Visitor center · Sequoia National Park
Get oriented before the big trees, with exhibits that travel by sound.
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 Visitor Center 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 Visitor Center is a one-story information and interpretation center in conifer forest at about 6,700 feet, along Generals Highway roughly two miles north of General Sherman Tree. Stop here to get oriented, ask about a route, or pick up a wilderness permit. It opens seasonally and its hours vary, so check before driving up.
Displays and short films introduce the parks' ecosystems, plants, animals and human history. The standout is a motion-triggered soundscape that changes as you move through it, carrying you from grassy foothills toward the high mountains with sounds that include birds, bears, pika and Crystal Cave. The building was renovated in 2023.
The center is about 21 miles north of Ash Mountain Entrance Station. Its entrance, interior and exhibits are accessible; films have audio description and assistive-listening devices. Public accessible restrooms are around the side of the building, and a dual-height drinking fountain includes a bottle-filling station.
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
ModerateLodgepole–Sherman Tree Trail2.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayA 2.8-mile walk through sequoias to General Sherman Tree.
ChallengingAlta Winter Trail6.2 mi · 7 hr · 0.5 mi awayA winter ridge drops into Giant Forest's giant sequoias.
ModerateLong Meadow Loop2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA quiet loop around a wet meadow where wildlife is the point.
ChallengingDeadman Canyon Loop49 mi · 1.3 days · 0.5 mi awayA six-day traverse from Lodgepole to Deadman Canyon’s granite headwall
ChallengingSilliman Pass Trail15.4 mi · 10 hr · 0.5 mi awayA long, strenuous hike to Twin Lakes and a wooded Sierra pass.
ChallengingTwin Lakes Trail13.6 mi · 8 hr · 0.5 mi awayWorth the long pine climb for two quiet high Sierra lakes.
ModerateTokopah Falls Trail3.8 mi · 2.3 hr · 0.5 mi awayFollow the Marble Fork to a 1,200-foot granite cascade
ChallengingAlta Meadow Trail13.1 mi · 7.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA hard climb ends in a meadow beneath the Great Western Divide.
Store · 0.1 mi awayLodgepole Market CenterA high-country supply stop with groceries, a grill, showers, and laundry.
Picnic area · 0.2 mi awayLodgepole Picnic AreaA shaded riverside picnic with Lodgepole's village services close by.
Campground · 0.3 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 · 1.2 mi awayWuksachi LodgeA wooded, in-park base with meals and starry skies.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayThe Watchtower ViewpointA long climb pays off with Tokopah Falls far below.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayGeneral Sherman TreeSee the world's largest tree by trunk volume up close
Sight · 2.2 mi awayTokopah FallsA granite canyon walk ends at a 1,200-foot waterfall.Parkwolf’s Sequoia ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
