Winter Sports Overview: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

Setting the pace on cross-country skis

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Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks offer ample opportunities to ski and showshoe in the heavy snow of the western Sierra. Above 6,000 feet, snowfall averages 200 inches annually, providing an excellent base out of the two main public touring areas: Giant Forest/Lodgepole in Sequoia and Grant Grove in Kings Canyon. Private ski trails at Montecito Sequoia offer additional, and more expensive, routes. Picture huge orange-red trunks towering out of virgin white drifts. This is a winter paradise.

Skiing Features

The season extends from December through early April. Routes are well-marked with colored circles (Grant Grove) or yellow triangles (Giant Forest). In all, you'll find about 75 miles of marked trails in both parks, with about 30 more miles on Montecito Sequoia land.

Special Know-How

Where you end up skiing often depends on the weather. Since Grant Grove is the most easily accessed by road, it is your best bet during heavy snowfall, when getting to Giant Forest is a precarious process and the highway to Montecito Sequoia may be closed. Regardless of weather conditions, be sure to carry chains for your tires in winter and early spring.

If you're headed to the Crescent Meadow Road or Alta trails, plan on parking at Round Meadow (a quarter mile north of the village) and walking to the trailheads. There is no parking at Giant Forest Village.

Trails at Grant Grove and Giant Forest don't last as long as those at Montecito Sequoia, where the higher altitude means a longer ski season. But be sure to check weather conditions before venturing above 8,000 feet in any section of the parks—avalanche danger is highest during and after storms.

Soggy-Season Bliss
Late Spring cross-country skiing at Sequoia.

Ski Areas:

Giant Forest/Lodgepole
Grant Grove
Montecito Sequoia Lodge