With so many people restricted in travel because of COVID the popularity of the national parks has skyrocketed to the point that some places require a booking for a campsite 6 months in advance if not further. Well, today we are talking about Paradise Creek Trail Sequoia National Park. Once you have explored this article and the trails in Sequoia National Park then you are going to see why these parks have skyrocketed in popularity in America.
Where Is Sequoia National Park
A lot of people already have a general idea where the national parks are located. With Sequoia it is in California in Tulare County. Now, this county and some of the park itself, including parts of Paradise Creek Trail is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This provides you with a completely different climate than what you may have grown used to, but also makes it nice because you could have very high temperatures, but in the mountain ranges you can get some relief, not complete, from the higher temperatures and that makes it possible to enjoy the trails in the national parks.
Where Is Paradise Creek Trail
Now, as you can imagine by looking at the Great Smoky Mountains, Sequoia National Park is rather large. So you need to realize you have multiple spots to access the park and for the Paradise Creek Trail it is located near Three Rivers in California. So make sure you look for this specifically on your GPS or you could find yourself in a completely different part of the park than what you were expecting!
What Type Of Trail Is Paradise Creek
A common question that a lot of people tend to ask is what kind of trail is this that I am going to be going on. Is it a round trip trail, a day hiking trail, or an out and back type of trail. Well, this trail is one that is the out and back style. Which means you are not going to see something new while walking back out of the trail. However, it does give you a chance to see the trail in a different way than when you went in.
How Long Is The Paradise Creek Trail
Okay. I hate to break it to you, but this is not a trail that will take you only a short time to hike, unless you like sprinting. The trail comes in at 5.5 miles in length and will take some time hiking along. Now, what else can cause problems and may make you stop several times is the elevation gain. When you start on the trail you can expect to gain 1007 feet in elevation. This makes it very easy for you to get winded and if you are not in decent shape will definitely slow you down considerably. The good news is the gain in elevation is not immediate and often gradual enough it just slows you down some.
What Should I Bring For Paradise Creek Trail
While it is a trail that is rated as easy on AllTrails I would recommend bringing several things with you. The list will make more sense once you start on the hike and make it easier for you to prepare for your trip.
- Backpack – one that can hold water bottles or is a Camelpak
- Water bottles or a canteen to drink water with.
- Walking sticks that are sturdy in construction.
- Snack if you want to have some food.
- Potential change of clothes as the trail is along the water and who knows if you will decide to jump into the water.
- Bug spray and Technu
How Easy Is It To Access The Trail
The trailhead is a little bit on the confusing side to find. When you do see it you may notice the parking lot is a little bit down the road and it is actually a picnic area! Well, after parking here you have to walk back down the road to the trail head and it is not protected from vehicle traffic. Not to mention it is a three quarter of a mile walk back down to the trail head before you get to the trail.
What Can You See On The Paradise Creek Trail
Really it depends on the time of the year that you are on the trail. For the most part you do have a little bit of a river view for about a mile or so on the trail. Then you may notice some wild flowers that are growing up in the region as well, which are nice, but are not overly populated in the area. As far as natural beauty the trail is somewhat lacking and is not a trail that has a lot normal type of birds that you see and that is only if people on the trails are not making a ton of noise.
As a downside it has been reported that the sides of the trail are lined heavily with poison oak. If you are allergic to this or do not want to itch it could be a breaking point on continuing up the trail until the end of it.
What Is The Best Time For Hiking On The Trail
Summers in the region do get to be warm so beating the heat does not really help out much on this trail. Instead, you may find the trail is best used in October up until May. So that will give you a chance to get out of your house when it is a little bit cooler. Still, you do have to watch out for the poison oak which does not go away even in the cooler months.
What Is The Cost
While trail hiking is enjoyable it is not going to be free to hit up the Paradise Creek Trail. The trail is located in the national park service and that means they can and do charge you. The cost currently is 35 bucks for a car, 30 bucks if you are on a motorcycle. While you would think walking or biking into the park would be free without the pollution it is not. Instead, the park charges 20 bucks per person who is entering the park.
My Final Thoughts On Paradise Creek Trail Sequoia National Park
Personally, I like being able to see nature and what is naturally found in an area to be able to enjoy a trail. With the lack of nature on the trail I have to admit that this is one trail that I may not like. Yes it would be great for working out as the elevation gain is quite significant it is not something that I could see myself going up and down all the time expecting to see nature. Overall, the trail, if the water is running with the drought does have some nice swimming holes, but the poison oak and lack of flowers and nature overall makes the Paradise Creek Trail in Sequoia National Park one that I will do once, but probably not again.
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