Sequoia National Park Alerts and Current Conditions

Cover of Brian Russ's guide to Sequoia National Park

Last checked: October 25, 2026. This page tracks what's closed, what's changed, and what's coming up at Sequoia National Park, California, from the alerts, conditions, and hours pages it shares with neighboring Kings Canyon. I check it daily and rewrite it when the park posts something new, so bookmark it rather than an old news story. The first snows can arrive in late October and tire chains can be required at any time, so check the park's own alerts the morning you go.

Current alerts

  • Weekday delays on the Generals Highway north of Giant Forest. Crews removing hazard trees between Highway 180 and Giant Forest, including the General Sherman Tree area, are holding traffic on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Expect up to 30 minutes at each work site, and no delays on federal holidays. (NPS)
  • Daytime closures and delays on Mineral King Road. The park says construction will bring temporary closures and delays for the rest of the season and posts the daily schedule on its road construction page. (NPS)
  • Stage 1 fire restrictions. Wood and charcoal fires, wood stoves included, are banned in the low-elevation campgrounds (Potwisha, Buckeye Flat, South Fork) and at the Hospital Rock and Ash Mountain picnic areas, and in backcountry sites below 6,000 feet. Smoking is restricted below 6,000 feet. (NPS)
  • Prescribed burn near Grant Grove, in Kings Canyon. Firefighters burned near the General Grant Tree starting October 17. Trails and areas around the burn were closed through at least Saturday, October 24, and will reopen once they're cleared of hazards; the alert was still posted when I checked. (NPS closure map)
  • River safety. The park says drowning is the leading cause of death in the parks. The rivers are cold and swift, the rocks slippery, and riverbanks can collapse. View rivers from a distance. (NPS)

Open and closed right now

  • The park is open 24 hours a day, every day. Entrance is $35 per private vehicle, good for one to seven days, and covers both Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Non-U.S. residents 16 and older also pay a $100 nonresident fee unless they have an annual or America the Beautiful pass. (NPS)
  • Foothills Visitor Center: open daily, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Giant Forest Museum: open daily, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Lodgepole Visitor Center: closed for the season.
  • Mineral King Ranger Station: no regular hours. Self-issue wilderness permits are at a kiosk outside.
  • Camping: all camping is by reservation. Potwisha (year-round) is open, and Lodgepole is open in part; it closes in phases. Atwell Mill and Cold Springs in Mineral King closed for the season on October 15. Dorst Creek and Buckeye Flat are closed for all of 2026 for storm-damage repairs, and South Fork is closed with no reopening date. (NPS)
  • Lodging and food: Wuksachi Lodge offers rooms and food service. At Lodgepole, the market, showers, and laundromat are open, and the Lodgepole Grill is open until it closes for winter on November 2.
  • Trails in the Giant Forest and Lodgepole areas are open.

Coming up in the next few weeks

  • Monday, November 2: Lodgepole Grill closes for the winter.
  • Thanksgiving week: the park runs free shuttles in the Giant Forest, General Sherman Tree, and Lodgepole areas over the Thanksgiving and winter holidays. Parking near the Sherman Tree and the museum fills early; the park suggests parking at Lodgepole or Wolverton and riding. The Generals Highway tree work pauses on federal holidays, including Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26.
  • Wednesday, December 2: the rest of Lodgepole Campground closes for the winter, until about May 19, 2027. The park says Loops B and D are the last to close.
  • Mineral King: the area closes for the snowy season, and the park says the road construction delays run for the rest of this season. No closing date is posted.

What this means for your trip

The Generals Highway work hits anyone driving between Sequoia and Kings Canyon on a weekday. If you're coming in from the Highway 180 side to see the Sherman Tree, budget an extra half hour or more each way, or do that stretch on the weekend. Coming up from the Foothills entrance near Three Rivers, you reach the Giant Forest Museum before the work zone, though the work extends into the Sherman Tree area.

Campers have fewer choices than usual this fall. With Dorst Creek, Buckeye Flat, and South Fork all out, Lodgepole and Potwisha are your options in the main part of the park, and Lodgepole is the most popular campground in the parks. Book before you drive up. Mineral King's campgrounds are already closed, and the road's daytime closures make it a tough day trip, so check the schedule before you commit to the long, winding drive.

Late fall here means warm afternoons in the foothills and cold mornings and evenings in the sequoia groves. Pack layers and carry tire chains; the park says chains can be required on park roads at any time.

Before you go

If a closure knocks out part of your plan, my guide to Sequoia National Park has nine one- to three-day itineraries at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for weather or closures. You can also check alerts and conditions for every national park.

This page is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Always check the park's current alerts before you go.