Sequoias between Death Valley and San Diego
 

I would really like to see a sequoia grove at some point, and will be traveling between Death Valley and San Diego in mid-December, which is already a 5+ hour drive. If I added a night somewhere, is it possible to see a sequoia grove?

-will be driving a 4WD SUV rented at LAS airport.
-I've never seen tire chains and have no idea how to put them on, but have driven in snow 1000s of times, or is it ice that is the main concern?
-There's a well-known grove that can be accessed from the south (Kernville), the Long Meadow Grove/Trail of 100 Giants, without going all the way to the Central Valley, but at +6500 ft elevation how likely is it that the road will be open mid-December? Google maps says "road closed Nov-May" for this road (M-90).
-There's of course Sequoia National Park, quite a detour, but the roads will be plowed there for sure and I could always rent chains and not put them on to get past any checks (and turn back if chains required).
-Then there's an obscure group of 6 groves around the Wishon Campground just east of Springville, the parking lot for the trailhead here is only at 4000 ft so nearly always open / no chains, then could walk up to the groves, but can't really find out much info about the small "remnant" groves here other then two show up in Google maps but look to be 1-2 miles hiking up.

Or is this trip not the right time for sequoias, and better to spend 3 nights in Death Valley and see more there.

If you have an AWD vehicle it generally will have all season or M/S tires (mud/snow) tires. These tires are sufficient to get past any chain control station, and if the weather gets really bad no one will be allowed through. You do not need chains.

There are 3 levels of chain control in CA http://www.dot.ca.gov/cttravel/chain-controls.html A 4WD/AWD with M+S tires are exempt under R1 and R2 but not R3. In reality I'm not sure that R3 ever happens in the national parks. I think they would just close the road. I have an AWD SUV and entering Kings Canyon in March when it was R1, no one asked about chains although I carry them. The easiest grove to get to within SEKI is Grant Grove via the Big Stump entrance from 180. This entrance tends to reopen quicker after a storm as it's a long winding drive from the Ash Mountain entrance via 198 to get to the Giant Forest/Sherman Tree. The seasonal closure of the Generals Highway between Sequoia and Kings Canyon is from January to mid-March. The southern Sierras doesn't tend to get as much snow as farther north so I think your risk in mid-December is low. I haven't been to the groves in the Sequoia National Monument.

Thanks, sounds doable. Looks like with Scotty's Castle closed, 2 nights will be enough in Death Valley: half day, full day, half day. Will stage the sequoia trip from Bakersfield with 2 nights there, then have enough time the day we leave BF for San Diego to pick up some things in Hollywood and Griffith Park since looks like we will only have one night near LAX the last night, and can pick up a drive through Venice, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills then.

Are the HOV lanes in LA/Orange counties pretty much free-flowing all day?

>>Will stage the sequoia trip from Bakersfield with 2 nights there<<

If than means two nights in Bakersfield -- VERY bad idea. If you can get to B'field you can just as easily get to Three Rivers or somewhere near S/KC. Three Rivers would be about a 90 minute longer drive than Bakersfield.

I agree, I hope the 2 nights is IN Death Valley. DV is huge and seeing the main sights is hard to do even with 2 nights there.

DV: I have always wanted to go here based on interesting things I've heard/read about like the Racetrack with the sliding rocks and Panamint City, but now reading that these 2 things are basically inaccessible. Also Scotty's Castle is closed due to some flash flood a while back. And yes plan to stay at Furnace Creek. I figure if we pick up either Dante's View or the crater on the first afternoon we arrive we can finish the major sights the next day.

Just dropping down in google streetview lots of random places in Bakersfield it doesn't look bad and the sky is blue, but wondering why a lot of the cars are covered in dust? Staying near Three Rivers means a full day at SNP: Is there enough open in December to justify this?

>>it doesn't look bad <<

Then knock your socks off.

Really, it is not a nice place to stay. >>means a full day at SNP: Is there enough open in December to justify this?<< About 100000% more 'worth it' than in Bakersfield.

https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvis...activities.htm

Checking the Bakersfield crime maps most of the hotels, except outside of the center on the west and NW sides, have car break in issues so not staying there. Looks like there's a broad opioid/meth problem also.

Barring a storm, all of the Generals Highway should still be open in mid-December. The road down to the bottom of Kings Canyon and the road to Mineral King will be closed at that time of year.

https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvis...conditions.htm

https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvis...Imap1_2015.pdf

Decided that with early sunsets, I would need to drive some in the dark to make this work, say 1 night Furnace Creek, 1 night Ridgecrest, and 1 night in Sequoia NP. But reconsidering the original plan, 3 nights Furnace Creek, since much less driving, and easier San Diego access on I-15 via San Bernardino and Temecula.

Take the I-215 going through Riverside to the I-15. It does get busy through Riverside, but mostly moves along well and misses the often big back-ups on I-15 around the intersections with I-10 in Ontario and the 60 just past Ontario, and the 91 in Corona. Also, you'll go past March AFB, where there is a museum if you have time.

Thanks for all the help. I recall someone saying once that Temecula was an up and coming wine area so that's another possibility in addition to the Air Force museum.

It's a bit out if the way but Manzanar is another possible stop, but we've already seen a former internment camp before in Colorado: Granada (Amache). Eerie, sad places.

Temecula has several wineries. If you do take the 210, then Temecula will be a few miles south once you rejoin the 15.