Sequoia National Park is home to some of Mother Nature's most magnificent creations. Stunning beauty, inspiring views, and majestic surroundings await you. The beauty of Sequoia has inspired visitors for generations. And with on-going efforts to preserve the Park's pristine settings, guests today can experience much of the Park the way it was viewed hundreds of years ago.
MORO ROCK
Moro Rock is a large granite dome also found in the Giant Forest area. Common in the Sierra Nevada, the dome was formed by exfoliation, or the casting off in sheets of rock layers on otherwise disjointed granite. Outward expansion of the granite results in exfoliation. Taking a quarter-mile trail, you can climb nearly 400 steep steps to the top of the barren rock (6,725-foot elevation). Moro Rock parking area is 3 miles south of the General Sherman Tree at General's Highway. RVs and trailers are prohibited on this road.
CRESCENT MEADOW
John Muir is said to have called this lovely, grassy open area the "gem of the Sierra." It is located 1.5 miles east of the Moro Rock parking area. A hike on the trail around the meadow takes about an hour. Several trails start here, including the one-mile route to Tharp's Log and the High Sierra Trail, which runs 71 miles to Mt. Whitney (highest peak in the lower 48 states - 14,494').
CRYSTAL CAVE
Formed of marble, the Crystal Cave is decorated with curtains of icicle-like stalactites and mounds of stalagmites. To reach it, you must drive to the end of the twisting, seven-mile road heading west from the General’s Highway, two miles south of the Moro Rock turnoff. Trailers, RVs and buses are prohibited because of the road's narrowness. Then, from the parking area, it is a 15-minute hike down a steep path to the cave entrance. The cave can be toured in summer only. The Sequoia Natural History Association offers 45-minute guided tours daily every half hour between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. from mid-June to early September (less often in early May and late September). A jacket or sweater is recommended. Call (559) 565-3759 for information. Tickets are not sold at the Crystal Cave; purchase them at Lodgepole or Foothills visitor centers only.
ZUMWALT MEADOW
Lush in early spring, the meadow provides idyllic contrast to the powerful rock formations deep in the heart of Kings Canyon. This scenic 1.5-mile self-guided trail offers high granite walls, a lush meadow, and the meandering King's River. Parking is available four miles east of the Cedar Grove Village turn off.
