Exploring California’s Majestic Mountain Loop

California is shockingly and practically embarrassingly large. It could easily be split into three or four states without anyone batting an eye. That makes visiting and exploring the state a challenge at times, especially when one is caught up seeing only the major cities. While amazing, cities like L.A. or San Francisco don’t have what the state is perhaps most known for, its incredible natural treasures. On a recent trip along the Majestic Mountain Loop I had the great opportunity to visit some of these parks and to finally see for myself the destinations that sparked the modern conservation movement as we know it today.

I was hosted on this trip by but as always, my thoughts and strong opinions are entirely my own.

Majestic Mountain Loop

I love this idea and am so glad the tourism folks came up with it because it neatly bundles together three of the most incredible National Parks not only in California, but the entire country. The Loop is meant to reinforce the fact that visitors can experience the best of all three parks easily and in as short a time as three days. Honestly, that’s an incredible fact and really accentuates how close to each other and how easy they are to visit. The three parks of course are Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, all natural reserves I’ve wanted to experience first hand for a long time.

The logistics of it are easy enough. If you’re flying in, then Fresno will be your airport and from there you can start either at Sequoia or Yosemite as they’re just about equidistant from the airport. If you’re driving, both LA and San Francisco are both just a few hours away, making the parks a great weekend excursion. I traveled first to Sequoia from Fresno to see those mighty trees in person, using the oddly fascinating city of Visalia as my home base.

Visalia

On arrival day, I would honestly head straight to your hotel in Visalia and spend the afternoon exploring the city, there’s a lot to see and do in and around the city center. Visalia officially became a town in the mid-19th century and early growth in the area boomed thanks in part to the gold rush. It was later added to the Overland Stagecoach route, making it a logistically important city. Today nearly 200,000 people call the city and environs home, and there’s plenty to do even if you only have a day or two. My advice is to stay downtown, which is lively and vibrant, and stop by the tourist office to see…