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Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
漏Yaya Ernst/Shutterstock
Overview
The twin parks of Sequoia and Kings Canyon dazzle with superlatives, though they鈥檙e often overshadowed by Yosemite, their smaller neighbor to the north (a three-hour drive away). With towering forests of giant sequoias containing some of the largest trees in the world and the mighty Kings River careening through the depths of Kings Canyon (one of the deepest chasms in the country), the parks are lesser-visited jewels where it鈥檚 easier to find quiet and solitude. Throw in opportunities for caving, rock climbing and backcountry hiking through granite-carved Sierra landscapes as well as backdoor access to 14,494ft Mt Whitney 鈥 the tallest peak in the lower 48 states 鈥 and you have all the ingredients for two of the best parks in the country.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Sequoia National Park
A scenic subalpine valley at 7500ft, Mineral King is Sequoia鈥檚 backpacking mecca and a good place to find solitude. Gorgeous and gigantic, its glacially鈥
Sequoia National Park
This 3-sq-mile grove protects the park鈥檚 most gargantuan tree specimens. Among them is the world鈥檚 biggest, the General Sherman tree, rocketing 275ft into鈥
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Tragically, Converse Basin once contained the world鈥檚 largest grove of mature sequoias, but it鈥檚 now an unsettling cemetery for tree stumps. In the late鈥
Sequoia National Park
A quarter-mile staircase climbs 350 steps (over 300ft) to the top of Sequoia鈥檚 iconic granite dome at an elevation of 6725ft, offering mind-boggling views鈥
Sequoia National Park
Discovered in 1918 by two parks' employees who were going fishing, this unique cave was carved by an underground river and has marble formations estimated鈥
Kings Canyon National Park
This sequoia grove off Generals Hwy is astounding. The paved half-mile General Grant Tree Trail is an interpretive walk that visits a number of mature鈥
Sequoia National Park
Said to have been described by John Muir as the 鈥榞em of the Sierra,鈥 this lush meadow is buffered by a forest of firs and giant sequoias. High grass and鈥
Sequoia National Park
By volume the largest living tree on earth, the massive General Sherman Tree rockets into the sky and waaay out of the camera frame. Pay your respects to鈥
