Triple Crown Jewel Tour

Three national parks in three days

Tour three national parks in three days. During this 3-day, 3-night tour, you will visit Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains. Includes lunch, bottled water, and entrance fees.

You arrive the day before this tour and check into your hotel. We pick you up in the morning each day to go to a different national park. We pick up at most select hotels in Fresno near the Airport, Downtown, River Park, and all hotels near Highway 41. (We do not pick up at the few hotels located near Highway 99.)

• Triple Crown Jewels Tour — $799. The three-day tour on its own (Senior $769, Child $449); hotel not included — arrange your own Fresno stay, or add ours below. Your tours run on days 2, 3, and 4.
• Triple Crown Jewels with Fresno Hotel — $1,099. We choose and book the hotel for you for three nights, double occupancy: the day you arrive and two nights after. The final day, after the tour, you can be dropped off at the airport or Amtrak station, or stay one more night for an additional cost. Your tours run on days 2, 3, and 4.
• SF or LA Amtrak — Triple Crown Jewels Tour — $1,199. We include the Amtrak from the Los Angeles area or the San Francisco Bay area. Use it round trip, or come from Los Angeles and continue to San Francisco afterward (or the other way around). Your tours run on days 2, 3, and 4.

We may change the order of the tours at our discretion.

Sequoia National Park

We visit Sequoia National Park, made famous by the Giant Sequoia Redwood tree — the world’s largest tree by volume. Our tour begins at the Three Rivers entrance, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, named for the nearby junction of the North, Middle, and South Forks of the Kaweah River. We climb the majestic Moro Rock, a giant granite dome with a stairway to the top and views of Sequoia Park and the Great Western Divide. We visit the beautifully renovated Giant Forest Museum, which introduces the Giant Sequoias, the meadows, and the human history of the area — don’t miss the outline on the pavement out front showing the scale of the Sentinel Tree as if lying down.

Nearby is the Tunnel Log, a giant sequoia that fell across the Crescent Meadow Road in late 1937. According to the National Park Service, a tunnel was cut through the fallen log the following summer; the tree stood 275 feet high and was 21 feet in diameter at the base, and probably exceeded 2,000 years of age. We view the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world by volume, measuring over 52,500 cubic feet. We also visit Wuksachi Lodge — Sequoia’s signature hotel, a striking stone-and-cedar mountain lodge surrounded by a mighty sequoia forest and soaring Sierra peaks.

Kings Canyon National Park

We start with the General Grant Tree, the second-largest tree in the world. Then we visit Boyden Cavern, a giant underground cavern within Kings Canyon National Park. Next is Roaring River Falls, a 40-foot waterfall dropping over a narrow ledge. Zumwalt Meadow is next — a gentle 1.5-mile hike that lets you view the Kings River with vast granite walls and green meadows as your backdrop. Finally, we take a beautiful drive to Road’s End, following the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway.

Yosemite National Park

We depart Fresno between 5:15 AM and 5:45 AM in Summer and between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM in Winter, climbing the foothills through Coarsegold and Oakhurst into the park. From Chinquapin we climb to Glacier Point for 30–45 minutes — a commanding view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, and the High Country. When we reach Yosemite Valley, we stop at Tunnel View for the jaw-dropping reveal of Clouds Rest, El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Falls, then continue to El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, Sentinel Bridge for the Half Dome reflection, and Yosemite Lodge, with a final stop at Valley View.

Optional Four Mile Trail hike

At Glacier Point, guests looking for hiking time can hike down the Four Mile Trail to meet us at Yosemite Valley Lodge — about 5 miles, with the elevation dropping from 7,200 ft to 4,000 ft. In 2016 President Obama and his family hiked this spectacular trail. This hike is strenuous; by accepting to hike you release Crossroads Tours from any liability. If we must wait beyond a 4-hour cutoff, the cost is $95 per hour.

Prefer one or two parks in a day?

Not ready for the full three-day circuit? We also run single-day tours of these parks from Fresno:

• Sequoia & Kings Canyon (or just one park), single day — $249/adult, $229/senior over 60, $124/child under 12. Water and park entrance fees included.
• Private single-day Sequoia / Kings Canyon — SUV $975 (up to 4 guests), Van $1,175 (up to 9), or Minibus $2,999 (up to 15).

Call us to book a single-day tour or to mix and match parks.

Our guides

Our guides are all local and going to Yosemite is their passion. Each one brings their own personal experiences, stories, and secret spots to share with you. They are delighted to meet you and wish to show you why this area of the world is a very special place.

Disclaimer

Sometimes due to scheduling issues, the hiking portion may be changed to go in the uphill direction. The duration of the tour can vary due to weather, traffic, and how much fun we are having.