# On Our Way To Sequoia Nat'l Park



## Tonopah (Nov 17, 2007)

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for Sequoia Nat'l Park for the weekend. Bringing my wife and two (grown) kids and plan to do some trout fishing. This will also really give us a chance to try our trailer out using the systems with no shore power. I'll fill freshwater up there as I sure don't want to drag it with me. Hopefully, the Tundra will pull the trailer okay in the mountains. We'll soon find out.


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## Morgueman (Dec 3, 2006)

Have fun Buddy...If my 1/2 ton Yukon XL can do it, it'll be a cake walk for your Tundra!


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## Tonopah (Nov 17, 2007)

Morgueman,
Nice to hear from you. We are really enjoying the 25RSS. I note that the 25RSS seems to have been retired from the Outback line for 2008 and am sort of surprised. I think it is a fine floorplan. 
Let's see, I have checked all tire pressures on the TT and the TV and added as needed, refer on, food cold, freshwater empty, gas can in bed of truck full, camera ready, etc etc -- I think we are ready to go!


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

I love Sequoia NP, it's my favorite! I camped there 17 times, but never with a TT, it was either a Ford Courier (remember those?) with a SixPac cabover camper or tents, and once along with a good friend of ours with his class A motorhome.

But when I think about to staying there now with my OB, it appears I can't stay at my favorite campground, Lodgepole, because my 26RKS and F-250 are too big for all the sites.

Are you staying in the park? If so, where? If not, where?

I'd love to go back but I'd love to hear your experiences with your OB. Please post!


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

2 years ago we camped in Azalea or Sunset with a large SOB. Those sites were plenty big for any OB made. Some of the roads were a bit tight though....


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## goneflyfishin (Jan 12, 2007)

We're extremely jealous!









But hope you all catch lots of FISH!!
Have a great trip & tell us all about it when you return


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

I love that area - one year I did a two week backpacking trip from Kings Canyon up to Lassen, hitting Sequoia and Yosemite along the way. (we would drive into an area and backpack around the area for a couple days and then drive back out) Was one of the best trips I have ever done.


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## Tonopah (Nov 17, 2007)

Just returned. We were in the Cedar Grove area and stayed at Sheep Creek campground. We arrived at about 1:00 PM on Friday and there weren't many people there. We actually found a pull through spot right next to Kings River. We drove on Sat morning to Road's End and hiked to Mist Falls (about 10 miles round trip). Stopped to fish a couple a times along the way. My step son pulled in a 17 inch trout (biggest I've ever seen). My son pulled in three that were in the 6 to 8 inch range. Catch and release. Had a great time (although I caught nothing). Weather was 75 during the day and low 40's at night. Hiked to Roaring Falls and Muir Rock too. Scenery was totally beautiful and water was high in the river. Wish we could have stayed longer.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Sounds like you had the perfect trip!
Site on the river, caught fish, great weather...doesn't get any better than that!









How did the Tundra perform??


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Tonopah said:


> .....My step son pulled in a 17 inch trout (biggest I've ever seen). My son pulled in three that were in the 6 to 8 inch range. Catch and release. Had a great time (although I caught nothing).


Some of my best fishing trips are when my sons are catching all the fish and I'm just sitting there watching them have a great time.


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

Tonopah said:


> Just returned. . .the Cedar Grove area and stayed at Sheep Creek campground


I don't want to get picky, but that's in Kings Canyon NP not in Sequoia NP. Both have their points, but I'm a Sequoia kind of guy. And yes, I too, have caught trout in the river (30 years ago) but I ate them for breakfast!


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## Tonopah (Nov 17, 2007)

You're right about King's Canyon rather than Sequoia! My family always refers to it as "the Sequoia trip" probably because we stop at Grant's Grove to see the sequoia trees in the park on the way back. I've been to the Kings River a couple of times before and have brought trout back to camp for dinner too, but my stepson likes to catch and release and I go with the flow. My wife's beef stroganoff is pretty darn good anyway!

The Outback worked great and I had no trouble at all pulling it with the Tundra. Gas mileage ended up being 10.1 mpg. The OB was very stable when towed. No wiggle, no scary moments at all. Plenty of power. I use 1000 pound bars on the EAZ hitch with two links hanging. Seems perfect (one link hanging was giving me some bouncing up and down over bumps).

The Prosine 2.0 inverter/charger was not so great though. I'd flip it on, run the coffee maker, and it (the coffee maker) would stop. The inverter display panel was telling me that I did not have sufficient volts in the batteries (10.4 v). But the batteries were at 12.4 when I flipped on the inverter. I'm thinking that my second 12 volt battery -- that i added to the original 12 volt -- left me with one new battery paired with one old one? I bought the OB new in 2007 (with the original battery) but it probably was sitting on the lot at the sales place for a year before I bought it so I probably inadvertently ended up with one old 12 volt battery paired with one new. I have to look into this as something is definitely not right here. The inverter should have run the dang coffee machine just fine without me having to resort to the Honda 2000 generator.


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## sherpas (May 13, 2008)

Hello Tonopah, i am glad to here you had a good trip. I am new to camping with a trailer and the sequoias will be my first dry camping trip, so i am a little nervous to say the least. I was wondering if you made any changes with food storage due to bears. Also did you need to use your heater at night. Thank you, and i apologize for the amateur questions.


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## Tonopah (Nov 17, 2007)

All the campsites along the Kings River (Moraine, Sheeps Creek, Sequoia) have steel bear boxes at each site. The boxes are big and easy to use. I put the bar b que in there at night too because the one time I didn't, well, it was visited by bears.

It got into the low 40s at night so yes, I did have the furnace on -- but not much.


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## sherpas (May 13, 2008)

Did you remove all the food from the trailer and place it in the bear box? I did a search on this subject and read many different opinions about this, so I am wondering what i should plan on.


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## ED_RN (Jun 25, 2006)

Love King's Canyon, we go every year. Heading out on July 27th this year. How close could you get to Mist Falls? rivers usually down quite a bit when we go in late siummer. 
The bears boxes in Kings Canyon are pretty big. Seqouia has some bear boxes but some of them are small. They took them out of Kings Canyon about 4 years ago after having to put down 3 bears in one summer and used them in the upper sites. You can store food in the trailer if it is hard sided but they still recommend the bear boxes. Bears have been very active in the campgrounds for the last 5 years.

Sentinel campground has some "overflow" bear boxes by the ranger station. Sentinel campground has 2 pull through spots by the river also. Those sites are fairly large and very well shaded.

Sounds like you had a grerat trip. Can't wait to go.


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## ED_RN (Jun 25, 2006)

sherpas said:


> Hello Tonopah, i am glad to here you had a good trip. I am new to camping with a trailer and the sequoias will be my first dry camping trip, so i am a little nervous to say the least. I was wondering if you made any changes with food storage due to bears. Also did you need to use your heater at night. Thank you, and i apologize for the amateur questions.


We were all amateurs once. Ask away.
A couple of suggestions. Despite the signs there is gas in the park. At Hume Lake and by a small store about half way between Lodge Pole visitors center and General Sherman tree. It's not cheap though so fill up before you enter the park. The weather can be very different at night every year. Most years we sleep with just a sheet over us. Two years ago we left most of the blankets at home I had to get up and turned the heat on during the night. Some of the campgrounds do have dump sites. I use the one at Princess campground when we leave because it is closest to Kings Canyon, there are none anymore in the canyon. I'm sure someone else on this site knows where they are in Sequoia. The drive from 180 into the park is a bit of a climb but you'll have no problem pulling the TT.
Enjoy. 
Man I'm ready to go.


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