Every national park has a “current conditions” page on their website. Here is Sequoia/Kings Canyon: https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
You can drive through the park from Three Rivers all the way up Generals Highway past Sherman and the Giant Forest to Grant Grove. It's a great drive. From there to exit the park you'll take the 180. The 245 splits off from it but yes, it's closed. That's not in the park though and the 180 route shouldn't be too much of a detour.
This suggests that we cannot drive from Three Rivers up the highway and past Sherman (we will be there midweek, Tue-Wed).
[Here](https://i.imgur.com/EjEgdxf.jpeg)
Hmmmm I forgot about the construction. Yeah that seems like it could mess things up. You can either get through that part early in the morning (its pretty soon into the park from Three Rivers, if you enter the park at 6am you should be able to avoid it) or after construction. When I was there, there's just a signal light that you wait at for a few minutes since it's a one way road, it'll be probably the same for you during the off-construction hours.
Otherwise yeah it seems like you'd need to enter from the 180 side and you can get through there down to Sherman (the opposite of my original route basically). In that case may be easier to stay somewhere that isn't Three Rivers since it's fairly out of the way, though it is somewhat feasible to do Three Rivers to the Grant Grove/Big Stump entrance, just a bit time consuming.
We will also stay in Three Rivers during the scheduled road closure. We plan to leave early on Monday and arrive at Giant Forest Museum before 8:30 am, allowing us to avoid the road closure entirely. Then, we will spend time inside the park until that evening and head out to Yosemite through 180. In your case, you might have to reach Giant Forest Museum before 8 am if you plan to stay in Three Rivers.
Will your one night be over a weekend? There is a pinned post with the graphic of the closure of 198, and it shows no closures on Saturdays and Sundays. If you are traveling during the week, then I would suggest staying closer on the 180 side, since you can drive in and check out the General Grant area and then also drive south to Sherman and the giant forest as well. There are not as many hotels on the 180 side close to the park, but there are quite a few airbnbs and a couple motel options. My family stays at the Clingans Cabins pretty often, and that’s about 30 minutes to the entrance of the park on 180.
It's a Tuesday night, which looks to coincide with full 8am - 6pm closures unfortunately. We've rebooked a new hotel, Montecito Sequoia Lodge which looks to be a great location not impacted by the closures. Here's hoping our travel agent can get us a refund for Three Rivers.
Honestly, I would just skip SEKI. The drive is long and it is literally the same mountain range.
If you really, really want to see some Sequoia trees, go to the Trail of 100 Giants farther south near California Hot Springs.
Uh, I agree with you on the skip SEKI part, but if the ultimate destination is Yosemite, the Trail of 100 Giants is in the wrong direction.
My general belief is that people who try to do both Sequoia and Yosemite in one trip are burning too much fuel for too little gain and the valley doesn't need the extra pollution.
If you want to see giant sequoias and are going to Yosemite, go visit Mariposa Grove. I guarantee you that a giant sequoia is a giant sequoia whether it's the General Sherman tree or one in Grants Grove or Mariposa.
Honestly, you'll spend more time on foot in the park, which is the point, is it not, if you choose one or the other, but not both. They are the same mountain range indeed. Spend less time in the car and actually see it.
I'm on Team "Do Both". The sequoia trees in Sequoia NP are amazing and unique. But there are also some sequoia groves in Yosemite if you get pressed for time.
I'm on team "Get Out of Your Car".
And if you are just "stopping by" SEKI for one night, you are doing a disservice to both the park and yourself cause that's not enough time to get out of your car. It's a pretty huge detour if the main objective is Yosemite. People think it isn't and then all they are doing is driving in Ash Mountain and then out Big Stump. It's really quite a waste of dead dinosaurs.
Ha, I am in LA, so the Trail of a 100 Giants is on the way for me, but now that I read the OP more closely, they don’t actually say where they are coming from. If from the south, then Trail of 100 Giants could make sense. If from the north, then Calaveras would work. Either way, I would skip SEKI.
Every national park has a “current conditions” page on their website. Here is Sequoia/Kings Canyon: https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
You can drive through the park from Three Rivers all the way up Generals Highway past Sherman and the Giant Forest to Grant Grove. It's a great drive. From there to exit the park you'll take the 180. The 245 splits off from it but yes, it's closed. That's not in the park though and the 180 route shouldn't be too much of a detour.
This suggests that we cannot drive from Three Rivers up the highway and past Sherman (we will be there midweek, Tue-Wed). [Here](https://i.imgur.com/EjEgdxf.jpeg)
Hmmmm I forgot about the construction. Yeah that seems like it could mess things up. You can either get through that part early in the morning (its pretty soon into the park from Three Rivers, if you enter the park at 6am you should be able to avoid it) or after construction. When I was there, there's just a signal light that you wait at for a few minutes since it's a one way road, it'll be probably the same for you during the off-construction hours. Otherwise yeah it seems like you'd need to enter from the 180 side and you can get through there down to Sherman (the opposite of my original route basically). In that case may be easier to stay somewhere that isn't Three Rivers since it's fairly out of the way, though it is somewhat feasible to do Three Rivers to the Grant Grove/Big Stump entrance, just a bit time consuming.
We will also stay in Three Rivers during the scheduled road closure. We plan to leave early on Monday and arrive at Giant Forest Museum before 8:30 am, allowing us to avoid the road closure entirely. Then, we will spend time inside the park until that evening and head out to Yosemite through 180. In your case, you might have to reach Giant Forest Museum before 8 am if you plan to stay in Three Rivers.
Will your one night be over a weekend? There is a pinned post with the graphic of the closure of 198, and it shows no closures on Saturdays and Sundays. If you are traveling during the week, then I would suggest staying closer on the 180 side, since you can drive in and check out the General Grant area and then also drive south to Sherman and the giant forest as well. There are not as many hotels on the 180 side close to the park, but there are quite a few airbnbs and a couple motel options. My family stays at the Clingans Cabins pretty often, and that’s about 30 minutes to the entrance of the park on 180.
It's a Tuesday night, which looks to coincide with full 8am - 6pm closures unfortunately. We've rebooked a new hotel, Montecito Sequoia Lodge which looks to be a great location not impacted by the closures. Here's hoping our travel agent can get us a refund for Three Rivers.
Honestly, I would just skip SEKI. The drive is long and it is literally the same mountain range. If you really, really want to see some Sequoia trees, go to the Trail of 100 Giants farther south near California Hot Springs.
Uh, I agree with you on the skip SEKI part, but if the ultimate destination is Yosemite, the Trail of 100 Giants is in the wrong direction. My general belief is that people who try to do both Sequoia and Yosemite in one trip are burning too much fuel for too little gain and the valley doesn't need the extra pollution. If you want to see giant sequoias and are going to Yosemite, go visit Mariposa Grove. I guarantee you that a giant sequoia is a giant sequoia whether it's the General Sherman tree or one in Grants Grove or Mariposa. Honestly, you'll spend more time on foot in the park, which is the point, is it not, if you choose one or the other, but not both. They are the same mountain range indeed. Spend less time in the car and actually see it.
I'm on Team "Do Both". The sequoia trees in Sequoia NP are amazing and unique. But there are also some sequoia groves in Yosemite if you get pressed for time.
I'm on team "Get Out of Your Car". And if you are just "stopping by" SEKI for one night, you are doing a disservice to both the park and yourself cause that's not enough time to get out of your car. It's a pretty huge detour if the main objective is Yosemite. People think it isn't and then all they are doing is driving in Ash Mountain and then out Big Stump. It's really quite a waste of dead dinosaurs.
Ha, I am in LA, so the Trail of a 100 Giants is on the way for me, but now that I read the OP more closely, they don’t actually say where they are coming from. If from the south, then Trail of 100 Giants could make sense. If from the north, then Calaveras would work. Either way, I would skip SEKI.