Giant Forest
Snowy giant sequoias are the main winter draw; carry chains and use trails suited to winter conditions.
December · Giant Forest
What to see and do in Sequoia in December
Choose a December outing that fits the route, weather and effort involved.
General Sherman Tree
Check the winter approach and trail ice; the iconic tree can be visited without treating every grove trail as plowed.
December · General Sherman Tree
Sequoia weather in December
December’s normal high is 37°F and low is 17°F, with 6.87 inches of precipitation. The Lodgepole station sits at about 6,735 ft in the park's main sequoia corridor, roughly 2 miles from Giant Forest and the General Sherman Tree. These numbers represent where visitors actually spend their time (the giant sequoia groves, 6,500-7,000 ft). The Ash Mountain foothills entrance sits near 1,700 ft and runs far hotter: NPS gives the foothills an average July high of 97°F, versus 76°F at Lodgepole. The Mineral King campgrounds sit higher still, at about 7,500 ft. Use Lodgepole for the groves, and expect the foothills drive to be much warmer in summer.
Cooler Hotter
Jan
High39°F
Low17°F
Precip · in8.72
Feb
High41°F
Low18°F
Precip · in7.87
Mar
High45°F
Low22°F
Precip · in6.42
Apr
High50°F
Low26°F
Precip · in3.24
May
High58°F
Low33°F
Precip · in2.05
Jun
High68°F
Low40°F
Precip · in0.69
Jul
High76°F
Low46°F
Precip · in0.61
Aug
High76°F
Low44°F
Precip · in0.15
Sep
High70°F
Low39°F
Precip · in0.65
Oct
High59°F
Low31°F
Precip · in2.27
Nov
High47°F
Low23°F
Precip · in3.65
Dec
High37°F
Low17°F
Precip · in6.87
Sequoia crowds in December
December averages 47,026 recreation visits, 24% of the peak monthly average in July.
LowestLowModerateHighPeakAverage month: 98,021December
Tips for your December visit
Check the approach before choosing the rest of the day.
AAsh Mountain Entrance StationBBig Stump Entrance Station
- Park boundary
Ash Mountain Entrance Station
Normal year-round approach; mountain road access and chain requirements depend on weather.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Crowds
- 2021–2025 monthly averages. NPS recreation visits, compared with the park’s own busiest month. Visits are not unique visitors or a count of people on a trail.
- Weather
- 1991-2020 climate normals. NOAA’s Lodgepole, CA station. These describe typical weather at the station, not every part of the park or a forecast.
- Roads & lodging
- Normal seasonal schedules. NPS guidance and official operator information. Confirm access, hours and availability before you travel.
Historical records and data-quality checks
- Visit history: 1979–2025 NPS monthly recreation visits.
- Weather history: 1968–2025 daily observations, separate from climate normals. We average daily highs and lows and total the rain for each month.
- Complete months only: every day must pass our quality checks for that metric. Missing or incomplete records stay blank; we never interpolate.
- Excluded measurements: flagged, presumed-zero and lagged values. Trace rain counts as zero measurable rainfall.