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There is no direct way to get from Death Valley to Sequoia National Park - you have to find away across the Sierras first.

Assuming you are talking about this year, the popular thing to do would be to go through Death Valley and then to Yosemite National Park via Tioga Pass (The pass is open for 2014, although if this is for a future year, the pass generally opens sometime between mid-may and mid-june). There is a grove of Sequoia trees within Yosemite, or you could head back south to Sequoia from there.

Either way, I'd think you'd want to look at traveling down the Pacific Coast Highway, one of the most famous ocean view drives in the world, especially traveling through Big Sur - so getting to the coast around Monterey and then heading south.

You might have to sacrifice some of your time in Santa Monica to fit it all in, but I think you'd find it worthwhile.