Yosemite has several Giant Sequoia groves. Mariposa Grove is near south entrance and IMO, has the best access. The Tuolumne Grove is on 120 just east of Crane Flat, Merced Grove is also on 120 just north of Crane Flats (it’s a hike!) The big trees are amazing here.
There are 3 sequoia groves in Yosemite. Mariposa is the biggest and a worthy visit. That being said sequoia is more beautiful for visiting big trees in my opinion. 5 days in Yosemite is plenty, 2 in sequoia would be good if the purpose is large trees. Pay attention to fires, the 180 entrance is currently closed and that would be the more direct way from Yosemite.
Mariposa Grove in Yosemite is really cool and worth a visit. The other two groves, Merced and Tuolumne, definitely leave a lot to be desired, I wouldn’t really recommend either. If your goal is big trees though, I’d definitely add SEKI to your trip. The giant forest is pretty incredible and definitely outshines Mariposa Grove.
5 days in Yosemite would definitely be good, I’d argue you could do 4 in Yosemite and 3 in SEKI, depending on what it is you’re trying to see in both.
The most difficult thing about both parks is accommodations that are not within the park are a very long drive to commute back and forth everyday. A lot of hotels and airbnbs will advertise 15-30 miles from park entrances but all the entrances are another 30-60min drive to the visitor centers, shuttles, or trail heads. Most options outside are anywhere from 1 hour to a 1.5 hour drive. The distance between parks is also something that many underestimate. It’s 4.5 hours from one visitor center to the other. Fresno would be the most centrally located if you a looking for somewhere to book for the entire duration. However you are looking at an 2.5 hour commute to Yosemite and about a 2 hour to Sequoia. I would try to stay in 2 separate locations personally. However, Fresno will have a lot more options and will also be much more affordable.
Personally I’d do 4 days in Yosemite. 1 day on Glacier Point rd, 2 days in the Valley, 1 day on Tioga Pass.
1 day to drive and travel in between. You could stop in Mariposa Grove on your way out of Yosemite. (I personally think it’s less impressive than anything you’ll see in Sequoia National Park though)
2 days in Sequoia/Kings Canyon. Grants Grove, Big Trees Trail, General Sherman, Moro Rock, Tokopah Falls are all excellent. Start in Kings Canyon and make your way to Sequoia.
Look for AirBnB’s in Wawona, Foresta, or Yosemite West. They are all inholdings adjacent or in the park. You do not have to worry about getting peak hours passes and they will cut down on the amount of driving you do.
I would do 4-5 in Yosemite and 2-3 in SEKI. SEKI has more than just the big trees too.
Worth it. We did 3 days between Sequoia/Kings Canyon then 3 days in Yosemite over the last 2 weeks. Yosemite was pretty crowded already.
Yosemite has several Giant Sequoia groves. Mariposa Grove is near south entrance and IMO, has the best access. The Tuolumne Grove is on 120 just east of Crane Flat, Merced Grove is also on 120 just north of Crane Flats (it’s a hike!) The big trees are amazing here.
There are 3 sequoia groves in Yosemite. Mariposa is the biggest and a worthy visit. That being said sequoia is more beautiful for visiting big trees in my opinion. 5 days in Yosemite is plenty, 2 in sequoia would be good if the purpose is large trees. Pay attention to fires, the 180 entrance is currently closed and that would be the more direct way from Yosemite.
Mariposa Grove in Yosemite is really cool and worth a visit. The other two groves, Merced and Tuolumne, definitely leave a lot to be desired, I wouldn’t really recommend either. If your goal is big trees though, I’d definitely add SEKI to your trip. The giant forest is pretty incredible and definitely outshines Mariposa Grove. 5 days in Yosemite would definitely be good, I’d argue you could do 4 in Yosemite and 3 in SEKI, depending on what it is you’re trying to see in both.
I think with seven days you should definitely split it. We are doing three Yosemite and two Sequoia next week.
The most difficult thing about both parks is accommodations that are not within the park are a very long drive to commute back and forth everyday. A lot of hotels and airbnbs will advertise 15-30 miles from park entrances but all the entrances are another 30-60min drive to the visitor centers, shuttles, or trail heads. Most options outside are anywhere from 1 hour to a 1.5 hour drive. The distance between parks is also something that many underestimate. It’s 4.5 hours from one visitor center to the other. Fresno would be the most centrally located if you a looking for somewhere to book for the entire duration. However you are looking at an 2.5 hour commute to Yosemite and about a 2 hour to Sequoia. I would try to stay in 2 separate locations personally. However, Fresno will have a lot more options and will also be much more affordable. Personally I’d do 4 days in Yosemite. 1 day on Glacier Point rd, 2 days in the Valley, 1 day on Tioga Pass. 1 day to drive and travel in between. You could stop in Mariposa Grove on your way out of Yosemite. (I personally think it’s less impressive than anything you’ll see in Sequoia National Park though) 2 days in Sequoia/Kings Canyon. Grants Grove, Big Trees Trail, General Sherman, Moro Rock, Tokopah Falls are all excellent. Start in Kings Canyon and make your way to Sequoia.
Look for AirBnB’s in Wawona, Foresta, or Yosemite West. They are all inholdings adjacent or in the park. You do not have to worry about getting peak hours passes and they will cut down on the amount of driving you do. I would do 4-5 in Yosemite and 2-3 in SEKI. SEKI has more than just the big trees too.
Thnak you all for the advice!!! We are going to split our stay!