USFS · California

Sequoia National Forest

Sequoia National Forest is a U.S. national forest located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. It is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia trees which populate 38 distinct groves within its boundaries.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.2 million acresUSFSCA92 campgrounds within 10 mi138 Forest Service sites239 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateCalifornia
Size1.2 million acres
Forest Service code0513, region 05
Center point36.03° N, 118.51° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 20)

Boundary map

5 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Sequoia National Forest40°50°60°70°80°90°January: 2.29 inches of precipitationFebruary: 2.39 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.71 inches of precipitationApril: 0.67 inches of precipitationMay: 0.43 inches of precipitationJune: 0.10 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.14 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.07 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.23 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.55 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.35 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.91 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 46.1°F averageFebruary: 48.0°F averageMarch: 51.6°F averageApril: 56.3°F averageMay: 64.1°F averageJune: 73.4°F averageJuly: 80.6°F averageAugust: 79.8°F averageSeptember: 73.8°F averageOctober: 63.5°F averageNovember: 52.3°F averageDecember: 45.8°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 in2.5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Kern River Ph 3, 17 miles from the center point at 2,703 feet, station USC00044523 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 12 inches a year. The station sits about 2,200 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

55 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 37 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Aspen Hollow Group
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Auxiliary Dam
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Belknap
Reservable15 sites
FS · Inside
Belknap Campground
ReservableCA
FS · Inside
Big Meadow Campground
Reservable43 sites
FS · Inside
Boulder Gulch
Reservable65 sites
FS · Inside
Breckenridge Campground
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Brush Creek Dispersed Camping
First-come22 sites
Show 4 more

80 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 138

The Forest Service lists 138 recreation sites in this forest, among them 47 campgrounds, 14 day hikings, 13 group camps, 10 viewpoints. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 78 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 239 named trails in this forest, 1,009 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Pacific Crest ↗43.9
Summit ↗31.1
Lion Meadow ↗28.1
Cannell Meadow ↗23.7
Lewis Camp ↗21.8
Woodpecker ↗19.8
Rincon ↗19.5
Woolstalf Meadow ↗17.9
Beach Meadow ↗15.1
Fish Creek ↗14.7

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 239 trails in Sequoia National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Parks · 7 mi
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
National Monument · 14 mi
César E. Chávez National Monument
National Historic Site · 30 mi
Manzanar National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 31 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Sequoia National Forest and California

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hiking Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
    Laurel Scheidt, 2022
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Moon Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon
    Ann Marie Brown, 2021
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Walkabout Northern California
    Tom Courtney, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Sequoia National Forest?

1.2 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Sequoia National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Sequoia National Forest in?

California.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Sequoia National Forest?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Sequoia National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 36.030° N, 118.507° W. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks is 7 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Which national parks are near Sequoia National Forest?

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (7 mi), César E. Chávez National Monument (14 mi) and Manzanar National Historic Site (30 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Sequoia National Forest?

The National Register has 31 listings within 15 miles, including Quinn Ranger Station and Gamlin Cabin.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Description: Sequoia National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.