Picnic area · Sequoia National Park
A shaded riverside picnic with Lodgepole's village services close by.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sequoia Tour Guide
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
Lodgepole Village“You're approaching Lodgepole Village, a useful stop for lunch or supplies. The seasonal market has groceries and grab-and-go food, and Lodgepole Grill serves burgers, sandwiches and salads.”
Plays as you drive up to Lodgepole Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Sequoia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…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
Lodgepole Picnic Area is a shaded picnic spot beside the river in Sequoia's Lodgepole district. I'd use it for an easy meal or rest between bigger stops; the river and pines are the appeal. This is a service area, not a giant sequoia grove—head into Giant Forest for the famous trees.
Picnic tables, potable-water spigots, restrooms and trash receptacles are available. Some restrooms are seasonal, and one toilet is a vault/composting type. Lodgepole Village Market and Grill and the visitor center are adjacent: the market has groceries and prepackaged meals, while the grill serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateLong Meadow Loop2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA quiet loop around a wet meadow where wildlife is the point.
ChallengingAlta Winter Trail6.2 mi · 7 hr · 0.5 mi awayA winter ridge drops into Giant Forest's giant sequoias.
ModerateLodgepole–Sherman Tree Trail2.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA 2.8-mile walk through sequoias to General Sherman Tree.
EasyWolverton Meadow Loop2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.6 mi awayAn easy wetland loop for streams, seasonal flowers and wildlife.
ChallengingLakes Trail to Pear Lake12.8 mi · 7.5 hr · 0.6 mi awayFrom forest switchbacks to the glacial bowl around Pear Lake.
ChallengingAlta Peak Trail13.6 mi · 9 hr · 0.6 mi awayA full-day summit climb with a hands-on finish above the tree line.
ChallengingWatchtower Trail7.7 mi · 6 hr · 0.6 mi awayA long climb to the ridge above Tokopah Falls.
ModeratePanther Gap Trail5.5 mi · 3 hr · 0.6 mi awayA steady climb to Great Western Divide views at a high pass
Visitor center · 0.2 mi awayLodgepole Visitor CenterGet oriented before the big trees, with exhibits that travel by sound.
Store · 0.2 mi awayLodgepole Market CenterA high-country supply stop with groceries, a grill, showers, and laundry.
Campground · 0.5 mi awayLodgepole CampgroundCamp beside the Marble Fork, with a shuttle to Giant Forest.
Picnic area · 0.6 mi awayWolverton Picnic and Snowplay AreaA meadow picnic spot with winter snowplay when conditions allow.
Lodging · 1 mi awayWuksachi LodgeA wooded, in-park base with meals and starry skies.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayGeneral Sherman TreeSee the world's largest tree by trunk volume up closeSight · 2 mi awayThe Watchtower ViewpointA long climb pays off with Tokopah Falls far below.
Sight · 2.3 mi awayPresident TreeOne of the world's largest sequoias, reached on Congress Trail.Parkwolf’s Sequoia ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
