Sequoia/ Kings Canyon National Park

Arriving back in California after an awesome Hawaii excursion, we headed back to where we left the snow, Sequoia/ Kings Canyon National Park. We definitely were excited to see the enormous mountains, wildlife, canyons, caverns, and of course the world’s largest trees! As your traveling in and around the National Parks, you soon realize that you are also surrounded by three national forests as well (Sequoia National Forest/Giant Sequoia National Monument, Inyo National Forest, Sierra National Forest). Needless to say, you’re going to see a lot!

Kings Canyon is adjacent to Sequoia in the Sierra Nevada mountains. There were tons of hikes and all were very impressive. No matter what your skill level, both parks have something for you. The real star of the show though is obviously the Giant Sequoia. They average in height between 250-300 feet. Although their height is impressive, the real stunning sight is their bulk. To put it in perspective, many of these giants have diameters in excess of 30 feet near the ground, with a corresponding circumference of over 94 feet! So what does that mean in layman’s terms? Scientists estimate that General Sherman (the worlds largest Sequoia) weighs some 642 tons, about as much as 107 elephants. The tree is thought to be 2,300 to 2,700 years old, making it one of the oldest living things on the planet.

If you have the chance to visit Sequoia/ Kings Canyon, do it! Even if you have one day, you will have enough time to literally see some of the largest and oldest (General Sherman holds the title for both) trees in the world! The pictures we took on our adventure are below. The next stop on our adventure will be Yosemite National Park. LET’S GO!