Park officials announced today that visitor centers in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will be open for weekend operations beginning Saturday, January 19. Sequoia Parks Conservancy (SPC), the official park partner of the parks made a donation on Friday that covers National Park Service (NPS) Interpretive Rangers and facility maintenance at all locations. Park visitor centers have been closed for the past 28 days during this lapse in appropriations. Pear Lake Winter Hut, also managed by SPC, will also resume normal operations.
“We believe in the power of information as a way to guide and transform a visitor’s experience of these parks," said Savannah Boiano, Executive Director of the Sequoia Parks Conservancy. “This donation is one way for the Sequoia Parks Conservancy to support Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and the National Park Service."
Park visitor centers will be open for the holiday weekend Saturday through Monday, and Friday through Sunday on weekends for the foreseeable future. SPC employees and NPS rangers will be staffing the visitor centers and providing trip-planning and safety information.
For a calendar of in-park programs offered by SPC, visit www.sequoiaparks.org/freeprograms. For park information, visit www.nps.gov/SEKI.
Visitor Center Hours
Holiday Weekend 1/19-1/21
Foothills Visitor Center: 9 am to 3 pm
Giant Forest Museum: 10 am to 4pm 1/19-1/20, 10 am to 3 pm 1/21
Kings Canyon Visitor Center: 10 am to 3 pm
Weekends Moving Forward (During Government Shutdown)
Foothills Visitor Center: 9 am to 3 pm
Giant Forest Museume 10 am to 3 pm
Kings Canyon Visitor Center 10 am to 3 pm
All other areas that are typically open this time of year, including campgrounds, restrooms, trails, and roads, are open using Federal Land and Recreation Enhancement funds. These areas will remain open unless winter conditions or other factors require otherwise.
These areas include:
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Giant Forest and General Sherman Tree
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Grant Grove and General Grant Tree
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Foothills and Hospital Rock
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Potwisha and Azalea Campgrounds
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Big Stump and Wolverton snow play areas
Please call 559-565-3341 for current weather, closures, and road conditions before visiting the parks as winter conditions may require tire chains or closures at any time.
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About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
These two parks, which lie-side-by-side in the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, serve as a prime example of nature’s size, beauty, and diversity. Over 2 million visitors from across the U.S. and the world visit these parks for the world’s largest trees (by volume), grand mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, the highest point in the lower 48 states, and more. Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/seki or 559-565-3341.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
