Our top picks for a non-hikers guide to Sequoia National Park. Note: We receive a small commission for purchases made through links in this post.
Beyond hiking in Sequoia, we enjoyed a few other sights that are worth visiting while in Sequoia. These stops are perfect if you don’t have a lot of time in the park or are just driving through. Beyond these quick stops, we would also recommend visiting Crescent Meadow and General Sherman tree which were quick little hikes. You can read more about those hikes in this post. All of these stops were easy drives from our rental home in Three Rivers.
Following is our non-hikers guide to Sequoia National Park
Tunnel Rock
Tunnel Rock is near the Three Rivers entrance to Sequoia, it’s a huge granite boulder that created a tunnel over the Generals Highway until the road was rerouted.
Tunnel Log
When we visited in June we were able to take the road out to Moro Rock, Crescent Meadow, Auto Log and Tunnel Log so long as we were there before 9AM. (If you came after 9am you were required to park by the Giant Forest Museum and take the shuttle). It was so worth it to have the opportunity to experience these from the comfort of our car rather than the shuttle bus! Tunnel Log is a must see and you cannot miss it as the road literally goes through the tunnel. Note that there is a bypass as well since I’m sure at times it can get congested as people stop to take their photos.
Auto Log
Auto Log is famous because cars used to park or drive on it but that is no longer possible as the tree has degraded. Today Auto Log is a quick and neat stop from a historical viewpoint but not as memorable as Tunnel Log.
Hospital Rock
Hospital Rock is just off the Generals Highway and directly across the road (on the East side) from a picnic area. Somewhat confusingly the road to Buckeye Flat Campground (which is also where the Paradise Creek Trail begins if you plan to do that hike) runs right next to Hospital Rock itself and can make it appear that you have to drive down that road to get there. Rest assured, the rock you see right there by the road is Hospital Rock and you will want to park in the picnic area lot. There is also a flush toilet bathroom at this spot.
The short trail to the rock is to the left of the campground road and the mortars where the Potwisha ground acorns into flour are to the right. At the picnic area there are awkwardly anatomically correct dioramas where you can learn more about the history of Hospital Rock.
Giant Forest Museum
Beyond serving as a visitor center complete with gift shops, nearby flush toilets, and a ranger station, the Giant Forest Museum is where we received our Junior Ranger books and enjoyed some awesome exhibits and a spinning wheel game that I had to drag “Hank” away from playing so we could move along.
There is a large parking lot that the shuttles to Crescent Meadow and Moro Rock leave from as well as those that head towards the General Sherman and Lodgepole areas. The parking lot does fill up, however. The shop here is just a gift shop unlike the grocery store in Lodgepole but we found the National Park specific hand painted Christmas ornaments we like to collect here.
A stop at the Lodgepole Visitor center is also worthwhile, but parking is tight in the lot right next to it. The exhibits were interesting and worth a stop.
So that’s our non-hikers guide to Sequoia National Park. If you have more time in the park and the ability to hike, check out our post on the best family hikes in Sequoia National Park.