Sequoia National Forest

 

We stayed at the Hume Lake Campground and I can honestly say it's probably the best campground I've ever had the pleasure of staying at.  Each site is spread a fair distance apart and surrounded by towering trees.  The campground itself is secluded, quite, and clean.  If you feel like kayaking or swimming, Hume Lake is within walking distance.  We brought our inflatable boat and took it out on the lake every afternoon when we got back to camp.  At night, the sky is packed with stars peaking between tree branches and it's absolutely breathtaking.

We enjoyed the additional benefit of having a convenience store and gas station a short drive over at the Christian camp. They sell various camping essentials and have recreational rentals for the lake. If and when I go back, I'll definitely be booking here again.

The first day was spent exploring Kings Canyon's incredibly vibrant rivers.  The drive down into the canyon is lined with beautiful rock formations and stretches of speckled granite. I have a fear of heights and the roads were on the edges of some pretty steep cliffs. Needless to say, driving was left to the hubs on this stretch of land.

Once you get down to Three Rivers,  you can stop at the many pullouts along the side of the road and go for a swim! There are signs everywhere with warnings that the water is ridiculously cold and the currents can be unexpectedly strong in certain areas. Make sure to proceed with caution!

That being said, this is probably the most beautiful place I have been to date.  The colors in the river are intensely rich and vibrant. The air was comfortably warm on the day we went and the water was cool. As you can see, the kids thoroughly enjoyed their time there.

There are several waterfalls in the King's Canyon area.  Since we had the dogs, we were only able to visit Grizzle Falls.  It did not disappoint.  The waterfall is only a few steps from the parking area and has several picnic tables where you can eat and enjoy the falls. We had our lunch there and took pictures when the crowd thinned out a bit.

On the second day, we drove around the National Parks and stayed near the main roads where dogs were allowed. There were tons of giant sequoia trees and the pictures we took really don't do them any justice so I've decided to leave those out.  You'll just have to go see them for yourself!

Here's one last picture of dogos in a blanket on a cold mountain morning: