Directions to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are adjacent to each other in the southern Sierra Nevada. There are two different highways which run to the parks, which become General Highways upon entering the parks. They are known as “the road between the parks”.

These highways are;

From Fresno there’s Highway 180 east which accesses Kings Canyon National Park in the area of Grant Grove, then runs for around 30 miles easterly until reaching the Cedar Grove area. This road comes to an end around 6 miles to the east of Cedar Grove.
From the southwest and Three Rivers is Highway 198 which enters Sequoia National Park.

No roads actually cross the mountains in an westerly / easterly direction in the parks.

There has been a certain amount of upheaval on the roads of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks lately, so it’s always wise to check out the road closures before leaving home, especially if you will be driving an RV which is longer than 22 feet . . . . the parks might be the “Lands of the Giants” but some giants have difficulty in getting around!

It’s also worth checking out the state of the roads, especially during the winter times when adverse weather and snow does close some of the parks roads.

Public Transport to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

There are free in-park shuttles in operation between the hours of 10am and 4pm;

Thursdays through Sundays – November 22 – 25
Wednesday through Tuesday – December 26 – January 1

Flying to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

The nearest commercial airports to the parks are at Visalia and Fresno. Fresno Air Terminal – aka Fresno Yosemite International is around an hour and a quarter from the entrance to Kings Canyon National Park on Highway 180, or approximately one and three quarter hours from the entrance to Sequoia National Park on Highway 198.

Visilia Airport is approximately an hour from the entrance to Sequoia National Park on Highway 198 and an hour and a half from Kings Canyon National Park on Highway 180.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks by Train

There’s a twice daily service to Visalia by coach from Amtrak, the buses forming a connection with the trains arriving at Hanford near Visalia and served by the Park Shuttle to Sequoia park. Hanford is located around 30 miles to the west of Visalia, or approximately an hour and a quarter from the entrance to Sequoia National Park on Highway 198.

Amtrak also has a station at Fresno, but there is no shuttle service available from this location.