Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National Park remained at the very top of my bucket list for years! We planned a trip in March of 2023 only to have to cancel EVERYTHING due to a historical snowfall. Disappointed is not even the word to describe how we felt about not getting to go on this trip.
But fret not, we ended up scheduling a trip shortly after for the summer. Now, we usually avoid national parks in the summer due to the crowds but we could not miss the opportunity to see Yosemite National Park at such a historical time! You see, all that snow that prevented us from going in March, started to melt. That melted snow then slowed into the waterfalls and streams. It made for an absolutely breathtaking trip!
So, how can you plan this trip? Keep on reading for the itinerary that we used. This will include everything you need to know!
This itinerary is approximately 7 days.
Day one: Travel Day
Day two: Yosemite NP
Day three:Yosemite NP
Day four: Yosemite NP/travel to Sequoia
Day five: Sequoia NP
Day six: Kings Canyon NP
Day seven: Travel Day
Fly into Fresno International Airport (FAT)
We live in Kentucky, so our first day was a huge travel day. You can adjust the travel day accordingly based on where you live and how long your first travel day will be. You can either drop a day or pick up a day. Our entire first day was flying, renting a car, and then checking into our Airbnb.
We woke up bright and early to catch a 4 am flight. Can you really ever fly without a layover anymore? We had a layover in Dallas before finally making it to Fresno.
Grab A Rental Car
If you are new to my blogs, then you have never heard of my spill on Turo. If you’ve been here before, you know how I feel about Turo. Truly, you can do any type of car rental, but this trip works perfect for Turo AND it’s going to save you a lot of money.
On trips such as these, renting a car is a must… but it’s expensive right?! I always feel like I end up paying more than I anticipated and there are always so many added charges. Turo on the other hand is less expensive and less of a hassle! It’s literally the Airbnb of cars. You rent a car through the owner of the car, essentially. Sounds simple right? It’s because it is! You can get insurance on the website so you see exactly what you are paying for! You also can select where you want the car dropped off. Personally, we do our pick-ups and drop-offs at the airport we fly into. It can be different with each owner; however, we typically have instructions on where the car is dropped off, the keys are left inside, and we just start our trip. Dropping off the car is essentially the same as well. Always message the owner you rent through to get the exact details of course. We HIGHLY suggest checking out Turo!
We rented through Turo on this trip as you do pick up and drop off at the Fresno airport. If Turo isn’t for you, use any car rental service and pick up a car at the airport because you will be driving a little bit of a distance.
Drive 2 Hours Toward Yosemite
We drove to the closest town outside of Yosemite which is Mariposa, CA. This gets you about 40 minutes outside of the entrance to Yosemite National Park.
This town is adorable and we had enjoyed our time exploring. This town is considered one of the Gold Rush towns in California. You can visit a history museum there, which we found to be super interesting.
On our way through, we picked up some In and Out. As someone who lives in KY, we do not get to regularly enjoy the joys of In and Out Burger. Therefore, we always make it a point to stop and enjoy some anytime we head out to the Western US. Now some people will tell you that In and Out is overrated and maybe it is. I will say that during grad school, I had a friend from California who told me that was one of the things she missed the most.
Hiking Yosemite National Park
On day one, we hiked the Mist Trail. If you only can do one hike in Yosemite, make it this one! The Mist Trail remains one of our favorite hikes of all time and we have hiked a lot. This trail will feature two major waterfalls, which include Vernal and Nevada Falls.
This trail is strenuous. We hiked a total of 9.97 miles according to our watch for a total of 24,640 steps and an elevation gain of 2,104 feet. We hiked up the Mist Trail and then back down through the John Muir Trail. This is the appropriate trail that Yosemite NP wants you to take as going back down the Mist Trail can be dangerous for hikers as the trail is very narrow and slick in one area.
While it was such a difficult trail, we all say we would absolutely do it again! The waterfalls were so powerful and so beautiful. The trail was absolutely breathtaking and the waterfalls were roaring!
This brings me to my next point… you cannot avoid getting drenched when the falls are this powerful. When you approach Vernal Falls, you have to walk in very close proximity. We attempted to prepare by wearing all waterproof clothing and carrying waterproof backpacks. We came out on the other side looking like we had jumped into a pool. Our waterproof clothing did not stand up to this waterfall.
On day two, we hiked around the Yosemite Valley and witnessed some amazing views of Yosemite Falls! We also got a chance to walk around Cook’s meadow which was flooded during our visit. On our way, we stopped by the Yosemite Chapel, where people actually do get married and church services are held regularly! We finished our trip with the iconic Tunnel View which provided stunning overlooks of Sentinel Rock, El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Falls.
Day two consisted of another 5 miles and over 12,000 steps. Therefore, we took day three to enjoy the town of Mariposa which included their shops, restaurants, and museum.
Parking and Shuttling
An additional piece of information that was very pertinent during our tim at Yosemite. The parking and shuttling situation. We struggled during our time there due to parking and shuttling. The parking filled up so much faster than we expected. We would arrive around 6-7 am and the parking lots were already full. This also meant that the shuttle buses were also full.
After our hike at the Mist Trail, we spent another 2 hours trying to get on the shuttle bus to locate our car. It was miserable being that cold, wet, and tired. It also did not leave us any time to fuel up for the next day!
Where Did We Stay?
We rented an Airbnb in the Mariposa area which left us driving about a 45 minute drive into the park. I often find myself booking Airbnb’s on these hiking trips. There are also a few hotels in the Mariposa area that will get you a little closer.
Travel Toward Sequoia and Kings Canyon
We stayed in Visalia, CA when we visited Sequoia which is approximately another 2 hours drive from Mariposa, CA. We stayed at another Airbnb in downtown Visalia.
It’s important to note that Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon NP are side by side. You will not need to travel any further distance or stay at a different Airbnb to see these parks.
Hiking Sequoia
We spent one day hiking in Sequoia. Of course, the first thing we had to do was Big Trees Trail and Congress Trail to see all the giant sequoias. This included the General Sherman Tree which is dubbed the largest tree in the world! The nearly 6 miles of hiking was totally worth it to take in the sights of these giants. You cannot appreciate the sheer size of these trees unless you have someone stand next to them.
We stumbled upon some wildlife while on the trail too. We had a deer dart out in front of us and we (safely) watched a young bear from afar dig through a fallen sequoia tree for his lunch.
Y’all, everyone should see this at least once in their life.
Hiking Kings Canyon
We spent our last day hiking in Kings Canyon National Park. It was such a unique experience as we hiked through an area of recent fire for the sequoia trees. Did you know that sequoia trees need fire to reproduce?
We hiked a short overlook trail and then to the top of Mt. Baldy for a total of nearly 7 miles. Did I mention I hiked all those trails while 15 weeks pregnant? On the trail, we encountered two more young bears who quickly ran off as we approached. It was a great end to such a wonderful trip!
As this trip came to an end, we packed everything up and headed back to Fresno to drop the car off and catch our flight. The drive from Visalia was a short 45 minutes to the Fresno Airport. Since we used Turo, it was an easy process of simply parking the car, taking some pictures for the app, and leaving the keys inside. Simple.
We hope this helps you plan your trip to Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks! As always, safe travels y’all!- Justin & Caitlin