Update to road conditions in the Sequoia National Park area. Typically these updates are minor in nature and come from the US Park Service. More specific details about the road into Kings Canyon will be updated as those details come to us. Anyway here you go if traveling through Sequoia.

Fee Free Weekend in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 16, 2012, the National Park Service is waiving entrance fees to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks the entire weekend: Saturday, January 14 – Monday, January 16.

There may be very little snow in the Park and Forest right now...But the day temperatures are perfect and the trails are in good shape, go hike, have fun!

Remember that Boyden Cavern is still closed for the winter

Kings Canyon and Sequoia Highway Conditions Link

Hello all travelers to Kings Canyon (Sequoia National Monument), Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia Nation Park. The below link is supplied courtesy of the Park Service, the site will keep you updated regarding delays caused by snow, road work, construction, etc...

Have a wonderful trip through the Forest -

Click here for road conditions.

Current Road Status

Kings Canyon located in Sequoia National Forest, is currently closed at he Hume Lake turn off, the main canyon will remain closed until late April 2012.

Highway 180 is currently open up into Grant Grove village and the General Grant Tree. With the exception of closure from snow, the upper part of Highway 180 is open year round.

Boyden Cavern is closed for the remainder of the winter, we will open again in late April.

Experiencing Wilderness

So far most of the posts here have been from Michal Lisa, but now that our season is under way, we're going to try mixing things up & including contributions from the staff!  Here's one written on May 20, 2010:

Hey Y’all,

So this is my first season working with Boyden Cavern Adventure and Tours and I cannot even begin to explain how incredible my job is. Not only do I get to meet people from all over the world and share an incredible geological masterpiece with them, I also get to spend the entire summer in Kings Canyon National Park/Sequoia National Monument/Sequoia National Forest. The canyon is vibrant with life and I love every moment that I have to enjoy the peace and serenity of the wilderness. I cannot think of a single dull moment that I have had thus far. Whether I am on the job guiding visitors through our beautiful and awe inspiring cavern or just enjoying the evening on the back porch that is humbled by the towering mountains and cliffs that surround our staff housing, I am always enjoying myself. Something that folks forget about all too often is that the treasures of our world are not found in our society. Today I feel like people are too focused on the materialistic trends and values our mankind has developed. We are always trying to define our existence through social identity or monetary value. We do not always take the time to sit back and live our dreams that have been broken by this false sense of reality that has developed from the social corruption in our world. We have caught a disease that has turned us into beasts that live to satisfy our greed and egocentrism. Our natural world holds the cure to this. Places like the canyon provide the antidote to this infection. I wish everyone could come and experience places like Boyden Cavern; even a simple trip to come and visit the canyon for one day can bring peace and belonging into your life. The treasures of the world are found in the wilderness. Nature yearns to connect with our spirit and embrace us with the compassionate and soothing experience that we need. I encourage everyone to get out of the corrupted world you wake up to everyday and come and explore what the natural world has to offer. I promise you will not be disappointed. I would love to see all of y’all at Boyden Cavern this season. We will provide you with an experience you will never forget and we can provide you with information to help you best enjoy the canyon’s opportunities. Until then I will be living out my dream with Boyden Cavern Adventure and Tours in Sequoia National Forest/National Monument/Kings Canyon National Park.

Peace, Love, and God Bless,
Ethan Gray

Seeking Summer…

With the lovely spring weather the foothills had in February & March, I was totally expecting summer to come right on its heels, but instead we’ve been getting teased! We’ll have a day or two of nice weather in the canyon and then a surprise gray day. Down at the cavern (at about 3,000 ft), this means overcast & chilly, sometimes rain. In the higher elevations (Hume Lake, Grant Grove, etc) this means thick fog and snowfall…

Mother’s Day, May 9, 2010:
I drove from Squaw Valley to Boyden Cavern, and this was early into the drive, around 4,000 ft in elevation on the west side of the mountain.

The next day, May 10, 2010:
Some of the staff went to Grant Grove for dinner & internet. This was on our way in, around 6:30 pm. By the time we left at 9 pm, I had to put cables on my car’s tires.

Two weeks later, May 24, 2010:
Approaching Grant Grove from Squaw Valley:

Looking up from a pullout along 180 as I started down into the Canyon, past the Princess Campground & Hume Lake turnoff:

Now that June is on its way, we'll see what kind of weather we get now!

~Michal Lisa~