Overview
About Foothills Visitor Center
Why stop
- Helpful ranger advice before driving farther into the park
- Foothills ecology and human-history exhibits
Heads up
- Exhibits and shop are modest
Map
Where it is
Loading the Sequoia map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
8 active Sequoia alerts
- InfoGenerals Highway weekday hazard-tree removal delaysMentions Generals Highway, referenced in this guideExpect weekday delays of up to 30 minutes total on Generals Highway between Highway 180 and Giant Forest, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., while crews remove hazard trees; the highway remains open.Official details
- CautionStage 1 fire restrictionsStage 1 fire restrictions are in effect due to high fire danger and catastrophic-wildfire risk; the restrictions reduce the possibility of accidental human-caused fires that could threaten visitors…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sequoia Tour Guide
Your drive to Foothills Visitor Center, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Sequoia National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Sequoia audio tourRecorded for this place
Foothills Visitor Center0:00 / 0:29
“You're nearing Foothills Visitor Center, a useful quick stop for a map and ranger advice.”
Plays as you drive up to Foothills Visitor Center in the Parkwolf Sequoia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Ash Mountain Historic Entrance Sign
- The Woodpeckers' Pantry
- The Living Patches on Rock
- A Lizard's Blue Signal
- 71 audio storiesacross Sequoia’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Bobcat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 99 trails, 68 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…The kids and my husband and I all agree that the narration really added to our experience driving through the parks. We learned so much about the history and the flora & fauna.”
Guide
More about Foothills Visitor Center
Make it your southern first stopThe Foothills Visitor Center is Sequoia’s southern-district orientation stop, on Generals…
The Foothills Visitor Center is Sequoia’s southern-district orientation stop, on Generals Highway about a mile north of the Ash Mountain Entrance. If you’re entering from Three Rivers, it’s a practical place to get a map and ask a ranger how to shape your drive before continuing into the park. Visitors often praise the staff’s advice. Think of this as a useful, fairly quick stop rather than a major attraction in its own right.
See the foothills side of SequoiaThe exhibits introduce foothills ecology and human history, alongside park information and a…
The exhibits introduce foothills ecology and human history, alongside park information and a small selection of books and gifts. That’s a different focus from the giant-sequoia groves farther up the road. If the trees are your priority, use this stop to get oriented and save most of your time for higher destinations. Visitors who expect a large, immersive museum may find the exhibits modest.
Take care of the basicsThe center has auto parking, accessible flush restrooms, a bottle-filling station and Wi-Fi.
The center has auto parking, accessible flush restrooms, a bottle-filling station and Wi-Fi. Books and gifts are available in the shop. It’s a useful place to pause before the longer drive into the park.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Sequoia
691 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
17 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
18 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
24 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
15 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
20 sightingsSpotted OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Sequoia. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
