126: Sequoia and Kings Canyon Trip Report

Exploring the National Parks

Dirt In My Shoes

Science, Society & Culture:places & Travel, Nature, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.8 • 653 Ratings

🗓️ 24 September 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we're taking you on a trip report of our summer research journey to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks! Join us as we share our honest and hilarious lessons learned, from the shockingly subpar lodging to some serious, heart-stopping experiences with rivers, falling trees, and even a rogue bear. Get ready for a dose of reality and a whole lot of fun as we help you navigate Sequoia Kings! Join us as we discuss... Why the lodges in Sequoia Kings are all about location, location, location, and not much else The heartbreaking reality of the 2021 fire and the lessons we learned about the importance of natural fire cycles The terrifying moment that reminded us why you need to be extra careful around water The way that we learned how “widow maker” trees got their name Why we were completely unprepared for our hilariously disastrous boat ride on Hume Lake The insane, reality TV-worthy spectacle we witnessed right in front of us If you’re planning your first or your next trip to Sequoia Kings, we hope these lessons will help you have a smooth and unforgettable trip! If you have any of your own stories to share about Sequoia Kings, be sure to head over to the Dirt in My Shoes Facebook or Instagram pages and let us know! For a full summary of this episode, links to things we mentioned, and free resources and deals to get your trip-planning started, check out the full show notes. Getting ready for a trip to Sequoia Kings, or another national park? Check out our free resources, including more podcast episodes, a master reservation list, a national park checklist, and a trip packing list to keep your trip planning stress-free! Sequoia Kings Podcast Episodes Sequoia Kings Free Resources Master Reservation List National Park Checklist National Park Trip Packing List

Transcript

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0:00.0	we put our kids down to bed and then we went back outside to sit on the chairs on the deck.
0:05.3	And I was like looking over my shoulder the whole time because I was like, this bear is coming back.
0:10.3	I could just tell by the look in its eyes.
0:13.6	Yeah.
0:14.1	It was not done digging for ice cream in the cooler.
0:19.2	This is the Exploring the National Parks podcast with Dirt in My Shoes.
0:24.1	My name is Ash and I'm a former park ranger and the founder of Dirt in My Shoes.
0:28.4	I think that the parks are best seen from the trail and I'm here to make National Park
0:33.1	trip planning easy.
0:34.7	And I'm John.
0:35.7	I carry the kids on the trails, tell stories, and notice all the
0:38.9	things that Ash doesn't care about much, like flowers. Join us as we show you around America's
0:45.4	spectacular national parks. We're sharing our favorite places, fun facts, adventures, and
0:50.7	misadventures. And we'll even throw in a little trip planning.
0:55.3	Let's start exploring.
1:10.4	Well, we're trying something new today that we've never done on the podcast, which is kind of sort of a trip report.
1:11.9	Yeah, sort of. Something that we did this summer.
1:15.2	We learned a lot of things on this trip.
1:19.0	Yeah, and I don't always do a great job of putting up information and stuff of what we've done on Instagram.
1:26.4	You know, I try to show you that we, yes, we are out traveling and we're out doing things.
1:31.5	Our summers are crazy.
1:33.4	Yeah.
	...

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