TRAVEL-202609-uswest/parks_sights.md

# National Parks — Places to See

*Candidate menu of sights (with seasonal notes) for the Yosemite and Sequoia / Kings Canyon legs. The chosen, day-by-day version lives in [`days/`](days/) (Sep 22–26).*

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## Before you go

- **2026 nonresident fee:** from Jan 1, 2026, non-US residents pay a US$100 per-person surcharge at Yosemite and at Sequoia & Kings Canyon, on top of the US$35 vehicle fee. Everyone in the car is a nonresident. Per [nps.gov](https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm) the **US$250 nonresident annual pass** admits the entire vehicle and waives the surcharge — one pass covers all four at both parks (vs ~US$870 without). The digital pass was purchased 2026-09-22; see [`TODO.md`](TODO.md) and the [pass record](bookings/activities/america-the-beautiful-pass-2026.md).
- **Yosemite entry reservation:** none needed — the park [dropped the timed-entry system for 2026](https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm). Drive in through the South Gate on Hwy 41
- **Sunset ~6:55 PM** in both parks on these dates; drives back to the cabins are in the dark

## Yosemite (Sep 22–24)

### Valley

- **Tunnel View** — classic valley panorama, on the Wawona road (Hwy 41); best light at sunset, so take it on the way out to the cabin
- **Bridalveil Fall** — 5-min walk from the car, right near Tunnel View
- **Valley View** — Merced River framing of the valley
- **El Capitan** — view from the meadow below. *Note: Horsetail Fall firefall effect only happens in February; waterfall likely dry in September*
- **Cook's Meadow Loop** — flat 1-mile walk, Half Dome framed over open meadow, great for golden hour photography
- **Mirror Lake** — Half Dome reflection; ~2 miles out and back from the shuttle stop, 5-mile full loop. Usually dry or nearly so by late September
- **Lower Yosemite Falls trail** — easy 1-mile paved loop, ~20-30 min, gets you right to the base

### Above the Valley

- **Glacier Point** — Half Dome faces west, so it is backlit in the morning and glows at sunset. ~1 hr from the Valley, ~1 hr to Wawona; Washburn Point on the same road

### South (near Wawona)

- **Mariposa Grove** — largest giant sequoia grove in Yosemite, 10 min from the cabin

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## Sequoia & Kings Canyon (Sep 24–26)

> **No cell service** near the Miramonte cabin — screenshot maps and notes before arrival.

### Sequoia — Giant Forest area

- **Giant Forest Museum** — orientation, start here
- **General Sherman Tree** — largest tree on Earth by volume; shuttle access
- **Congress Trail** — 2-mile paved loop through giant sequoias; better than just the Sherman stop
- **Moro Rock** — granite dome, ~350 steps to a panoramic summit
- **Big Trees Trail** — easy flat loop around a meadow
- **Tunnel Log** — drive-through fallen sequoia, on the Moro Rock / Crescent Meadow Road
- **Crescent Meadow** — end of the same road; 1-mile flat loop, Tharp's Log cabin, bears often graze here at dusk
- **Tokopah Falls** — ~3.5-mile round-trip hike from Lodgepole
- **Crystal Cave** — marble cave, guided tour only, tickets in advance. *Note: usually closes for the season in late Sep / early Oct — verify dates*

### Kings Canyon

- **Grant Grove & General Grant Tree** — the "Nation's Christmas Tree", quieter than Sequoia
- **Panoramic Point** — 2.5-mile side road from Grant Grove, short walk to a Sierra crest overlook
- **Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (Hwy 180)** — dramatic descent into the canyon; walls glow in afternoon light
- **Roaring River Falls** — 5-min walk from the byway
- **Grizzly Falls** — roadside stop on the byway, 20 min below Grant Grove
- **Canyon View turnout** — just east of Cedar Grove; the U-shaped glacial canyon profile, 2-min stop
- **Cedar Grove** — services at the canyon bottom: lodge, market, snack bar, toilets; seasonal, usually closed from around the end of September
- **Boyden Cavern** — marble cave on the byway below Grant Grove, guided 45–60 min tour, concessioner-run; the cave fallback if Crystal Cave is closed
- **Zumwalt Meadow** — short loop, canyon walls + river
- **Road's End** — end of the byway, trailheads (~2 hrs each way from the cabin)
- **Mist Falls** — from Road's End, 8 mi round trip, ~4 hrs; the canyon's signature day hike, falls modest in late September
- **Big Baldy** — Generals Hwy between the Wye and Giant Forest; 4.5 mi round trip, ~2 hrs, ridge walk to a granite summit with views west