You have to go through Visalia to get to sequoia. Fresno is out of the way, as in 30-45 minutes to Visalia and another 60-90 minutes to Fresno out of the way. Three rivers is okay but not really much there other than a stop to get into the park. The benefit of three rivers is that it is right at the entrance. I would suggest Visalia. There are several chain hotels and lots of restaurants. And personally I would go with the Hampton Inn on Noble ave. It's easy to find, easy on and off the freeway, and it's clean. Oh and it's a decent area of town. Not that Visalia has a bad side. Oh and locals will laugh at you or shake thier heads if you mess up the name Vi-sail-yuh cause people do it all the time.