Moro Rock and Giant Forest's Granite Domes

Moro Rock's parking lot lies two miles off the Generals Highway, and visitors can also ride a free shuttle from Giant Forest Museum. Ice or snow on the steps makes the climb very dangerous, so stay off them in those conditions.

Glaciers of the Pleistocene epoch carved much of this terrain, cutting steep granite canyons and leaving hundreds of glacial lakes behind. Moro Rock is one of many domes in the two parks. Out in the wilderness, Fin Dome, Tehipite Dome, and the Obelisk stand out as exceptional examples of granite exfoliation. Smaller domes appear throughout both parks.

Climbers also use Moro Rock, which is easy to reach near Giant Forest and offers 1,000 vertical feet of cracks and knobs. Across Sequoia and Kings Canyon, the granite compares with Yosemite's in quality, and routes run from easy to extremely challenging, usually without the crowds of better-known climbing areas.

Beetle Rock sits across the highway from Giant Forest Museum and is perhaps the easiest dome to access. Wooden signs in the main parking area point the way along a flat trail of about five minutes to the top, where the foothills stretch out below. The summit makes a good spot for a picnic. A one-mile trail from the museum parking area or the Big Trees trailhead leads to Sunset Rock, passing Eli's Paradise, a small meadow. Sunset Rock is a favorite place to watch the sun go down, so bring a flashlight for the walk back and watch for mosquitoes.