Sequoia Kings Canyon Press Release

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks News Release For Immediate Release                                Contact: Sintia Kawasaki-Yee, Public Information Officer Media Contact: (559) 679-2866 E-mail: seki_public_affairs@nps.gov   Reference Number: 8553-2006 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are Further Modifying Operations to Implement Local Health Guidance SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, California March 25, 2020– Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is announcing additional modifications to operations in response to guidance from the Tulare County Department of Public Health. The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners is our number one priority. The National Park Service is working servicewide with federal, state, and local authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic.    Effective immediately, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will be closed to all park visitors until further notice. California Highway 180 will remain open for pass-through traffic to access Giant Sequoia National Monument and private property. All other roads and parking facilities are temporarily closed.     We will notify the public when we resume full operations and provide updates on our website www.nps.gov/seki and social media channels @SequoiaKingsNPS.      We encourage visitors to use a variety of available tools and resources in preparation for future visits and to enjoy the parks from afar. The official Sequoia & Kings Canyon app is available for free and can be downloaded by searching for “NPS Sequoia & Kings” in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Our park website www.nps.gov/seki allows you to download the park newspaper, plan a trip, enjoy snowy vistas from our webcam, explore natural soundscapes across the elevations of these parks, and browse our photo gallery. If you’d like to speak with a park ranger to help you with future trip-planning or request park information by mail, call our main park line 559-565-3341 (dial 0) during business hours.     For information about Sequoia Parks Conservancy services including Pear Lake Ski Hut and Crystal Cave please visit www.sequoiaparksconservancy.org. For information about lodging, restaurants, and markets managed by Delaware North Companies please visit www.visitsequoia.com.   - NPS - About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks These two parks, which lie side by side in the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, preserve prime examples of nature’s size, beauty, and diversity. Nearly 2 million visitors from across the U.S. and the world visit these parks to see the world’s largest trees (by volume), grand mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, the highest point in the lower 48 states, and more. Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/seki. - ### - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks  47050 Generals Highway Three Rivers, CA 93271 559-565-3341 | www.nps.gov/seki