Best Trails in Sequoia National Park

we enjoyed our leisure trip. the trees were massive and the docent was great!

sufficiently challenging, great view and beautiful lake. The culmination of a hike on a hot day was sticking my feet in the cold lake. return to was pretty steep though, so get some good hiking shoes.

This is a beautiful loop! We went clockwise and I would certainly recommend that direction; first day camping spots are better and scree skiing down Sawtooth is much better than trying to scramble up it from Monarch Lakes. I agree with others that noted the All Trails distances are off. Red numbers on map are more accurate than the All Trails lines and better match the trail signs. Rangers were still recommending marmot precautions as of 8/1/18. Trail crews did a good job of addressing the washout west of Pinto Lake and were actively fixing the one east of Pinto. Water was available pretty much throughout the loop. The only real tough patch was from Pinto to Little 5 Lakes. There's a stream at about 10,200 feet right before some switchbacks. Next water is 3+ miles away, over Big Rock Pass and down at Little 5 (the last lake is the cleanest). Mosquitoes were out around both Little and Big 5 Lakes but weren't really a problem. Caught trout all around the loop, but they were small and only good for the story. Nymphs seemed to be key. Hope this helps! Have a great trip!

Great two day trip. I hiked from Horseshoe meadows to the cottonwood lakes. Lake #3 in my opinion is the best place for camp. Beautiful view, high ground to stay dry and shade. Friday morning I started at 7am reaching the summit at 10:30am. I then hiked back to horseshoe meadows arriving at 3pm. Great hike! Old Army pass is the way to go for this summit. Cheers

quick and easy hike. the scenery throughout the entire hike is breath taking. the view at the top is fantastic. i went around 4 pm and there was no one on the trail which was pleasant and extremely enjoyable. not to alarm you but there are quite a few switchbacks.

We just finished the trip. It's about 6 miles of uphill hiking and .8 mi of downhill. The end view was worth the effort. Twin lakes was fantastic. It has the best outhouse views that I know of. There were 2 bear lockers so I'm not sure why the Rangers told us we needed bear cannisters. Definitely day hike up to the ridge on the way to ranger lake. The views from a top are awesome!

Nice little trail from Lodgepole. Just a trickle coming down the falls this time of year but still beautiful.

Took the Crystal Cave Tour and it surpassed my expectations. The trail has great views and you're treated with a waterfall at the end while you wait for tour to start. Highly recommend the tour!

Came here on a weekday when we could park at the trailhead. It's a short but steep hike up to the top. The views were still amazing despite some of the haziness from the nearby fires. Definitely plan to come back when the sky clears and to go to stargazing.

My favorite hike in Sequioa National Park. The view from the Watchtower is epic. This hike changed my perspective of Sequioa NP, always thought it the only thing it has were Sequioas, but I wrong. After the Watchtower it's a short hike to Heather Lake where we just relaxed while a few people in our group took a dip in the lake. Definitely bring insect repellent if you plan to hangout the lake area.

Great hike through the Sequioas! Great views and once you get away from the tourist crowd it's a very peaceful hike surrounded by nature. Took a lunch break at Crescent Meadows then made our way back to General Sherman and boy was it crowded. It was a steep hike back up to the trailhead.

Perfect place to see the sunset .

Awesome hike! a full 360 view at the far end, nice mix of easy and harder trails and an unstoppable urge to shout from the top of your lungs! We went midday and only met a couple of other hikers on the trail. However we saw Marmots!

Stunning caves not to be missed, trial itself has a bit of steps, otherwise it is pretty easy. There are pretty streams and falls along the trial.

5 stars for the beautiful scenery along the trial, minus 1 star for the disappointing falls itself in summer. Easy trial along the flowing river, enjoyable with kids and pets.

It is a very easy trial amidst tall trees. As the name states, view from the rock is outstanding at sunset. It is worth every step to reach here for this view alone, and a pretty easy hike.

It was a great trip! I did see a bear and a rattlesnake. I do recommend stopping my Bearpaw Meadows to buy a brownie for $5.

Beautiful short hike through the Sequoia’s. Nothing difficult about this hike at all but still able to get up close to these amazing trees!

The views are spectacular and second to none. The parking is limited. The crowds are dangerously overwhelming. Be extra careful when going up there.

The reason this hike only gets 4 stars is the lack supervision from park rangers. I saw a lot of people careless on trail that doesn't give second chances.

Scott’s review was very useful as it allowed us to prepare ourselves for the height (I have a profound respect for heights, not fear, respect!)

We only hiked to the first lake, taking the watchtower route. We were fine until we hit the cliffs... (everyone else was fine there too, I was the one who clung to the walls and was focused on making it through.). The tough part is about 400m long with some seriously scary spots..

The way back was through the hump route.

Our children joined 20, 16 and 13. Trail was beautiful and demanding. We swam at the lake then hiked down.
Recommended for sure.

The trail itself is quite beautiful and easy with a steady uphill out and steady downhill on the back. There is one area that has a rocky outcropping that can be difficult. We started early on a Saturday. Unfortunately, there was a group that had 70 or so people in it, so it was way too crowded with trash left all over the place. I’d do this trail again, but during off season.

Absolutely spectacular! Probably the best day hike I’ve ever been on! This trail has it all! We hit the trailhead at 0715 and had it all to ourselves! We went out to Heather Lake via Watchtower and back using the Hump Trail. The views on Watchtower are breathtaking! If you’re scared of heights this is NOT the trail for you! The edge of the trail drops off precipitously to say the least! I jumped out of planes in the Army and still found myself hugging the wall! Watchtower is the easiest way to get out to the lakes (side-hilling). Heather Lake is amazing. Crystal clear water and the trout breaching for insects is a spectacle in itself. We opted to return to the trailhead via The Hump Trail. The elevation gain on the Hump Trail is no joke. The views from the top are amazing. Going back we must have seen 30 or more hikers. Some more prepared than others. Go early and enjoy nature!!

Get up early and have this trail to yourself! We started our week with this gem. Hit the parking lot at 0700 and practically had the place to ourselves! Later in the day the place is like an ant hill! The Sherman Tree is absolutely glorious. They all are. The sequoias are a national treasure. It’s amazing to think about an organism that has been alive as long as they have. The trails in the area are bountiful and you can make a day of it just in the Giant Grove!

What a spectacular hike! Not only is the scenery beautiful but the animals along the trail are as well! We saw deer, marmots, quail, squirrels, and grouse! The short trip to the top is well worth it! My daughter and I did it on 8/8/18. I’d recommend hitting the trail early. We started around 0730. By doing this you avoid the crowds, the heat, and the haze hasn’t really had an opportunity to build up. We had Little Baldy all to ourselves! The view is breathtaking. I can only imagine what the view looks like on a clear day!

We liked it. We only completed a portion of it. Weather was warm. But the construction en route delayed us and we didn’t want to stay stuck in the mountain overnight.
It took us about 2 hours to hike up about 6km
(I was carrying a 45lbs bag and had 3 teenagers with us, so we made many stops.)
Route down was easier took almost 80 min

We each consumed 2-4 litres of water. Although there is a local spot at around 3km mark with drinkable water.

We will try to head out to mineral king area tomorrow to see if any of the trails there look good.

Not as advertised. Very difficult hike, especially in the summer months because of the rare shade found for the greater parts of the hike. The elevation change is also closer to 2,300 feet and round trip it is almost 10 miles. The falls are gorgeous at the end but with the poor air quality in the park and the fires in the nearby areas, it was difficult catching a full breath the whole time. Would not recommend for inexperienced hikers.

See Amanda's review for good directions. I was able to get up the dirt road in a Dodge Charger; slow going but basically any sedan can make it.

Overall the hike was meh. Lots of bugs after the first waterfall. DO NOT do this hike at dawn or dusk as you'll likely encounter rattlesnakes. I came across two myself, there is grass that very easily hides them almost the entire path. I stepped about a foot away from one... that got my heart pounding.

Unless your taking this path to backpack higher up I don't recommend this for a day hike (especially in the summer). There's lots neater things to see in Sequoia than this trail. It was an okay hike, but like I said... rattlesnakes are abundant.

Great trail! We started early this morning before the crowds hit, and did the touristy stuff, General Sherman, etc. Once you get past the touristy areas and off the paved trails, you find yourself in amazing groves of Sequoias with few people around. The trails are well maintained and marked well.

did this at the end of july, it was really hot, if youre doing it during the summer bring water, it is kid friendly. the hike there has a slight incline, nothing bad, the road that you hike on is a little messed up, but its nothing big. Once you reach a certain point you can either keep going or go down to these natural water slides that were absolutely beautiful. they slide into a creek, and there were multiple creeks for all ages. the rocks that you have to walk on once you get to the water slides are slippery so I recommend water shoes of some type. took us about 45 minutes each way to get there

Edit/correction from previous entry: We traveled the route "clockwise" (not counter....). Be advised that this trail is difficult for the beginner or person who is not familiar with such high altitudes and elevation gains. Though a lot of the trail was easy, both Black Rock Pass and Sawtooth Pass will kick your butt. Allow lots of extra time to get up them so you don't get caught in the dark trying to get back down the other side like we did. This place is no joke.