Foothills Visitor Center — Attraction in Exeter

Very very strict about the in person capacity limit. They even call you out for not wearing your mask all the way over your nose. My 7 year old got a little lazy and let his slip down over his mouth and they were all over him. My wife didn't have hers all the way up the bridge of her nose and she got hollered at too. They don't have extra masks either so my 12 yr old had to wait outside since he had just lost his mask. Other than being annoying there's really not that much else here. You can learn a little, and I mean very little about the wildlife that call this area their home and you can buy a few trinkets but that's it. I wouldn't waste my time at this place. As far as visitors centers go this is about as basic at it gets. The funny thing is they had 3 people working that day. One manning the door, one at the register, and one milling around the store telling people to fix their masks. It would be funny actually if it weren't such a waste of national forest...

A pleasurable trip. Just one mile inside the park along the Generals Highway, the Foothills Visitor Center offers trip-planning / hiking information, exhibits, first aid, maps, books, nature-related gifts, and public restrooms. Good amenities.

Center's free exhibit room provides displays on foothills ecology and human history of the area.

Foothills area of Sequoia National Park offers hiking, picnicking, and camping. Free ranger-led programs may be available during the summer time.

Headquarters for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, as well as wilderness backcountry permits, will be found in this area. Check in the visitor center for assistance if required.

Coming from the other side, Foothills Visitor Center is located on the Generals Highway one mile north of the Ash Mountain Entrance.

Main focus here is on the Sierran foothills, the most biologically diverse area of these parks.

Throughly...

The Foothills Visitor Center is located 1 mile into Sequoia National Park after entering through the southern Park Ash Mountain entrance. It is open throughout the year from 8am to 4.30pm (mid-Marh to end of Nov) and 9am to 4pm (Dec to mid-March).

Here you find a relatively small parking area, clean bathrooms and a ranger desk where you can ask about trail and road conditions - quite important if you are visiting during winter months. There is a small gift shop and souvenir section and a room with displays relating to the flora, fauna and general natural history of the surrounding Foothills of lower Sequoia National Park.

We found the Foothills Visitor Center to be a good resource for finding important information related to the national park. The next available visitor centre during winter months is the found at the Giant Forest Museum 23 miles...