Over the last 8 years that I have lived in California, I have completely fallen in love with the Sierra Nevada range and the areas around it. Both the west and east side have so many hikes, different terrains and cute towns. When my mom told me she wanted to visit for a week but not stay in LA too long, I knew I wanted to show her the places I’ve fallen so in love with. Obviously planning a trip with my mom isn’t the same as planning a trip just for myself, my Momma isn’t a camper, she likes her amenities like a bed, and hot water (can’t blame her, she knows what she wants/needs to enjoy herself). So I planned a sierras trip with actual locations to stay instead of public land camping and beep bopping around like I usually do.

Day 1

We started off in LA but then drove straight up to Yosemite. Getting up there only takes about 6 hours, so we had some time to kill before checking in to our stay and heading into the park. We warmed up to Yosemite with the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail, and walked around the footpath in the valley that leads to the different art galleries and the cafe. After we got some snacks at the cafe, we headed over to Evergreen Lodge to check in. I highly recommend this stay, it’s great for families with zip lines and a pool, as well as separate and dual stay cabins so you have privacy. It is in the woods and feels very quiet but also great energy from everyone we met there. They have a little shop, Tavern, and common area full of games. My favorite part was the s’mores packs they would have to hand out at night with a few fire pits around outside to roast around. It is also very close to the Hetch Hetchy entrance as well Big Oak Flat Rd into Yosemite Valley. Settling in after our first day, we roasted some marshmallows and headed to bed.

Day 2

The Evergreen lodge has a lot of amenities for being in a pretty rural area around a national park. We were able to get a big delicious breakfast each day before going out to hike. I had been hoping we could do the Mist trail, but we were there in April, and there was still some snow on the valley floor trails, so I decided to try something new instead. I had never been in the Hetch Hetchy part of the park before, and the lodge was so close, I found a hike and we went in! There are also two large and beautiful waterfalls in Hetch Hetchy and WAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY less packed than the valley section of the park. We hiked the Wapama Falls Trail along the reservoir to the bottom of both the waterfalls, which we could see across the water when we started. This hike was perfect to do with my mom, challenging enough to break a sweat, but no insane elevation gain for it to still be enjoyable for my mom to do with me. I really love this section of the park and it is perfectly underrated, so you can genuinely enjoy all the beauty without busy crowds.

Day 3

For our last full day in Yosemite, we went back into the valley section of the park and got an early start to avoid crowds, but also to see the mirror effect on the Mirror Lake Loop. We got there between 7 and 8am, and had perfect reflections up until we finished the hike and the sun started getting high in the sky. When I was looking for hikes to do in Yosemite with my mom during April, I knew I didn’t want to take her on anything crazy where she would struggle more than she would enjoy it, and this Mirror Lake Loop is so perfect for that. It is a fairly flat trail that loops around the water so you always have a good view for those 5 miles. It is also the perfect length to do in the morning then go get lunch. We enjoyed lunch in the valley and then walked around on the valley boardwalk path just chatting and enjoying the scenery before heading back to the lodge. I was hoping that we could watch sunset from the park one night, but my mom was a bit nervous about the mountain roads at night when there was still some snow and ice around, so we just enjoyed a chill night back at the lodge with some more s’mores and reading some of the books we had gotten from the gift shop.

Day 4

After our last amazing breakfast at the Evergreen Lodge, we made our way to Sequoia National Park. It is an absolutely gorgeous drive in April, winding through the rolling green foothills with wildflowers everywhere. The scenery makes the 4.5 hour drive feel short. Making our way in through the North entrance, we started in the Grant Grove part of Kings Canyon National Park and stopped to walk around General Grant Trail. It is short but perfect to stretch the legs before the final section of our drive. After admiring all of the big trees, we continued along the windy mountain roads passing huge trees and different burn scars with different levels of regrowth, which is always interesting to see. We continued up to Wuksachi Lodge where we were staying. Wuksachi Lodge is one of the few places to stay in Sequoia that isn’t a campsite, and I highly recommend it, even if you just go to the restaurant/bar. It is tucked off of the main road in the woods with a little general store as well. This lodge has separate buildings and the rooms are like hotel rooms but still with a rustic cabin feel.

Day 5

Waking up in the park is amazing, not only to keep yourself acclimated to the elevation you’re going to be hiking at, but I also miss the forest so much since living in LA. It is the first place I’ve lived that isn’t in the forest and sometimes I struggle to feel at home. But in sequoia, baby, I’m home. We packed up and headed out for our hike of the day, the Congress Trail. This is such an amazing trail, I’ve done it many times and was so happy to bring my mom here. She also loves trees and the forest, so I knew she would like it, and this ended up being her favorite hike from the trip! You walk in a loop through the forest, passing trees exponentially wider than me and my mom together, and towering up so high you can barely see the top. Every forest has a feeling to it, but the feeling sequoia gives is so immense and overwhelmingly inspiring to me. These trees have been here for thousands and thousands of years, they have seen the forest be cut and burned again and again, yet they still stand strong and tall. There’s a lot to be learned from sequoia trees. We had an absolutely amazing hike. I stopped to take some pictures and videos of us to show the size comparison.

Day 6

After asking around the last few days and looking at AllTrail and Google reviews, I determined Moro Rock’s snow had melted enough it was safe to hike. Again, I’m with my mom so wanting to make sure everything is safe and doable, I didn’t want to have her putting on crampons for a stair section covered in snow with 1,000+ ft drops on both sides. I tend to be a clumsy person, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. BUT, it was sounding like there was no snow up there so we were committed to it. The shuttle wasn’t running because it’s during the week and off season, so we hiked up from the Big Trees Museum (which I also really recommend going into, it’s free, and gives a lot of information about the trees and the park). Hiking up the road we could see the burn scar from a few years ago, which reminded me of the first time I came to sequoia in 2021 to backpack a section of the High Sierra trail (trailhead up this same road but farther up) just a month before this section of the park burned. We continued up the road through the burn scared forest until we got to the base of Moro Rock. Given the early Spring time of year, we were treated with very snowy peaks of the sierras in the distance as we climbed up to the top of Moro Rock. It isn’t a long trail, but this section is over 300 steps, there are some handrails to hold on to, but if you are scared of heights you’ll be shakin’ in your boots because by the time you are at the top, as there are thousands of feet drops on both sides. We stayed at the top for a little bit since nobody else was up there and just enjoyed the views before heading back down. I was very thankful there was no snow on the stairs. When we got back down from Moro Rock, we also took a little detour to Tunnel Log. After getting back to the car and looking through the Big Trees Museum gift shop one more time, we headed back to the lodge for dinner and rest.

Day 7

In the morning, we packed up and left sequoia, heading to Lone Pine! When I planned this trip, I knew that I not only wanted to take my mom to the areas I’ve been hiking and falling in love with, but also to see the entire mountain range on both sides because they are so different. It is a 5 hour drive, and this one isn’t super scenic. Once out of the sequoia foothills, it’s Bakersfield and straight desert until getting close to Lone Pine when the Sierra peaks become visible again. And of course the best view of all being Mount Whitney from the town of Lone Pine. We got a really cute Airbnb just outside of the Alabama Hills with a view of the mountains. With the daylight we had left, we went into the Alabama Hills Recreation Area and did the Morbius Arch Loop Trail. I aways do this trail when passing through Lone Pine on road trips, it is beautiful and a great place to stretch your legs if you’ve been driving for a while. After hiking, we went to Merry Go Round for dinner. This restaurant has amazing Chinese food and a sweet dog that comes around to say hi.

Day 8

From Lone Pine I wanted to take my mom to see the town of Mammoth, only about an hour and a half away. On the way, I learned about a place I drive past all the time on the 395, Manzanar Historic Site, only about 20 minutes North of Lone Pine. This is a former Japanese Internment Camp from World War II with a lot of history. There are multiple indoor exhibits as well as a walking or driving tour around what is left of the former camp. It is a very powerful and important place to visit and understand the history of, I suggest everyone make the stop when driving to or from the Sierra Nevada via Route 395.

Heading further North, we stopped at Erik Schat’s Bakery to get some coffee and breakfast snacks. Last stop before Mammoth, we hiked to the Crowley Lake Columns, a place I find so otherworldly. The trail is mostly flat with one steep section to get down to the Lakeshore. It can get really windy here, but on a good day like we day, it can start to warm up on the shore, and be a great place to hang out. These unique and interesting rock formations on the shore were exposed after the Crowley Reservoir was made, and is a result of geothermal activity (to learn in more detail about how they were made by someone who actually studied it, visit here). The greater Mammoth area has a lot of geothermal activity including a large number of hot springs, which are also amazing to visit.

Across the highway from the lake, there is a gas station with excellent food made to go for lunch. I stop here every time because its good portions for a reasonable price which can be hard to get in the more expensive Mammoth. However, my Mom wanted to visit Mammoth, so on this occasion, we went to Mammoth for a late lunch and walk around town. After, we drove back to Lone Pine for the night, walking through town to find some dessert, enjoy the evening heat and sunset.

Day 9

After our road trip with many stops, it was time to head back to work for me, so we headed back to LA. Leaving Lone Pine, there is a gas station with a Jersey Mikes, dispensary and an amazing view of the mountains. They have this huge chair that we just had to go sit in as our last part of the adventure.