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/ (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 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 and the pass record.
• Yosemite entry reservation: none needed — the park dropped the timed-entry system for 2026. 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