Tag Archives: giant Sequoia

California Wildfire Affected Areas

Forest Fires in California

pinetree

A list of recent wildfires in California, with counties and acres affected. Forest fires listed here are the ones that have affected public lands – like National Forests, National Parks, State Parks and BLM land.

On public lands you may see signs like –

Warning: Entering a Burned Area
Potential Hazards include:

  • LOOSE ROCKS
  • FALLING TREES + LIMBS
  • STUMP HOLES
  • FLASH FLOODING
  • DEBRIS FLOWS

>>> Entering a CLOSED FOREST with burn scar is a crime and can result in jail time. Check USFS forests web site for current closures. 

Forest Fires listed below are alphabetical. Green & blue links to more data on these wildfires.

Dixie Fire
2021 Dixie Fire @ Lassen National Forest

2022 Wildfires in California (coming soon)

California Wildfire Affected Areas

 

 

 

California Wildfire Affected Areas
2020 Bear Fire @ Zink Road; North Complex

In 2020 alone, old growth Redwoods, a million Joshua trees, and hundreds of giant Sequoias have perished. Shocking reality from the New York Times

disaster zone

CapRadio WILDFIRES MAP

California Wildfire Map
click above for interactive map spanning 150 years of wildfires

 

California Wild fires

California Wildfire Affected Areas
Madrone trees burned hot with 60 mph winds

Sequoia National Forest Camping

Sequoia National Forest Campgrounds
Giant Sequoia National Monument

Sequoia National Forest Campgrounds
Sequoia NF Camping

Sequoia Campground Reservations – Giant Sequoia Campgrounds, Western Divide, Kern Canyon

areas include: Kernville, Kern River, Lake Isabella, Sherman’s Pass, Kennedy Meadows, Forks of the Kern, Western Divide Highway, Camp Nelson, Kings River, Hume Lake & Sequoia National Park

Sequoia Group CampgroundSequoia campgroundsListed below are all the Sequoia National Forest campgrounds, public lands for outdoor recreation. USFS
NFSlogo

Sequoia Campgrounds

campground elev spots veg toilet water notes
Alder Creek Campground 3900′ 13 alder vault creek W of Alta Sierra
Auxiliary Dam Campgr 2650′ dsp flush piped Lake Isabella
Belknap Campground 4800′ 15 pines vault piped April – Oct
Big Meadows Campground 7600′ 25 pines vault creek CLOSED
Boulder Gulch Camp 2650′ 78 oaks flush piped fishing Lake Isabella; RV max 45′
Breckenridge Campground 6600′ 8 pines vault no South of Kern River; no RVs
Buck Rock Campground 7600′ 5 pines vault no Kings Canyon NP
Camp 3 Campground 2800′ 52 oaks vault creek Kings River rafting; RV max 30′
Camp 4 Campground 1000′ 5 oaks vault creek no RVs, Kings River rafting
Camp 4 1/2 Cabin 1000′ 5 oaks vault creek no RVs, Kings River rafting
Camp 9 Camp Area RV 2600′ 109 none flush piped Lake Isabella
Cedar Creek Campground 4800′ 11 pines vault piped W Alta Sierra; no RVs; May-Oct
Coy Flat Campground 5000′ 20 pines vault piped May – Oct
Eshom Creek Campground 4800′ 23 pines vault piped CLOSED
Evans Flat Campground 6100′ 20 pines vault spring equestrian, pasture; RV 20′
Fairview Campground 3500′ 55 mixed vault river upper Kern River; RV 45′
Fish Creek Campground 7400′ 40 pines vault E of Sherman; RV max 27′
Frog Meadow Campground 7500′ 10 pines vault no Sugarloaf Ridge; June-Oct
Frog Guard Station Cabin 7500′ 10 pines vault no Sugarloaf Ridge; 2 nite min
Gold Ledge Campground 3200′ 37 mixed vault Kern River; RV max 30′
Green Cabin Flat Camp 1000′ dsp oaks Kings River; primitive
Hanning Flat Campground 2650′ dsp chem fishing Kern River
Headquarters Campground 2800′ 44 alder vault Kern River; RV max 27′
Hobo Campground 2300′ 35 oaks chem lower Kern River; RV 22′
Horse Camp 7600′ 5 pines vault equestrian campsites
Horse Meadow Campground 7400′ 41 pines vault Sherman’s Pass; RV 22′
Hospital Flat Campground 3000′ 40 alder vault Kern River; RV max 30′
Hume Lake Campground 5200′ 74 pines flush CLOSED
Hungry Gulch Campground 2700′ 78 oaks flush piped Lake Isabella; May-Oct
Kennedy Meadows Camp 6100′ 39 pines vault piped E of Shermans; RV max 30′
Landslide Campground 5800′ 9 pines vault creek CLOSED
Leavis Flat Campground 3000′ 9 pines vault piped California Hot Springs; RV 16′
Limestone Campground 3800′ 22 mixed vault creek Kern River rafting; RV 30′
Live Oak North Campground 2700′ 60 oaks flush piped Lake Isabella; RV max 30′
Live Oak South Campground 2700′ 90 oaks flush piped Lake Isabella; RV max 30′
Long Meadow Group Camp 6500′ 23 pines vault piped CLOSED
Lower Peppermint Campground 5300′ 17 pines vault piped CLOSED
Main Dam Campground 2500′ 82 oaks vault piped Lake Isabella; RV max 45′
Mill Flat Campground 1100′ 5 pines vault creek Kings River rafting; no trailers
Panorama Campground 7400′ 10 pines vault no Sugarloaf Ridge; June-Sept
Paradise Cove Campground 2600′ 138 oaks flush piped Lake Isabella; RV max 30′
Peppermint Dispersed 7100′ 19 vault creek CLOSED
Pioneer Point Campground 2650′ 78 oaks flush piped Lake Isabella; RV max 30′
Princess Campground 5900′ 90 pines vault CLOSED
Quaking Aspen Campgr 7000′ 32 aspen vault creek CLOSED
Redwood Meadow Campgr 6100′ 15 pines vault piped CLOSED
Sandy Flat Campground 2300′ 35 oaks vault Lower Kern River
South Fork Recreation 2650 dsp flush piped some walk-in camp sites
Stine Cove Campground 2650′ dsp oaks vault Lake Isabella
Stoney Creek Campgr 6400′ 49 pines flush piped CLOSED
Tenmile Campground 5800′ 13 pines vault piped CLOSED
Tillie Creek Campground 2650′ 159 oaks flush piped fishing; RV max 45′
Troy Meadow Campground 7800′ 73 pines vault OHV; E Sherman’s; RV 20′
Upper Stony Creek Camp 6400′ 19 pines vault piped Sequoia NP; May-Oct
White River Campground 4000′ 12 oaks vault piped Sugarloaf; May-Oct; RV 16′
Wishon Campground 4000′ 31 oaks vault piped open all year

Hume Lake Camping
Hume Lake, California

Western Divide Wishon Campground
Wishon Campground on the Western Divide

Giant Sequoia Campground

Sequoia Camping & Kernville Vacations, see also –

Topo maps, wilderness hiking maps
Equestrian trails, OHV maps –

Sequoia National Forest Campgrounds

Recent Wildfires:

Castle Fire + Shotgun Fire:
SQF Complex Fire 2020

Colony Fire + Paradise Fire:
KNP Complex Fire 2021

Giant Sequoia Fires
Windy Fire 2021

Sequoia National Forest Campgrounds

Sequoia mountain communities include:

Apple Days in Springville

Springville Apple Festival Images

Springville Apple Festival

Western Sierra. The sleepy foothills town on Hwy 190, Springville California, holds their annual Apple Festival near the Tule River & the Sierra Nevada mountains. Enjoy apple burritos, apple pies, apple tamales and apple cobblers!

Craft and food vendors, costume contest. 5k & 10k runs (Apple Run) Celebrating 40 years on this local event.

Annual event; October
One day event
559-202-6904

SPRINGVILLE CA

springvilleapplefestival.com

 

CONSUMERISM #3 of 100 Stranger Critters

Coy Flat Campground

Coy Flat Camping
Giant Sequoia National Monument

Camp Nelson California

se Campground

Southern Sierra mountains and the Giant Sequoias, inside Sequoia National Forest. In the Camp Nelson area, south of the busy National Parks.

SEPT 2021: Closed due to the Windy Fire

GIANT SEQUOIA HWY 190 – Western Divide Highway is the 7000′ ridge line that separates the Upper Kern River from the great Central Valley to the west.

From the San Joaquin Valley – get to Porterville or Springville, continue up the mountain on the main highway, to the paved road turn off (Road #22S94) on the right side of the highway;

After Pierpoint Springs and before Camp Nelson. This quiet campground is located off the highway more than a mile, so traffic noise will not be an issue for the light sleepers. (Unless of course, a loud 4×4 rig screams by at midnight headed to the backwoods, or a horse trailer cruises by at 5am). This camp does border the Tule River Indian Reservation.

Western Divide Campground
Western Divide Highway 190
Giant Sequoia Campground

Sequoia Road #22S94 is a loop road leading to many forest meadows, groves, primitive camps and trailhead destinations. Bear Creek and Coy Creek flow near CoyFlat Campground, which both merge north into the Middle Fork of the Tule River @ the highway.

Belknap Grove is nearby, with Black Mountain Grove a few miles further on the dirt back road (Road #22S94) as it continues to Bateman Ridge and Road #21S12, near the Tule Indian lands. Mountain biking, rock climbing, backpacking and hiking all great in this region.

22S94 continues in forest to 8500′ elevation @ Windy Gap, where the Summit National Recreation Trail intersects road. Popular trail among horse riders. 22S94 connects back to Western Divide Highway, in between Ponderosa and Trail of 100 Giants. Awesome loop drive for those seeking seclusion on the dirt roads, away from the tourists and RVs. Call ahead to make sure that the dirt roads and gates are open, before you plan a weekend vacation around it.

COY FLAT CAMPGROUND camping

Elevation: 5,000′
Number of Sites: 19
Reservations: YesCoyFlat Campground Sequoia NF
Sites Available: First come, First serve
Vehicle Accessibility: Vehicle 22 ft. max.
Length of Stay: 14 Days
Water: Piped; Seasonal creek nearby
Toilet: Vault
Season: Closed for winter months
Fee: Yes
Operated By: National Forest Service
Closest Town: Camp Nelson, Califronia

Sequoia National Forest
Giant Sequoia Ranger Station
559-539-5230

Due to the spread of invasive insects, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Help protect our forests by purchasing or collecting firewood at or near your camping destination and burning it on-site.

CoyFlat Sequoia
CoyFlat Campground – Giant Sequoia


Trail of 100 Giants Sequoia Grove

seqAmigos

The Western Divide Highway, at 6000 feet elevation, connects the Kern River Valley w/ granite peaks, dome rock, aspen groves & the Giant Sequoia trees! This is one of the southernmost Sequoia groves in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The easy hike is more of a nature trail, wheel chair accessible & approximately 1 mile long. Large Sequoia trees, picnic grounds, near campground.

SEPT 2021: Closed due to the Windy Fire

On busy weekends and holidays the rangers charge a “day use” parking fee, for those wishing to park in the paved parking lots. Avoid this fee by finding additional parking along the highway. Only a few good free parking spots along this busy 3 mile stretch of highway, and don’t forget to park all the way off the pavement.

SOUTHERN SIERRA: Great destination for camping families & sightseers traveling through the Southern Sierra Nevada mountains.

Western Divide Campgrounds

The USDA National Forest Campground across the road from the Trail of One Hundred Giants is called Redwood Meadow Campground. There is also a separate parking lot for the picnic grounds w/ a similar name.

Also nearby is Long Meadow, Long Meadow Group Camp, Peppermint Campground, Holey Meadow Group Camp and past Ponderosa. Quaking Aspen Campground and Quaking Aspen has a NFS Cabin Rental too.

Down near Camp Nelson, CA is the Coy Flat Campground.

Giant Sequoia National Monument has numerous dirt back roads for free, primitive, car camping. You’ll need a good topo map to find the best ones. Some roads may be muddy, overgrown or extremely rocky, depending on recent weather. Know you vehicles limitations. There is no tow truck service available way back here in the boonies.

Trail of 100 Giants Photos

All Redwood Groves in California

 

nearby towns –

Sequoia National Forest Map
Sequoia National Forest Map
Golden Trout Wilderness Trail Map
Golden Trout Wilderness Trail Map

Hidden Groves near Ponderosa CA

Free Campgrounds Sierra

Granite Creek

Free Campgrounds in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California

no charge camp, no fee camping, free campgrounds

No fee camping: Bare bones. California Sierra Campgrounds without the fee.

NFSlogoDeveloped BLM or NFS campgrounds, where you can still have a campfire. Vault toilets, panic tables and fire rings. Use bear boxes when provided for proper food storage.

secluded campgrounds

Below is a good long list of some favorite free developed campgrounds in the Sierras. Many will require dirt road driving, as most are located well of the highway. Perhaps the 12 mile rough road will thin out the crowds. Free overnight stay!

2020 update: this list is shrinking, as more California National Forests start charging for the smallest of campgrounds. 

campfirePack in your drinking water and pack out your trash. Campfire permits are not required at developed campgrounds; but a bringing a water bucket and shovel is necessary for tending your campfire. Piped water is not always available, or perhaps, not in working order at these primitive style camps. Be prepared to rough it a little.

Sierra National Forest – Central Sierra

Mammoth Pool Areacamptruck

Granite Creek Camp
Granite Creek Campground

Redinger Lake lakeboatramp
open all year long; no campfires

Redinger Campground

Courtright Reservoirlake
no-fee OHV

Voyager Rock 4×4 Camping

4x4

Huntington Lakelake
no-fee OHV

West Kaiser Camp 4×4

Kaiser Pass Roadlake
no-fee camping

Dinkey Creek Roadlake

Sawmill Flat Campground

Kings River Campgroundfish
free river camping

mosquito_lake
Mosquito Lakes @ Ebbetts Pass Hwy 4

Stanislaus National Forest – Central Sierra

Highway 4 – Ebbetts Passhiker

mosquitoTH

Highway 108 – Sonora Pass

Hwy 120 – West of Yosemite NPcamp
Tuolumne Wild & Scenic River

Eldorado National Forest – Central Sierra

Tahoe National Forest – Northern Sierra

creekcanyon
Canyon Creek, Tahoe NF

Highway 89 – Truckeehiker

Interstate 80 – Donner Pass

French Meadows Reservoircanoe

campsite snag lake
Snag Lake (free) Camping on Gold Lake Highway

Plumas National Forest –  Northern Sierra

Brady’s Campcamptruck
NFS Campground
West of Quincy, CA
Highway 70

breckensign

Sequoia National Forest – Southern Sierra

Breckenridge Campground
Forest Rd# 28S06
South of Kern Rivertree_stainglass

Giant Sequoia Area

Kings River Area

Mill Flat Kings River
Mill Flat @ Kings River

campground mill creek
Kings River Camping

see alsoWalk-In Campsites


Sequoia Lakes

XTERRA KEN

Sequoia National Park Lakes

Southern Sierra Nevada Lakes

A decent list of California Lakes, Reservoirs and Ponds, in the Sequoia region of the Southern Sierra mountains ….spanning from the Kern River to the Kings River. Some are well known recreation lakes with boating available, while others are secluded lakes or small ponds. Enjoy nature – it’s free!boatramp

camp canoe

onatrunk

Hiking Lakes around Sequoia NP

hikerAll the hikes listed here are to super remote alpine lakes w/ granite mountain peaks all around. The Sierra gems are located in the steep, granite, high altitudes, that require hours of strenuous hiking and backcountry skills. These are not paved granny trails by any means. They are the total opposite.

Long, steep trails, with the freshest thin air. Know your physical conditioning (or lack thereof) before taking on a 10 mile day hike. It will wipe you out!!! Backpackers should obtain a wilderness permit before venturing overnight into the back country.

Mineral King Canyon, backpacking or day hikes to high country alpine lakes
Base camp: Cold Springs Campground fish

  • Franklin Lakes
  • Amphitheater Lake
  • Columbine Lake
  • Big Five Lakes

Lodgepole Lakes in Sequoia National Park.
Beyond the waterfalls, in the high country backpacking or day hikes –

  • Moose Lake
  • Big Bird Lake
  • Pear Lake
  • Heather Lake
  • Aster Lake
  • Emerald Lake

Kings Canyon Lakes, Kings Cyn NP at the very end of Hwy 180.
Backpack or day hike trails, from moderate elevation canyon to alpine high country w/ rivers, waterfalls and lakes –

gilbert lake
Gilbert Lake near Keasarge Pass – High Sierra Hiking

NFSlogo

Parks & Forests in Sequoia / Sierra Nevada –

back road maps & hiking trail maps of this Sequoia area –4x4

Lake Isabella, Kern River Canyon
Lake Isabella, Kern River Canyon

see also –campfire

McKinley Grove, near Dinkey Creek & Wishon Reservoir

All Sequoia Groves in California

Sequoia Camping on the Back Roads


Redwood Hotels

Sierra Lodges, Sequoia Cabins & California Redwood Inns

alta sierra

Rent a cabin in the redwood forest of the north coast of California, or get a weekend retreat in the Sequoia, deep in the Sierra Nevada. Redwood inns, cottages & yurts can be found in the Central Coast region. Big Sur redwoods & Santa Cruz redwoods. Rustic hostels, historic Sierra lodges, or mountain cabins can be found in the Sierras, from Alta Sierra near Kernville, to Yosemite National Park.

Places to stay overnight in the Redwoods, or close by –

If you seek big lodges made from redwood timbers, those are the historic inns, located all over California. Redwood was harvested in California since 1850, right after gold was discovered and the masses flooded in. State officials have limited harvesting of ancient redwoods in Northern California in 1988. Logging and agricultural farms have already wiped out 96% of redwood forest that once covered California.