Do you LIVE for your weekend adventures...

but also for your Sunday trip to Trader Joe’s with plenty of time to meal prep, do laundry, and go to bed early?

Me too. Here’s how to do Sequoia National Park in 24 hours.

Getting there:

Wake up before dawn and get on the road between 5 and 6 a.m.

Pro Tip: Cut down on trying to find a decent breakfast place by making burritos the night before.

Find a friend who has will let you snag their National Park overnight pass. (They will also probably be the one supplying you with tent, hibachi, sleeping bag, etc. If you don’t have a friend like this in your circle… you need to change that ASAP!)

Download your Spotify playlist before you enter the park. It’s a steep elevation change after you pass the gate and service cuts out pretty early on.

Hikes to see & not see:

**BEFORE YOU HIKE: Ask the rangers which campgrounds still have available spots. If you don’t reserve ahead of time, it will be a tiny dash to claim your spot (more reason to leave LA before dawn). Take a tab and mark your territory so you can have max peace of mind while you explore all day.

1. Moro Rock:

Beyond gorgeous and will set your quads on fire. Just when you think that the view couldn’t get any more expansive or breathtaking, you turn another corner and IT DOES!

*The path does get rather narrow and might not be good for anyone with a fear or heights.

2. Panoramic point:

The winding road to get there is more magical than the baby hike itself. I highly suggest sticking your body out the sunroof and cranking the Jurassic Park music.

3. Tunnel Log:

You can ask your bus driver to stop the bus to let you take a photo. He gladly will. You will only have 2 minutes to do so though so better get your gram concept ready ASAP!

4. General Grant Tree

Meh... underwhelming.

shop the look

Magic We Missed Out On & Will Return To:

We met some very sweet ladies on the morning we left. They were probably in their mid 50s-60s and told us about how they had a club. Similar to a book club... except it was a hiking club. They came from all different towns and scheduled monthly trips to explore new hikes. They told us we had to come back for the three hikes below as they were beyond magical and quite underrated.

1. Mist Falls Trail in Paradise Valley

2. Redwood Mountain Loop

2. john muir trail in kings canyon

Don’t forget:

IMG_7634.JPG.jpeg — when you forget the tent poles...

you better pray for a full moon.

Copious amounts of canned wine (we brought Underwood Sparkling Rose because #fancy and #glamping!)
The tent poles (Yes… We forgot the tent poles…)

Fun Fact: We were told that while there were plenty of bears in the area, None would bother us. That VERY NIGHT a 17-year old kid only a hop-skip-and-a-jump from us in Yosemite woke up to a crunching noise. It was his skull. Being gnawed on by a bear!!!

A head lamp! You will want it when you need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Trust me.
Your own wood for the fire (If you do forget (and we did), there is a darling General Store walking distance from the campsite)
Hand soap or sanitizer (They do not provide any in the public bathrooms of the campsites).
Pre-cooked and chopped meat (so all you have to do is heat it up instead of worry about not getting salmonella).

On the way back:

Forget In & Out (Sacrilege. I know.) Stop at Taqueria Guadalajara. This is a locals-only kind of joint. It has the dirtiest (good thing), most scrumptious chorizo burrito you’ll ever find.

Address: 700 W Inyo Ave Tulare, CA 93274