Road Construction

In the early 1900s, road construction involved much more manual labor than today. This crew was working on building a road in Giant Forest.

NPS Archive Photo

 

General Information

Many roads and facilities in the parks were badly damaged during the winter of 2022-2023 by repeated major storms that began with a weather event in early January 2023 and followed by a succession of weather events in March 2023. Damage also occurred outside the parks on roads that provide access to some park areas.

Many repairs were completed during 2023, but some significant repairs and recovery efforts by Tulare County, Caltrans, and the parks will continue in 2024. Access will re-open as work can be successfully completed.

In areas where road work is on-going or there are only temporary repairs, travel slowly and obey reduced speed limits and any traffic management, such as temporary traffic lights or flaggers.

See the Road Conditions page for current road information.

Roads undergoing construction in 2024:

• Generals Highway
• Mineral King Road
• Crystal Cave Road

 

Generals Highway

One site on Generals Highway, between Hospital Rock and Giant Forest Museum, requires extensive drilling and rebuilding in order to complete repairs. In order to complete the work before the peak of the summer season, crews are scheduled to continue working through approximately late-June.

Vehicle traffic between the community of Three Rivers and Giant Forest, including Sherman Tree, will experience some delays of up to 30 minutes on weekdays.

 

May 13 - Late June Construction Traffic Delay Schedule (End Date Is Tentative)

Subject to change based on conditions.

Day of the Week	8:00 am to 6:00 pm	Before 8:00 am and after 6:00 pm
Sunday	Short traffic signal delays	Short traffic signal delays
Monday - Friday*	Up to 30 minute delays	Short traffic signal delays
Saturday	Short traffic signal delays	Short traffic signal delays

 

Mineral King Road

The Mineral King area of Sequoia National Park is open for day use and wilderness access. Road construction continues in 2024 to repair the road from 2023 winter storms.

Current Construction:

Road paving is expected to take place from 6/25/2024- 6/28/2024 and will require temporary day time closures.

The closure area will be from the gate at the park boundary to the Conifer Gate. The upper closure point will shift as paving progressives, the lower closure point will remain the same.

Current Closure Schedule (Tuesday 6/25 - Friday 6/28)

Closed: 7:30 am- 11:30 am
Open: 11:30 am- 12:30 pm
Closed: 12:30 pm- 5pm

The road will be open before and after each day until the paving is completed.

Additional Information

Visitors to this area should be self-reliant and expect rustic conditions. Emergency services will be limited, and due to late-season snow, there is still no potable water available, and campgrounds remain closed.

The Mineral King Ranger Station is not able to issue wilderness permits at this time. All permits for Mineral King trailheads must be secured in-person at the Ash Mountain Wilderness Office. Visit the Wilderness Permits & Reservations page for more information.

 

Crystal Cave Road

This road will remain closed for repairs and recovery in 2024.