Snowshoeing in Sequoia National Park, Part 3

Mark and his two bowls
at breakfast at
Wuksachi Lodge

In all my previous stays in National Parks, I have always stayed in tents, or primitive tent cabins.  However, lodging doesn't always have to be so rugged. Many National Parks have famous and historical lodges in which to stay (the luxurious Ahwahnee at Yosemite National Park comes to mind). Up until this trip, however, we had never stayed in the National Park Lodge before.      

Luckily enough, the Wuksachi lodge within Sequoia National Park was offering a very attractive winter deal through TravelZoo.  For once, I decided to spoil ourselves with the comforts of a warm bed, private shower and cable television to go with our wilderness experience.  Having these creature comforts gave us the reserves to go confidently out into the snow everyday.  

Little did I know, but food options within the park are limited to the Wuksachi dining hall. Food at Wuksachi, particularly dinner, was fantastic, and I was even impressed with the wine pairing at one meal. However, the prices can be a little steep. But I loved the family atmosphere in the dining room.  There was no formality, despite the incredible food and setting. At meal times, it was not uncommon for children to run around, and for babies to be crawling around on the carpeted floor. 

All in all, I think our Sequoia Kings Canyon trip exceeded my expectations.  I knew I would be awed by the Giant Sequoias, but I did not expect to feel love towards these huge trees as I did.  It is a special place that uplifted me. And I  highly recommend others to see this place for themselves.

When to Go

Winter is a great time to visit Sequoia National Park. The snow accentuates the Giant Sequoia's outstanding orange bark, the park is less crowded, and lodging is inexpensive.

Where to Go/What to Do

1. Visit General Sherman Tree (.5 miles).  

2. Snowshoe Congress Loop Trail (1.0 miles)

3. Visit Lodgepole Visitor Center - there's a great exhibit on the history of the park

4. Visit Grant Grove and General Grant Tree

5. Snowshoe to Topokah Falls (3.4 miles)

6. Attend a ranger led snowshoe hike

Where to Stay

Wuksachi Lodge

What to Wear

A ski jacket with a removable liner, snow pants or gaiters, waterproof boots (hiking boots don't count), and snowshoes are recommended.  My hiking boots weren't waterproof, and as a result I got some minor frost bite on the first day.  On the second day, however, I rectified the situation by wearing plastic bags over my socks underneath my hiking boots.

Snowshoeing in Sequoia National Park

Mark putting on snowshoes

We just got back from a 3 day weekend in Sequoia National Park, and I am just brimming with enthusiasm about our trip.  First off, I was really excited to try snowshoeing for the first time.  Secondly, I was really looking forward to staying in my first authentic National Park lodge. And thirdly, I was excited to see my first Giant Sequoia Trees.

On our first night, we encountered a bit of a hiccup. There are two main entrances into Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, one of which was closed from to snow.  Of course, we ended up at the wrong entrance for the night. Website instructions to the park are a little confusing, so I recommend that you spend more than a cursory 5 minutes understanding them, unlike myself.  Fortunately, the Wuksachi Lodge, where we had reservations for the night, refunded us for the first night.  Cooler heads prevailed and we ended up staying in nearby Visalia that first night, which is just outside entrance we were supposed to enter through.

The thrill of snowshoeing on our way
to Topokah Falls

The horror of the previous night was quickly forgotten as soon as we entered the park the following morning.  A much overlooked aspect of the park is the enjoyment to be had in the winter-time.  The park has few visitors all year, and even fewer visitors in the winter time, which makes it easier to have the park all to oneself. In winter, too, the Giant Sequoia trees glow an unearthly orange, and make a striking contrast against the wintry white snow. Finally, the large snowfall makes it imperative to rent a pair of snowshoes or cross country skis which makes it fun in and of itself.

To attract visitors, Wuksachi Lodge offers an excellent deal in wintertime.  Nights at the lodge cost only $79/night during the workweek, and $87/night on the weekend.  Prices are typically double that in the summer. Wuksachi also offers free snowshoes to all residents, and also offers a special bed and breakfast offer, which offers unlimited breakfast buffet, which Mark and I partook in everyday.

Ice climbers at Topokah Falls

We quickly rented a pair of snowshoes, and went on a short hike to Tokopah Falls.  Tokopah Falls was recommended by a park ranger for to its contrasting scenery with the rest of the park.  It is special because it offers visitors easy access to the high Sierra (7000'-14,500' of elevation) just 1.7 miles walk from the visitor center.  Most of the park is in the mid-Sierra range (5,500'-7,000'). The hike followed along the babbling Kaweah river, and was very idyllic and pretty, even more so because we were alone the entire time.  I did not weary of the thrill of snowshoeing until we got to perhaps mile #3, when I started to feel the exertion in my hip flexors and butt.

At the end of the hike, we encountered the barren landscape I presume is typical of the high Sierras.  We found a couple of ice climbers climbing the Topokah ice fall with crampons and ice axe. It was very exciting for me to see something that is normally portrayed in scary survival movies such as "Touching the Void", so I felt compelled to watch.  But when fist-sized pieces of ice started to tumble down me, I was warned to step far to the side.

To be continued...