California
National Parks of the Sierra Nevada: Yosemite, King's Canyon and Sequoia
Program No. 20197RJ
Discover three of the nation’s most treasured national parks, exploring waterfalls in King’s Canyon, the world’s largest trees in Sequoia and the many must-see sites of Yosemite.
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Protecting the Environment
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6 days
5 nights
14 meals
5B 4L 5D
2
Yosemite National Park Field Trip
Episcopal Conference Center, Oakhurst (ECCO)
3
Glacier Point, Southern Yosemite
Episcopal Conference Center, Oakhurst (ECCO)
6
Program Concludes
Oakhurst, CA
At a Glance
Breathe crystal-clear air in an in-depth exploration of all three of these iconic national parks. Enjoy field trips where you’ll experience the major attractions of King’s Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks as you learn about animal life, astronomy, botany, geology, native plants, park issues and the influence of famed naturalist John Muir.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Hikes anywhere from 2 to 6 miles a day. Elevations up to 8,100 feet.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Be part of history at Muir Rock in King's Canyon, the place where John Muir frequently addressed the Sierra Club, and visit Roaring River Falls and Zumwalt Meadow.
- Experience Congress Loop in Sequoia to encounter the largest tree by mass in the world, and take in the vast landscape of the Great Western Divide and the San Joaquin Valley.
- Catch at breathtaking first glimpse of Half Dome in Yosemite, and stand before natural and man made marvels like El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall, Sentinel Bridge and Yosemite Falls.
General Notes
The Retreat Difference: This unique, often basic and no-frills experience at a Road Scholar Retreat includes opportunities for early morning exercise, interaction with the local community for insight into local life, an authentic farm-to-table or locally sourced meal, and a live performance or event.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Chris Cameron
Chris Cameron is a naturalist, consultant, and educator. A student of science with a degree in theology, he has been a pastor, a naturalist, and consultant to the California Department of Education. He loves teaching the UC/California Naturalist program and speaking for Road Scholar. He retired as the Executive Director of Camp Ocean Pines in Cambria in 2018, after 17 years rebuilding the facility and programs and bringing it back to capacity. A birder and a master falconer, Chris encourages hands-on experiences integrating multiple perspectives.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Chris Cameron
View biography
Chris Cameron is a naturalist, consultant, and educator. A student of science with a degree in theology, he has been a pastor, a naturalist, and consultant to the California Department of Education. He loves teaching the UC/California Naturalist program and speaking for Road Scholar. He retired as the Executive Director of Camp Ocean Pines in Cambria in 2018, after 17 years rebuilding the facility and programs and bringing it back to capacity. A birder and a master falconer, Chris encourages hands-on experiences integrating multiple perspectives.
Rosemay Cameron
View biography
Rosemay Cameron fell in love with the “Crown Jewel of California,” Yosemite, during her first visit in 1974. That trip sparked a lifelong passion for the mountains. She has conquered landmarks like Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, and completed the challenging 21-mile Valley Floor hike. She now assists in leading Road Scholar trips to Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks. A graduate of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA, she balanced a career as a CFO with raising three boys with her husband.
Suggested Reading List
(8 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
National Parks of the Sierra Nevada: Yosemite, King's Canyon and Sequoia
Program Number: 20197
Flowering Shrubs of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada.
While the trees of Yosemite thrill visitors and the wildflowers often steal the show, every year the blue elderberry, the snowberry, the American dogwood, and dozens of other shrubs bloom in a glory all their own. This lovely volume, with inspired watercolors showing the fruit, flowers, and foliage of the plants, pays these shrubs full homage. Complete with useful information for plant identification, this book serves as a welcome and needed introduction to some of Yosemite's wildflowers.
The Geologic Story of Yosemite National Park.
Geologic History of Yosemite
. Gloryland: A Novel.
This books is roughly based on the life of his great-grandfather who was a buffalo soldier and one of those who patrolled Yosemite NP around the turn of the century to protect it from poachers, loggers, miners, etc.
Born on Emancipation Day, 1863, to a sharecropping family of African and Indian blood, Elijah Yancy never lived as a slave, but his self-image as a free person is at war with his surroundings: Spartanburg, South Carolina, in the Reconstructed South.
Shelton Johnson is an interpretive ranger for Yosemite National Park. His area of expertise is the Buffalo Soldiers and their influence on the early history of Yosemite and the west.
My First Summer in the Sierra
The first of John Muir's books. This inspirational book allows the reader to understand John Muir's desire to protect and preserve Yosemite.
The Wild Muir: Twenty-two of John Muir’s Greatest Adventures.
Short stories from John Muir that creates an understanding of John Muir.
A Sierra Club Naturalist’s Guide to the Sierra Nevada.
. Stephen Whitney has taken most of the University of California Press guides and books and done an excellent job of condensing a wide range of biotic and abiotic topics. I highly recommend this guide to anyone interested in the Sierra Nevada, whether a teacher, backpacker, student, or amateur naturalist.
High Odyssey: The First Solo Winter Assault of Mt. Whitney and the Muir Trail Area.
Anyone who loves mountains, and especially the Sierra Nevada, will find this a great addition to the library. It documents the little known winter solo ski trip over the entire John Muir trail, from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite, by Orland Bartholemew in 1928-29. The author expertly crafts the story from old notes and a diary.
An Illustrated Flora of Yosemite National Park
An Illustrated Flora of Yosemite National Park. El Portal, California: