SOME CONTEMPLATION, enjoyed before you reach the place where some of the largest and oldest living things on the planet hold spectacular sway? You likely want to engage in a bit of deep thinking, mulling, and daydreaming, and pondering. For the sequoias are a lot to take in, in the best sense, and preparing to behold their grandeur can take at least a few minutes or more. Getting to do so while playing the passenger on the Sequoia Shuttle, the warm-weather service that whisks people up, up, up the mountain from Visalia? Call it an ideal way to sit back, gaze out the window, and ready yourself for the epic experience. The shuttle is something many tree fans have counted on, over the years, as a way to cover that last leg, and a number of curves in the road, up to the world-famous forest.
IT'S BACK, and a round-trip ride from Visalia? It's twenty bucks per person, but there's more to this shuttle than its up/down offerings. It also provides "unlimited shuttle service inside the park," should you and your want to take in a few of the major sights, including the General Sherman Tree, Tunnel Log, and Wuksachi Lodge. There are four in-park routes, running 15 to 20 minutes, and you can see the attractions that each route features here. Important to know? Crystal Cave, one of the most popular destinations inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, remains closed in 2022 due to the KNP Complex Fire (but will re-open in 2023). The Sequoia Shuttle is running through Sept. 11, 2022, and its hours, where it rolls, and more adventuresome details can be found at its site.
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