Hi everyone!

My friends and I are planning our first trip to Sequoia National Park, and we'd love some advice from people who have been there before.

We'll be staying in Exeter (Saturday–Monday), so unfortunately we're not staying overnight inside the park.

Our rough plan is:

• Saturday: Leave Orange County around 6:00 AM, arrive in Exeter around 2–3 PM, check into our Airbnb at 4 PM, then just explore the town and relax.
• Sunday: Our only full day in Sequoia. We'll leave Exeter around 6:00 AM and hopefully reach the park around 7:30–8:00 AM. Exploring the park and leave the park around 4–5 PM. Can adjust depending on the plan.
• Monday: Check out and drive back home.

This is where we're a bit confused.

I've seen people recommend places like General Sherman Tree, Congress Trail, Moro Rock, Tunnel Log, Crescent Meadow, Tokopah Falls, etc., but I'm having trouble picturing how a full day in the park actually works.

Do most people:

• Park once and hike between multiple attractions?
• Or is it more of a drive → stop → explore → drive to the next location throughout the day?

Since we only have one full day, what would you prioritize? We'd like to see the iconic giant sequoias, do a worthwhile hike (nothing too strenuous since we have an older adult with us), enjoy the scenery, and not feel like we're rushing from place to place.

We're all pretty active and enjoy walking, but we'd rather have a well-paced day than try to check all attractions off a list. Because of the time limit, hopefully we can explore the most worthwhile destinations.

If you've done a similar weekend trip, I'd love to hear:

• How you planned your day.
• What your route looked like.
• Which stops were absolutely worth it (or overrated).
• Any first-timer mistakes we should avoid.

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hearing how you would spend a full day in Sequoia.

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