tree is 2 miles north. The trail from the main lot is 0.5 miles down. The Congress and Big Trees trails start here.
Do this: Central hub for food, supplies, showers, and the Tokopah Falls trail. Reserve campsites ahead.
Market, showers, and laundry open. The campground is the parks' most popular and fills weekends. Wuksachi Lodge nearby has rooms and a restaurant.
Summer estimates without long stops. Traffic, wildlife, weather, and road work can cause delays.
Three Rivers → east on Highway 198, 5 miles → Ash Mountain Entrance → Foothills Visitor Center
Last gas and food before the climb. Summer weekends bring long entrance lines. Vehicles over 24 feet are not advised above the visitor center.
Foothills Visitor Center → Generals Highway north, 45 minutes winding → Giant Forest Museum
Vehicles over 22 feet are not advised. Expect weekday delays up to 30 minutes. Chains may be required.
Giant Forest Museum → Wolverton Road → Sherman main lot → 0.5-mile trail down to the tree
The lot fills early. Holiday shuttles connect the Museum, the tree, and Lodgepole. An accessible lot sits on the Generals Highway 2 miles north of the Museum.
Three Rivers → Mineral King Road east, 30 miles and 90 minutes → Mineral King Valley
Extremely narrow and steep, partly unpaved. No RVs or trailers. No gas or electricity. No road connects Mineral King to the rest of the park.
Emergency: call 911. Tell the dispatcher your location, direction of travel, vehicle, and problem.
Park information: 559-565-3341
This independent guide is not the National Park Service and is not an emergency service.
Private vehicle $35, motorcycle $30, per person $20. Good for up to 7 days at both parks. Entrance stations take cards only. Non-US residents pay $100 more per person.
Nearly all sites need advance reservations on Recreation.gov. Standard sites $32. Store all food and scented items in the boxes, day and night.
Overnight trips need a wilderness permit. Quota season runs late May to late September. Reserve on Recreation.gov up to 6 months ahead, $15 per trip plus $5 per person. Off-season permits are free and self-issued. Bear canisters are required in most areas.
Tour tickets ended for 2026 and resume late spring 2027. When open, buy online at least 36 hours ahead. No tickets at the cave. The 50-minute tour runs 9 to 3.
Distances are one way unless marked as a loop. Check trail closures.
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