Day 1. Hike to Giant Forest and Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park, Wuksachi Lodge
For a real taste of solitude, we begin with a hike into the backcountry of Sequoia National Park. From Giant Forest we meander through one of the most majestic stands of Sequoia trees in the world. The General Sherman Tree, the world's largest living thing, towers above our path. Stroll through beautiful Crescent Meadow where brilliant wildflowers adorn its lush grounds. John Muir is said to have called this lovely, grassy open area the "gem of the Sierra". Now we connect with the High Sierra Trail, with incredible breathtaking views that make this a favorite of the Sierra's backcountry enthusiasts. After an exhilarating climb up Moro Rock, complete with steps and railings in places, we shuttle just a few miles to Wuksachi Lodge, located in the heart of Sequoia National Park.

Day 2. Hike to Mist Falls in Kings Canyon National Park, Wuksachi Lodge
After a hearty breakfast and a scenic shuttle through towering Sequoias and beneath granite walls, we hike through the glaciated canyon of the South Fork of the Kings River. We will pass old-growth forests and cascading rapids, until we reach Mist Falls. The main falls are indeed misty and support mosses and lush vegetation for a few hundred yards downstream.
After our hike, we shuttle back into Sequoia National Park and Wuksachi Lodge, our peaceful hideaway for the evening. Here you’re free to just relax or explore the wonderful forest of white fir, incense cedar, sugar pine, and of course, giant sequoias.

Day 3. Hike in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite View Lodge
After a morning shuttle to Yosemite, we hike in Mariposa, the Park's largest of three groves of Giant Sequoias. Mariposa Grove contains several hundred of these monarchs, including two of the 25 largest trees in the world.
We begin the hike at The Fallen Monarch which fell more than three hundred years ago and continues to resist the process of decay.
The Bachelor and Three Graces are a group of four trees, three of them growing very close together with the fourth a little more distant. Their roots are so intertwined that if one of them were to fall it would likely bring the others along with it.
The Grizzly Giant is the Grove's oldest tree and most commonly thought to be the largest but that title goes to a less inspiring tree named The Washington Tree. Estimated at 2700 years old, the Grizzly Giant is 209 feet tall and 25.5 feet in diameter.
The California Tunnel Tree was cut in 1895 to allow coaches to pass through it (and as a marketing scheme to attract visitors to the grove), and is now the only living tree with a tunnel in it since the fall of the Wawona Tunnel Tree in 1969.
The Faithful Couple is a rare case in which two trees grew so close together that their trunks have fused together at the base.
The Telescope Tree has been left completely hollow by decades of repeated fires. In spite of that, the tree is still living, as Giant Sequoias do not require a whole trunk to survive. It is possible to walk inside the tree and to look up at the sky. The Columbia Tree is the tallest tree in the grove and in Yosemite National Park.
We continue our day with a late afternoon shuttle to Yosemite Valley, the site of our lodging for the next two nights.

• Shuttle from Sequoia National Park to Yosemite National Park [4 hours]
• Mariposa Grove Hike [4 miles, 800 feet of elevation gain/loss]
• Shuttle to Yosemite Valley [1 hour, 15 minutes] 

Day 4. Hike the Panorama Trail from Rim to Valley in Yosemite National Park, Yosemite View Lodge
You couldn't ask for a better way to experience the majestic splendor that Yosemite has to offer than by hiking the Panorama Trail. As its name implies, this trail offers incredibly panoramic views of Yosemite's cascading waterfalls, soaring granite monoliths and of the verdant valley floor below.
Beginning with views of Half Dome and Clouds Rest from Glacier Point, the trail crosses behind Illilouette Fall after two miles and continues partially uphill along the Panorama Cliff. At the top of Nevada Fall, we descend past Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail, concluding at Happy Isles Nature Center.

Day 6. Hike from Tioga Road to Yosemite Falls and Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, Fresno
Our final hike provides a spectacular conclusion to our week together. Beginning at Porcupine Creek Trailhead off Tioga Road, we hike through red fir and lodgepole forest, follow Lehamite Creek and cross Indian Canyon Creek before arriving at Yosemite Point. From here we have a commanding view of Yosemite Valley and of Yosemite Creek hurling over the edge of the hanging valley in a spectacular and deafening show of force. At 2425 feet, Yosemite Falls is North America's highest waterfall.
We then cross Yosemite Creek on a footbridge and begin the steep descent past the Upper Falls (1430 feet, alone one of the world's highest), "the cascades" (675 feet) and finally the Lower Falls (320 foot drop).
Following a shuttle to Fresno, we say our farewells at approximately 5.30pm in Fresno.

• Hiking [9.5 miles, 4000 feet of elevation loss]
• Shuttle to Fresno [2 hours, 15 minutes]