Trip Reports – Pathfinders

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I last posted, but I wanted to share a recent trip I took out to Sequoia National Park. Given the huge storms we had during the holidays, I thought it would be a perfect time to visit the park, though with the recent wildfires, there was a concern that the park would have remained closed before we’d be able to go enjoy the park. Fortunately for us, the fires burned slightly southeast of the actual park, so although parts of the forest remained burned, the actual park itself was unaffected. Although I also wanted to travel to the forest, given the distance between the forest and park, I decided against it.

The Preparations

Being a California native, this would have been my first time driving through potentially snowy conditions. If you haven’t driven through snow before, it can be very stressful if you aren’t adequately prepared. From checking the tires to see if they are rated for snow, to buying snow cables to put in your car in case conditions get worse, that last thing you want to have happen to you is getting stuck in the park because you didn’t prepare your car for the snow conditions

National Parks in California require snow chains/cables in all vehicles during the winter where it may snow, regardless if you have snow tires for 4WD on your vehicle, so you’ll want to make sure you purchase a set of chains ahead of time before making the trip up. You can always return them later if you don’t use them, but getting turned away just because you don’t have cables can be a depressing thought.

Depending on where you are staying, you may also want to pack some extra food with you on your trip to the park. Camping in the park is possible, but I stayed in the neighboring town of Three Rivers. Supplies are limited there, although there are bigger grocery stored about 20 minutes west of Three Rivers. It’s best to do any shopping ahead of time since things can get pricey in the town as it’s very small.

A beautiful lake that you’ll get to see if you drive to the park via Three Rivers.

The Town

I stayed in a village called Three Rivers, which is just outside one of several entrances to Sequoia National Park. If you like small towns, this is the perfect place for you. The main street into the park is also where most of the town’s attractions are, including one gas station, a handful of restaurants, and a small general store. I stayed in an Airbnb which was right behind the gas station, and it was situated right next to the river.

The river this time of year is great to look at, not as great to swim in.

It was a rainy weekend, but it would’ve been great to relax on the patio we had.

The Park

If you are planning to make this trip in the winter, make sure you get to the entrance early. I got there at around 8am and already cars were starting to back up into the entrance of the park. In winter, especially if it’s snowing, it can be easy to get stuck behind a car that might not be accustomed to the snow or driving on chains, which could extend your time in the park considerably. It can also be easy to get stuck if the car ahead of you gets stuck, and there aren’t many turnouts higher up the park, so be warned ahead of time. By the time I left the park, there was about a 1 mile line of cars waiting to get in, which was around noon.

If you like snowy landscapes in California, Sequoia during the winter is one of the best places to be.

For my trip, I decided that I would only visit the General Sherman tree, one of the oldest trees in the park. Given that my car did not have the right tires for snow, and that the forecast was for snow that day, I wanted to limit my time in the park so that I wouldn’t get stuck trying to leave the park afterwards. It took me about two hours after entering the park to reach the tree, with minimal traffic, so your time to reach it may vary.

Once I arrived, there was a small parking lot next to the entrance of the path to the tree. It was quite crowded already, possibly with people that were camping in the park, but I was still able to find some parking before it completely filled up. After parking, it was just a short walk to the tree. There’s not much to do here, other than walk the path and take some photos of the trees, but that’s what I came here for.

Some pictures of the tree up close, there’s a small area to take photos, with a sign in front of the tree.

It didn’t take long after I had arrive for it to start snowing. Once it started snowing, I took a couple more photos, then quickly proceeded to leave the park. The snow was getting worse by the minute, and getting stuck in the park due to snow was not on my agenda for the day. I could have been over-estimating how much disruption the snow would have actually caused, but I didn’t want to chance it.

At least I managed to get a couple great photos out of the snow!

In case you were wondering what it’s like to drive through snow.

Wrap-up

Overall, this was a great trip and I had a lot of fun. I love snowy landscapes, and I think there is something very serene about overlooking an area that is just blanketed in white. Whether that landscape is worth the trouble of driving through snow and braving the cold, I’ll leave that up to you to decide. I’d love to hear about what your favorite season is for travelling, and what type of things you like to see on your trips in the comments below!

With the fires that are currently raging through California, it is getting harder and harder to travel throughout the state. Call it a double whammy when we are already dealing with pandemic travel restrictions. Fortunately for us, Lake Tahoe was relatively unaffected by the SCU Lightning Complex fires, although there was still smoke in the area.

Sadly, the day I was scheduled to travel up to Lake Tahoe, I received a call from the cabin I had originally rented to inform me that a bear had apparently attacked the cabin, and that the cabin I had originally booked was now unavailable. It would’ve been a great cabin to take photos in, a two-story, three bedroom and two bathroom cabin right next to the lake. I ended up settling for a condo that was situated in one of the resort areas in Lake Tahoe, sitting right next to the ski lifts.

The area we stayed in was a mini-town, complete with a town square with ice-skating rink, shops (which were closed), restaurants (which were mainly closed), and a theater (also closed). The eerily quiet town which I imagine would have been booming during the snow season, provides a nice quiet escape for people who want the feeling of living in a ghost town, without actually having to go to a ghost town.

The Room

The room we stayed in was part of a luxury resort, and was complete with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, and balcony. For a home away from home, it was definitely nice, but it did still have that hotel room feel, since you needed a key card to enter the room.

The master bedroom is quite spacious, with direct access to the balcony.

The wooden doors do a lot to give the room a rustic cabin feel, even though it is inside a resort.

The living rooms includes a dining table, spacious couch, and a door that opens up to the balcony.

The balcony would have likely offered better views of the town if it was during the winter when everyone is trying to get to the slopes.

The kitchen area with additional bar stool seating for guests.

The Activities

During the summer months, Lake Tahoe becomes a lot like other destinations, known for their watersports and nature trails. While we were there, there were quite a few people with mountain bikes looking to explore the various trails that it has to offer. The first day of our trip, we tried to get some kayaking at the lake in. We tried going to Sand Harbor, one of the more well-known beaches of Lake Tahoe, only to find out that the parking lot was completely full until 5 PM. Rather than go back and let the day go to waste, we decided instead to circle back to a trail nearby called Monkey Rock trail to kill some time while we waited for the parking lot to open up again.

Lake Tahoe has a ton of hiking trails in the area, so it wasn’t too difficult to find an easy trail that didn’t have many people hiking it.

After hiking the trail, and flying my drone out for some videos, we went back to the parking lot for Sand Harbor, and was able to find a spot. We were then taken aback by the sheer number of people that were still at the beach. Reminded of my time at Pismo Beach, it’s hard to be surprised at this point that even with the pandemic raging, people will find ways to get outside and enjoy nature.

Everyone was eager to get a spot as close to the water as possible. Given that Lake Tahoe is a lake, there aren’t any major waves so it’s much easier to plant yourself close to the water.

The fires definitely affected the experience somewhat at Lake Tahoe. The haziness was present everywhere at Lake Tahoe, constant reminder to remain vigilant.

Kayaking

The next day, we got up much earlier to make our way to Sand Harbor again to try our hand at kayaking. We were able to snag a couple of single kayaks, but if you plan to go kayaking in Lake Tahoe, I would highly recommend making a reservation prior to you arriving, as we almost missed out due to the rental place running out kayaks. We booked the kayaks for three hours, and paddled north along the coast. This was one of the better activities that Lake Tahoe has to offer, and anyone travelling to Lake Tahoe during the summer should consider adding it to their itinerary.

We managed to find a smooth rock for us to land our kayaks on, so we decided to bring up our kayaks and enjoy the lake in a more secluded location with just our group.

Don’t make the same mistake I did and make sure you wear appropriate swimming attire if you plan to go kayaking…

Conclusion

Even though Lake Tahoe is such a popular destination, there are definitely opportunities to enjoy some privacy if you are willing to put in a little effort to find it. Although normally known for their winter activities, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Lake Tahoe and can recommend it for people looking to enjoy the nature of California while still being within civilization. As an added bonus, you won’t typically encounter the masses of people that are here for skiing or snowboarding, so with the right accommodation, you could have your own little slice of nature. Where is your go to place when you want to escape the hustle of city life?

Category: Trip Reports

A Winter Paradise – Sequoia National Park