The News from Sequoia & Kings Canyon

Storm Could Bring Snow to Higher Elevations in Sierras

A weak storm may bring a dusting of snow to the upper elevations in Tulare County.

The National Weather Service is expecting snow for the mountains above 9,000 feet on Saturday night, with the snow level dropping to 7,000 feet early Sunday morning.

Fire Restrictions Lifted in Nearby National Parks

Due to the recent change in weather, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are lifting fire restrictions that have been in effect since July 11.

Missing Hunter Found in Sequoia National Park

Authorities say 27-year-old Salvado Chavez was found on Monday afternoon, after being lost for two days in the Sequoia National Park.

Mexican Marijuana Cartels Leave Forests Polluted

The 1,800-square-mile Sequoia National Forest that is popular with Mexican marijuana-growing cartels is also home to some of the most intensely polluted pockets of wilderness in America, according to federal officials.

Grow sites—700 were discovered on California's U.S. Forest Service land alone in 2007 and 2008—are soaked and sprinkled with the toxic chemicals needed to eke lucrative harvests from rocky mountainsides.

Officials Weigh Benefits, Costs of Forest Fires

When officials decided not to stop the Tehipite fire east of Fresno, they got three big payoffs -- a cheaper fire to manage, reduced risk for firefighters and cleanup of dangerously overgrown forest.

But this fire -- which has burned 11,000 acres since mid-July -- worries the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Officials fear smoke and ozone-creating gases might harm air quality.

Mountain Home Fire Contained

In the aftermath of a thunderstorm that rumbled through Tulare County Monday, a small wildfire northeast of Springville was fully contained while firefighters in Sequoia National Park turned their attention to a new blaze north of Mineral King.

Sequoia National Park Fire Fully Contained

After almost three weeks of digging and burning fire lines on steep mountainsides, firefighters have achieved 100% containment of the Hidden fire burning in Sequoia National Park.

Since it began with a lightning strike from a passing Sierra thunderstorm, the Hidden fire has burned about 3,700 acres in the mountains north of Three Rivers.

Fire in Sequoia National Park May Be Contained by Tuesday

A high-elevation blaze that has blackened more than 2,954 acres in the Sequoia National Park should be contained by Tuesday, park officials said.

The team fighting the blaze known as the Hidden Fire dropped from 720 firefighters last week to 145. An intensive program of controlling the fire line and back-burning has helped contain the northeast and the southern sides of the fire, park spokesman Scott Isaacson said.

Sequoia Park Wildfire Continues to Grow

A lightning-sparked wildfire burning for more than a week in Sequoia National Park continues to grow in size, fire officials reported this morning.

The so-called Hidden Fire, started by a thunderstorm on September 10 near Hidden Springs, 12 miles from Three Rivers and north of Ash Mountain, had burned 804 acres as of 8 a.m. this morning.

Fire Continues to Grow in Sequoia National Park

A fire burning in a heavily forested area of Sequoia National Park continues to defy the efforts of firefighters to slow its growth. The Hidden fire, ignited by lightning from a thunderstorm last week, is now estimated at 466 acres -- about 170 acres bigger than reported early Monday, said Deb Schweizer, a fire information officer for the park.

Storm Ignites Fires in Two National Parks

A quick-moving thunderstorm that dropped a little rain in the high Sierra Nevada Wednesday evening touched off at least three new wildfires in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.

The lightning strikes led to numerous unconfirmed reports of smoke and new fires late Wednesday, said Deb Schweizer, spokeswoman for the parks.

But it wasn't until Thursday morning, when park personnel took helicopter-surveillance flights, that three fires were confirmed, Schweizer said.

Foreign Tourists Visit Park

Joy Mehrten's Kaweah Marina had a great spring, hosting droves of European tourists who stopped at the lake on their way to Sequoia National Park.

As the weather warmed, Mehrten said, foreign visitation cooled. But business stayed strong.

Car Fire Sparks Sequoia Park Blaze

National Park Service firefighters contained a half-acre wildland blaze sparked by a car fire Monday afternoon inside Sequoia National Park.

The fire burned through dry grass and shrubs along Generals Highway about 2 miles north of Ampitheater Point.

Travel with The Californian: Sequoia National Park is the land of the giants

I’m going to say it. I know it’s bold but I have to: Sequoia National Park is the most beautiful place on planet Earth.

Well, maybe that’s a little too bold, but I’m sure it ranks up there with the best of them.

From Bakersfield, a trip to Sequoia National Park will take roughly two hours. We actually made a complete trip from Bakersfield to the top lookout point, 6,500 feet above sea level, and back on one tank of gas using an SUV.

340,000 marijuana plants eradicated from Tulare County mountains

Federal, state and local law enforcement officials announced today that they have seized more than 340,000 marijuana plants from more than 60 grow sites in eastern Tulare County over the last week

The plants were seized in a joint operation involving 14 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The raids occurred by air and foot over the last week and resulted in the arrest of 36 suspects, and the confiscation of 27 weapons, more than 27 miles of irrigation hose and nearly 1,900 pounds of fertilizer, officials reported.

The raids occurred on federal land, including Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park, and on state and private land, officials said.