Questions or comments? We'd love to hear them!
Sequoia & Kings Canyon
Descriptive:
On the high western slope of the Sierra Nevada, Sequoia National Park is the second oldest of all the National Parks, after Yellowstone. The longest single continuous mountain range, the Rockies.
The sequoia is the largest living thing on Earth. Of the some 75 groves in the Park, most sequoia grow between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in height. These colossal trees are largely indestructible, being highly resistant to bugs and disease; in fact, they are most susceptible to toppling due to their curiously shallow root system.
Great Western Divide.
Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the U.S., stands silent guard over this National Park.
The Snowy Sawtoothed Mountain Range, the Sierra Nevada in Spanish, is 400 miles long and ranges from 60 to 80 miles in width, which makes it larger than the Alps of Europe.
Vegetation:
Sequoia
Mixed conifers
Wildlife:
Black bear
Cougar
Mountain lion
Mule deer
Wolverine
Pika
Marmot
Marten
Coyote
Bobcat
Fox
Rattlesnakes
Bighorn sheep
Trout
Woodpeckers
Bluebirds
Golden eagles
Grouse
Robin
Water ouzel
Key locations:
The General Sherman tree is located in Giant Forest and is 275 feet tall and is estimated to weigh almost 1,400 tons; the circumference of this behemoth at ground level is over 100 feet. It is estimated at approximately 2,500 hundred years old, give or take a couple of hundred years.
Mt. Whitney is the tallest peak in the United States, excluding Alaska.
Kern Canyon is 6,000 feet deep and is deeper than Arizona's Grand Canyon.
Buena Vista Peak sports an awesome 360-degree panoramic view, encompassing Redwood Canyon and the high Sierras; pick up this trail just south of Kings Canyon Overlook.
Tokopah Falls Trail ends at the abrupt rise of granite cliffs and the waterfall of Tokopah Canyon.
To get to Mist Falls follow South Fork Canyon past roaring cascades
to one of the largest waterfalls in the Park. The trailhead can be picked up at Read's End.
Moro Rock, near the Lodgepole Visitor Center, features a 400 step staircase to the summit of a granite dome. Its magnificent vistas encompass views of the Great Western Divide.
Crystal Cave's beautiful marble cavern is a sight not to be missed. Tours are given and tickets must be purchased at the Lodgepole Visitor Center. Near the mouth of Crystal Cave is a cast iron gate resembling a large spider's web, and called appropiately Spider Web Gate. From Junction Room, three intersecting trails lead into the cave, to view the Dome Room, the Curtain Room and the Organ Room. After you squeeze through the suitably named Fat Man's Misery, you will enter the august grandeur of the 140 foot passage known as Marble Hall. Other caves exist but are not open to the public; these include Clough Cave, Paradise Cave and Palmer Cave.
Zumwalt Meadow in Cedar Grove is an easy-to-get-to scenic trail in which a rife meadow lays among steep granite walls and the lush Kings River.
Redwood Canyon is the largest grove of sequoias in the world.
Activities:
Fishing
Swimming
Boating
Backcountry hiking
Horseback riding
Trails:
Atwell-Hockett Trail
Big Arroyo Canyon Trail
Big Stump Basin Trail
Congress Trail
Copper Creek Trail
Don Cecil Trail
Elizabeth Pass
Franklin Pass
Goddard Canyon Trail
Granite Pass
Hazelwood Nature Trail
High Sierra Trail
Hotel Creek Trail
J.O. Pass
Kennedy Pass
Lewis Creek Trail
Little Baldy Trail
North Grove Loop
Pacific Crest Trail
Redwood Canyon Trail
Sawtooth Pass
Silliman Pass
Simpson Meadow Trail
Tar Gap Trail
Tokopah Falls Trail
Woods Creek Trail
Campsites:
Atwell Mill
Buckeye Flat
Cedar Grove
Cold Springs
Giant Forest
Grant Grove
Lodgepole
Potwisha
South Fork
Nearby Sites:
Inyo National Forest
Sequoia National Forest
Sierra National Forest
