After visiting the Foothills Visitor Center, checking out Tunnel Rock and Hospital Rock, and hiking to the General Sherman Tree, we stopped in the Lodgepole Visitor Center and Lodgepole Market Center next door for a pressed penny, souvenirs, and a snack!
Lodgepole, near Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest, sits banks of the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River, at an elevation of 6,700 feet. The area is known for its giant sequoias, conifer forests, picturesque meadows, and majestic views. It offers visitors access to trails, two seasonal campgrounds, and Lodgepole Village with a visitor center, market, and cafe.
Just 2.0 miles north of the General Sherman Tree is the Lodgepole Visitor Center serving both Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park.
At the Lodgepole Visitor Center, you can chat with rangers about Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, get information about trails and activities, watch the short Bears of the Sierra video, and learn more about the natural and human history of the southern Sierra Nevadas. The visitor center sells books, maps, educational materials, souvenirs, and even bear canisters, and provides first-aid services and accessible restrooms.
The Lodgepole Visitor Center is also one of the only places you can purchase Crystal Cave tour tickets, secure wilderness permits, and reserve summer sites in the year-round campground.
Lodgepole Market Center, next to the visitor center, is the perfect place to grab on-the-go meals, picnic supplies, groceries, and souvenirs.
Open seasonally from May to October, Lodgepole Market Center is a full-service grocery store that also sells outdoor equipment and camping supplies, apparel, grab-and-go trail snacks and deli sandwiches, home decor and gifts, national park souvenirs, and more. Here you’ll also find showers, restrooms, laundry, a post office, and a cafe.
Know Before You Go
About Lodgepole Village:
- Lodgepole Visitor Center in Sequoia National Park is located at 63100 Lodgepole Road, Three Rivers, California 93262 in Tulare County, 21 miles north of the Ash Mountain Entrance.
- The visitor center is open daily from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm in the summer. It is closed in the winter.
- Lodgepole Market Center is open daily from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm from May through October. It is closed in the winter.
- The Lodgepole Market Center (next door to the visitor center) also includes Lodgepole Café, that serves healthy grilled items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as re-packaged grab-and-go items.
About Sequoia National Park:
- Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park are basically treated as the same park — even the National Park Service combined both parks into one website.
- The combined area of these two parks is 865,952 acres. Most of it is wilderness back country.
- The parks are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Occasionally, winter storms will close roads leading into the parks until they can be plowed.
- Admission fees are good for seven days and both parks. They are $35.00/vehicle, $30.00/motorcycle, $20.00/individual entry on foot or bicycle, $15.00/person for a non-commercial group.
- There are five free admission days: the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the first day of National Park Week, the National Park Service Birthday, National Public Lands Day, and Veterans Day.
- Visitor centers, ranger stations, and a museum offer opportunities to explore the nature and history of these parks, watch park films, and get trip-planning information. Park stores within visitor centers offer books and other products related to the park.
- Weather varies a lot by season and elevation, which ranges from 1,370 feet to 14,494 feet. Bring layers and be prepared!
- Cell service is not available in most areas. You may get service in Grant Grove and at the Foothills Visitor Center. WiFi is available at the Foothills Visitor Center, the Grant Grove Visitor Center, and in the lobby of Wuksachi Lodge.
- Pets are not permitted on any trails at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. In campgrounds and picnic areas, pets must be kept on a leash of no more than six feet at all times.
