Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Mojave Desert, and Las Vegas - part 2

Day 3 - 2014-04-21 - Small hikes, and a drive to Sequoia

Our day began with checking out of the hotel, then driving right around the corner to a small hike called Swinging Bridge.  Theoretically there is a loop that can be done from basically the hotel, but much of the first part is on roads, so we did that by car, parking next to an Adventist camp.

The Swinging Bridge is just as the name implies - a low bridge over a river.  We walked a bit, but mostly spent the time taking pictures.

After getting back from the Swinging Bridge, we took a walk around the meadow just across the street from the Wawona hotel, where we also stopped to eat a picnic lunch. The meadow loop, which was 3.5 miles long, while not difficult, was not particularly interesting, and is definitely skippable in favor of other activities.
After the loop, we headed out towards Sequoia/King's Canyon national park, by way of Fresno.

Yosemite Summary

Destination: Mariposa Grove - Worth seeing, especially if you're not continuing on to Sequoia National Park - can be made long or short based on your schedule, as there are giant Sequoias directly in the parking lot (though this might be changing), as well as longer trails you can take if you feel like seeing more / hiking.
Destination: Yosemite Valley - Definitely worth seeing. Can be done in a day, or you can spend at least another day there - in hindsight we would probably have done that.
Hotel: Wawona Hotel - Reasonable. Might be worth looking into the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley instead - though we didn't stay there so we can't comment on it.
Food: Wawona Hotel - Meh. If you're staying in Wawona, there isn't really much other choice, but the prices are high for the value.
Food: Village Grill in Yosemite Valley - Reasonable for lunch (according to David), at reasonable prices.

The drive from Fresno to King's Canyon offered some nice views on the way up. In King's Canyon we briefly stopped by Big Stump, where there are some dead stumps of giant Sequoias, from when they were logged before people realized that they weren't particularly useful trees. Then we headed down to check in at the Montecito Sequoia Lodge.

The Montecito Sequoia Lodge is actually in the Sequoia National Forest between King's Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park. It is an all-inclusive resort, offering all meals (including the option for packing a trail lunch), some guided hikes, a small lake with canoes and such, and a swimming pool and hot tub, among other things. There are rooms in the main lodge, as well as individual cabins (with detached bathrooms). Meals are a buffet with a good selection of good food, with a large communal dining area. There are games (such as Bingo) in the main lodge in the evening, and boardgames are available for checkout. The rooms are pretty spartan, but the general atmosphere of the place is very laid back and friendly.

Day 4 - 2014-04-22 - King's Canyon National Park

We got up bright and early in the morning (mostly because someone had turned on some heater in the middle of the night which kept waking us up) and hiked up to Buena Vista Peak for a grand view of most of King's Canyon National Park. Unfortunately, the fog had other plans, and just as we got to the peak, it covered up half of the vista. Nonetheless, undaunted by the fog, we captured some awesome photos of the visible part of the valley, and others of, well, fog.

Having finished Buena Vista Peak before 10am, we headed to the General Grant Grove, which houses large Sequoias.

After lunch at the Restaurant in Grant Grove Village, we headed over to the Boole Tree trailhead.  Unfortunately, the road was closed, and we weren't really feeling like doing a 7.5 mile hike instead of a 2.5-mile one, so we headed back to the visitor center for some advice on nearby hikes.  At the visitor center we got to hear a kid take a Junior Ranger pledge, before getting some tips and heading up to the Panorama Overlook for some more views of the valley, and then another hike through the North Grove, which is right next to General Grant Grove, but a lot less famous - and thus was empty. On the way back we stopped by some nice granite rocks by the side of the road.