NORTH TO ALASKA! – US National Parks Tour – Washington, Oregon & California – Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks

TRIP DAY – 87, 88, 89, 90

DAILY MILES – 54, 145, 38, 163

TOTAL MILES – 10,783

9/9- Today we moved to Wawona in the south portion of Yosemite.  We camped in the NP Wawona Campground which was convenient but hot after descending nearly 5,000 feet into the valley. We made a stop at the Visitor Center and Wawona Hotel before going to the Mariposa Grove to see the giant sequoias.  Next we visited the Pioneer History Center which had a nice group of old cabins from the early 1900 era.   
 

 
 

9/10- This morning we left Yosemite and the Cascade Mountain Range and headed south to the Sierra Nevada Range and Kings Canyon.  Between the two mountain ranges we traveled through dessert valleys that were cultivating grapes and fruit trees.  Then we reached the Sierra Mountains and began the long winding mountain road climb to above 7,000 feet where we reached Kings Canyon National Park.  We got a site in the NP Azalea Campground and drove to the Grant Grove to see the 2^nd largest tree in the world- the General Grant.  Later in the day we drove 15 miles into the canyon to an overview and take photos of the canyon below. 

California ranch land between mountain ranges.

 

Sierra Nevada foot hills

 
 

General Grant Tree

 


Kings Canyon

9/11- Today found us on the General Highway mountain road driving through the Sequoia National Forest to Sequoia National Park to camp at the NP Lodgepole Campground and see the Giant Forest Museum and the General Sherman tree, the largest in the world.  There are many more of these giant sequoias than we had realized as this one section of the park contains more than 2,000.  

 

General Sherman Tree

 

 

Giant Forest Museum

 

 

9/12- We left Sequoia NP this morning, back-tracking through Kings Canyon to reach CA 99 and head south.  The road beyond the Giant Forest Museum is so narrow and curvy, RVs are not allowed to exit the park in that direction.  We were glad not to see anymore sheer drop-offs and enjoyed our drive back through the National Forest.  CA 99 is the only freeway we have spent any time driving as we have been on much smaller state roads getting from park to park.  Since re-entering the US from Canada, we have spent almost no time driving on the Interstate roads. 

This evening we are camped just off CA 58 at the Orange Grove RV Park just outside Bakersfield.  We are actually camped in a grove but find the short orange trees don’t give much protection from the hot sun and the upper 90 degree temperatures.  I had hoped that by the second week of September temperatures would be somewhat lower.

Tomorrow we should connect with Interstate 40 and hopefully reach the Arizona border.  Storm damage has closed the campground and visitor center in the Mojave National Park that we had hoped to visit so we move on.