California · Hiking · Near Silver City

Tar Gap Trail Parking

Tar Gap Trail ParkingPhoto: NPS / Scott Andrew Taylor
Jun–Oct
best months

Is Tar Gap Trail Parking open right now?

No closures listed

The National Park Service lists no closures for Sequoia National Park.

As of · Source: NPS · Sequoia National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Tar Gap Trail Parking is a National Park Service overflow parking area in Sequoia National Park, California. It serves as an alternative when other trailhead lots are full, and it sits among the park's network of trailheads, close to Cold Springs Nature Trail - Western Trailhead and Cold Spring Campground. Spring and early summer are the time to watch for marmots, which can damage vehicles. That makes the parking a practical choice when the main lots are full, but it also means drivers should take care with their cars from late spring through early summer. Late spring and early fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 58°F with lows near 33°F, and September highs near 70°F with lows around 39°F. That station sits about 850 feet lower than this parking, so temperatures here run cooler. Within a mile are Cold Springs Nature Trail - Western Trailhead, Cold Spring Campground and Timber Gap. The Farewell Gap-Franklin Lakes Trailhead is just over 0.7 miles away.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Cold Springs Campground

    Campground

    Campground · 0.5 mi from the trail
  • If it rainsDavid Fulmer, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    Giant Forest Museum

    Museum

    Museum · 12 mi from Silver City

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: David Fulmer, CC BY 2.0 (commons)

More in Silver City

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Jun–Oct

    Best time to visit Tar Gap Trail Parking

    Best months: June–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      39° / 17°

      9 wet · 8 snow

    2. Feb

      41° / 18°

      10 wet · 8 snow

    3. Mar

      45° / 22°

      10 wet · 8 snow

    4. Apr

      50° / 26°

      8 wet · 5 snow

    5. May

      58° / 33°

      5 wet · 2 snow

    6. Jun

      68° / 40°

      3 wet

    7. Jul

      76° / 46°

      2 wet

    8. Aug

      76° / 44°

      2 wet

    9. Sep

      70° / 39°

      2 wet

    10. Oct

      59° / 31°

      4 wet · 1 snow

    11. Nov

      47° / 23°

      6 wet · 4 snow

    12. Dec

      37° / 17°

      8 wet · 6 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lodgepole, CA, 12.5 mi away at 6,735 ft. The station sits about 900 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

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Cold Springs Nature Trail - Western Trailhead

Next door

This trailhead is located within Cold Springs Campground, look for a wooden trailhead sign between sites 6 and 7. Cold Springs Nature Trail is 2.0 miles round-trip (3.2 kilometer) at an easy incline. It travels through meadows and aspen groves to the site of the former…

Timber GapPhoto: J Doll, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Timber Gap

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Paradise Ridge Trailhead

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Cold Spring CGPhoto: Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Cold Spring CG

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Farewell Gap-Franklin Lakes Trailhead

~1 min drive

This trailhead orientation panel shows a map and images of the area around Farewell Gap Trail and Franklin Lakes Trail. Farewell Gap Trail and Franklin Lakes Trail share the same route for the first 2.8 miles. From there, Farewell Gap Trail travels to the right for 2.7 miles…

Paradise Ridge-Redwood MdwPhoto: HikingMike, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Paradise Ridge-Redwood Mdw

~7 min drive

5.84-mile out-and-back trail in California with 3,183 ft elevation gain.

Farewell/FranklinPhoto: J Doll, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Farewell/Franklin

~3 min drive

0.82-mile out-and-back trail in California with 97 ft gain.

Timber Gap Cliff CreekPhoto: J Doll, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Timber Gap Cliff Creek

~2 min drive

2.95-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,418 ft elevation gain.

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Atwell-Hockett

~10 min drive

10.48-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,857 ft elevation gain.