Lemoore is centrally located in California and perfect for a wide variety of family fay trips, including the two-hour drive to the historic Sequoia National Park, home to the Giant Sequoia trees, redwood trees which are the largest living things on earth.
From Lemoore, travel east on Highway 198 through Visalia and into the foothill community of Three Rivers. Three Rivers offers a great place to stop for sandwiches on the river or even homemade candy and ice cream. Just a few miles past Three Rivers, you will pass the entrance of Sequoia National Park, but be forewarned that you are still an hour from the heart of the park, after a slow drive with many switchbacks.
About forty five minutes from the park’s entrance, you will pass Moro Rock, a giant rock with stairs and railing, perfect for your afternoon exercise. You can climb the rock and behold incredible views of the back country of the Sequoia National Monument and of the San Joaquin Valley below. About one-third of the way up the rock, you will have a great view as well, if you are short on time or energy.
Just minutes from Moro Rock you will find Crescent Meadow, a beautiful meadow of wildflowers and other Sequoia flora and fauna. You can hike leisurely around the meadow, just over a mile in all. At about the half-way point, you will find the historic “Tharpe’s Log,” a hollowed out log used by a fellow named Tharpe for lodging nearly one hundred years ago.
A short drive past Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow, visitors will find a variety of opportunities to drive on and under Giant Sequoia trees. The largest of the Giants is located just before Lodge Pole. Parking is abundant and visitors are allowed to walk right up to the base of this giant, the General Sherman tree. For one hundred years visitors have photographed themselves in front of this giant tree. From the scale of the photo, the visitor appears to be about the size of an insect.
After photos near the General Sherman and perhaps a short hike in the nearby redwood grove, visitors can visit Lodge Pole for dinner or groceries. A ranger station at Lodge Pole can help answer any additional questions a visitor may have.
From Lodge Pole, a Lemoore family can return via Three Rivers or follow a loop out through Grant Grove and down into Fresno. The Grant Grove stretch of the road does not offer as many redwood treats as does the road to Three Rivers, but it is far less winding and would get you home in just over two hours. Altogether, the trip is a fun-filled day trip out of Lemoore.
Source by Alexander V. Martin
