Death Valley National Park Travel Forum

Hi,

I'm going to visit Sequoia National Park on January/February. I need to know two things:
How long is the day - I mean at what time is dark ?
What is the weather there ? Is it snow on the road ? because I'll must to drive many miles in a day.

I'll be greatefull for answers.
tkisiel

Since I (very accidentally) answered your Grand Canyon question twice, I'll answer this one as well. But first I'll have to know if you're visiting Death Valley NP or Sequoia NP.

> How long is the day?
You can get that info at www.SunriseSunset.Com no matter where you're going.

> What is the weather there?
Death Valley will be pleasant. Sequoia will be VERY cold, and could have a blizzard with a meter of snow falling in a couple days.

> Is it snow on the road?
In Death Valley, no. In Sequoia, yes.

allow enough time in the park to enjoy, the drive takes some time and covers but some of the desert landscapes are interesting expression of nature . . .

SUN RISE SET CHARTS -->
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_rstablew.pl


MAPQUEST lists it at 360 miles about 7 1/2 hours drive , if there is
snow it'll be at the higer elevation at Sequoia
URL --> http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?go=1&do=nw&rmm=1&2si=gaz&un=m&2gi=0&cl=EN&ct=NA&2n=Inyo&2da=-1.000000&2rc=A5XAX&rsres=1&1ahXX=&1y=US&1a=&1c=Sequoia+National+Park&1s=CA&1z=&2ahXX=&2y=US&2a=&2c=Death+Valley&2s=CA&2z=

enjoy

In fact Is mean Sequoia NP, but there are no FOrum for this area.
As You see I plan to visit many places, and I worry if it will be posiible.
I came 28.JAN to Irvine near LA and Sunday 29.Jan to visit LA. After one week training I'll have weekend free and from next monday 06.Feb I start next training in Mnt.View near SanFransco.
Could you advise me how to plan a trip during the weekend ? Is it possible to visit GC and Sequoia NP ? Maybe another attractive location can I visit ?

I'll be greateful,
tkisiel

Go to

http://forum.virtualtourist.com/1/forum-755665-1-Travel-Sequoia_National_Park--forum.html?wosid=ahSbhXXfIzAVHmRI2N2zSw

Or just do a search for "sequoia" in the [Search for a Forum] box.

And there's NO WAY you'll be able to see both national parks in a weekend; if you see just one it'll be VERY rushed. Just look at a map and check the mileages between Los Angeles and either of these places.

Since you'll be going from LA to SF in that weekend anyway, I would recommend you make a detour to Yosemite along the way. It'll still be a rushed weekend and you won't see as much as you'd like, but at least you'll have a LITTLE more time. If you do go to Yosemite Valley (the only part that's open at that time, make 100% certain you have a place to stay. Yosemite is NOT a place to show up at without a reservation!

I really would not recommend Grand Canyon if you need to be in Mountain View in a couple days. The distances are very deceiving and are really quite long and you can run into some very bad weather and road conditions from Grand Canyon into the California area. I would recommend that you travel from the LA area and visit either Sequoia or Yosemite and then head up to Mountain View. You can come up Interstate 5, then Highway 99 and then veer off at Visalia to go to Sequoia where you take a windy road up to Giant Forest area which is beautiful in winter (nice walks among the Giant Sequoia) but this road can be nasty if there has been a recent snow storm. You might be able to head north from here and exit the park at Grant Grove --IF THE ROAD IS OPEN -- big IF. Otherwise just backtrack. Yosemite is more hospitable in the winter because it is more of a year-round destination. Here you take Interstate 5 to Hwy 99 and veer off in Fresno with Hiway 41. This goes straight to the south entrance to Yosemite. Again the roads can be nasty if there has been a recent storm. Always check the road conditions. If that road is closed, you can enter the park through El Portal following a highway you take out of Merced which is about an hour north of Fresno. Yosemite Valley is gorgeous in the snow. You can exit yosemite either through Merced (Hiway 140?) or through Crane Flat (Highway 120) and have an easy trip into the Bay Area. Either way, make sure your car has chains and that they fit - this means trying them out on dry ground before you leave. The National Parks take the chain laws very seriously and do not remove snow as quickly as is done by the state highway system. Be prepared and have a great trip.