Sequoia National Park partially reopens after storm damage

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Foothill areas of Sequoia National Park reopened to the public Friday following extensive storm damage to roads last month, but no access to its giant trees is expected for weeks, the National Park Service said.

The reopened area extends 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) past the entrance station in the town of Three Rivers, allowing access to lower elevation trails, camping and abundant wildflowers.

Giant Forest and the General Sherman Tree are among features that remain closed and are not expected to open before Memorial Day, the park service said in a statement.

The park service suggested that visitors who want to see giant sequoias go to nearby Kings Canyon National Park, where Grant Grove reopened April 7.

“Visitors should prepare by bringing sufficient water for their trip, snacks, a full tank of gas, tire chains or cables, and warm layers, expecting more than ten feet of snow in most areas,” according to the parks service statement.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon are next to each other in the southern Sierra Nevada, which is buried in a massive snowpack after an extraordinary series of winter storms.