An RV, four bikes, and the best parks in the Sierra
One week, three national parks, zero hotel rooms. We drive an RV from campground to campground — Three Rivers, Huntington Lake, Yosemite Valley — and each morning unload the bikes to ride the wildest roads the Sierra Nevada has to offer. The RV carries the gear, the cooler, and the recovery; the bikes carry us through giant sequoia groves, down the deepest canyon in North America, over Kaiser Pass at 2,700 m, and across Tioga at 3,033 m. Four riding days, 560 km, nearly 12,000 meters of climbing. One rest day in the middle to remember how to walk.
Why an RV?
No packing panniers, no searching for hotels at altitude. The RV is base camp on wheels — hot coffee at 5 AM, cold beer at 5 PM, and a real bed every night. It lets us ride light and ride far.
Who is this for?
Four friends who like climbing more than descending and coffee more than sleep. You don't need to be a racer — you need to be stubborn enough to keep pedaling when the road tilts up to 13%.
Ride 1
Into the Giants
Kings Canyon Loop
From Three Rivers the road climbs 35 kilometers through the largest grove of giant sequoias on earth — trees that were old when Rome was young. Then it drops you into Kings Canyon, the deepest in North America. At the bottom, granite walls rise 1,500 meters on both sides and the river echoes off them.
Three-thousand-year-old sequoias line both sides of the road.
The divide between Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Both parks spread below.
Canyon floor. Granite walls rise 1,500m on both sides.
Steady 35 km climb out of Three Rivers on Kings Canyon Rd (CA-180). Technical descent to canyon floor. Tight shoulders through canyon sections. Rolling high country km 50–90. Long descent back to valley — exposed, no shade km 130–145.
Kings Canyon — deepest canyon in North America. Giant sequoia groves at km 30. Panoramic views from the Generals Highway ridge. Granite walls rising 1,500m from the canyon floor.
Cedar Grove Village store (km 35) · Kings Canyon visitor center fountain (km 50) · Kanawyer Group Camp tap (km 80) · Final fill at Grants Grove (km 120)
Arrive Three Rivers · Setup camp
Ride 1 — Kings Canyon Loop
Drive to Kings Canyon VC · Ride 2 · Drive to Lakeshore
Rest Day
Ride 3 — Kaiser Pass
Ride 4 — Over Tioga
Check out · Drive home
Three Rivers Hideaway
RV Park · Three Rivers, CA · 307 m
Expect 30–35°C in June at 307m. Early start matters — no shade after 10:00 on the canyon road. Carry water filter + 3 bottles minimum.
Lakeshore Resort
Mountain Resort · Est. 1922 · Huntington Lake, CA · 2,134 m · Site #23
2,134m altitude. First night at elevation — expect poor sleep. Hydrate aggressively. Night temps drop to 8–10°C, bring warm layers. Afternoon thunderstorms possible.
Upper Pines, Yosemite
NPS Campground · Yosemite Valley, CA · 1,219 m · Site #201
Bear country. ALL food and scented items in bear boxes overnight — not in tents, not in RV cabinets. $5,000 fine for violations. Bears enter occupied sites.
Meet "Turbo"
2020 Jayco Greyhawk · Class C · 32 ft
Base camp on wheels. A full-size Class C motorhome that carries the bikes, the gear, and the crew from campground to campground. Hot coffee at 5 AM, cold beer at 5 PM, a real bed every night.
| Chassis | Ford E-450, V10 305 hp |
| Length | 32 ft / 9.75 m |
| Sleeps | 6 (queen + bunks + dinette) |
| Seatbelts | 8 |
| Fuel Tank | 55 gal / 208 L tank |
| Fresh Water | 47 gal / 178 L |
| Generator | Onan, built-in |
- Full kitchen — cooktop, oven, fridge, microwave
- Private bathroom with skylight shower
- Multiple A/C units + furnace
- Electric awning with LED lighting
- Hydraulic auto-leveling jacks
- Backup camera