Sequoia National Forest covers the wooded mountains north and west of Kernville and is the closest big wilderness to the town. The forest is not the same thing as Sequoia National Park (which lies further north), but it does protect groves of giant sequoia — the Trail of 100 Giants loop in the Long Meadow Grove is the easiest place to see them, an hour's drive up the Western Divide Highway from Kernville.
Trails wind through the surrounding mountains for serious backpacking or simple day hikes. The Sherman Pass Road climbs from the valley over a 9,200-foot pass with sweeping views down to the Mojave Desert; spectacular in good weather and impassable in winter. Pick up trail maps and conditions at the Sequoia Forest Ranger Station on Sierra Way in Kernville.