Sequoia/Kings Canyon Details

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are adjoining national parks that are best treated as one park. Together, the parks have over 864,000 acres with a staggering 84% designated as wilderness meant only for hiking and horseback riding. 800 miles of trails encompass the park's unique sights and varied terrain. Beneath the foothills and forest floors, there are over 240 caves that continually grow with the movement of above-ground and underground water. Crystal Cave is the only cave with public access via a guided tour. Over 1.5 million people visited the conglomeration of these parks in 2008, with the highest monthly visitorship in August.

Straddling the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park stretches from the chaparral foothills from approximately 1,500 feet above sea level to Mount Whitney at 14,505 feet, the highest in the contiguous US. The 13,000 feet difference from high to low embodies several intricate layers of this uniquely diverse temperate conifer forest. A great way to experience this vast variety is to drive the General's Highway that rises more than 5,000 feet and delivers you to the superstars of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, the groves of giant sequoia trees. From here, hiking trails lead you to the montane forest and alpine wilderness. With the outstanding range of habitats, there are many niche species located throughout Sequoia and Kings Canyon.

Most of the visitors to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park enter at Ash Mountain near Three Rivers, CA in the foothills. This Foothills Ecosystem is the only ecosystem of its kind protected by the National Park Service. Scattered at this lower elevation of approximately 1,500 feet and higher are foothills chaparral shrublands, oak woodlands and savannahs, yucca plants, grasslands as well as V-shaped river valleys and riparian vegetation. Plants in this foothills region have drought-resistant adaptations such as thick waxy leaves and stunted growth that may also be attributed to lack of nutrients. Animals common to this ecoregion are gray fox, bobcats, coyotes, ringtail cats, raccoons, ground squirrels, mule deer, and rattlesnakes. Mountain lions, rather reclusive and seldom seen, make meals out of the mule deer. Fishers, pine martens and wolverines eat small animals, such as squirrels.

California black oak is throughout this foothills ecoregion and melds into the conifer forest ecoregion, acting as a significant transition species. California black oak is also an extremely important habitat and food source for a large portion of the birds and animals of the area. Owls, tree squirrels, various woodpeckers, and black bears use the cavities in the California black oak for their homes. Wildlife benefit from the shade provided during the summer. Acorns are an essential source of food for mule deer, rodents, mountain quail, woodpeckers, and Steller's jays. Black-tailed deer and western gray squirrel get about half of their diet from acorns alone. California black oaks begin in the foothills and continue through the lower elevations of the conifer forest.

Ponderosa pine forest fades in to replace the oak woodlands between about 3,000-5,000 feet. At this elevation, the mixed conifer forest takes over with sugar pine, Jeffrey pine, incense cedar, lodgepole pine, white fir, red fir as well as ponderosa pine. Scattered throughout the mixed conifer forest are groves of the mighty sequoia trees that have inspired the name of the Sequoia National Park. Together, this rare diversity of co-existing old-growth tree species create the richest fertile soils in the Sierra Nevada. The mixed conifer forest is part of the larger classification of montane forest which is where the clouds meet the mountains and create a pocket of higher moisture and precipitation. This moisture assists in productive soil creation by speeding up the process of decay on the forest floor. The pikas and marmots inhabit the mountains and many of the lower elevation animals cross into this zone as well, such as Wolverine, mountain lion, black bear, and fox.

There are 30 giant sequoia groves in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park out of 75 in the world. These giants have the heavyweight title for the largest living thing by mass. Reaching heights of more than 275 feet, girths of over 35 feet and ages as high as 3200 years, Sequoia are living monoliths. Sequoias' size is attributed to fast growth and long life due to being fire-tolerant and resistant to bacterial and fungal threats. Fire plays a helpful role in the forest ensuring seed release and fertility of the seedbeds. Sequoias thrive between 5,000 and 7,000 elevations.

The next level of the montane forest is the sub-alpine zone at 7,000-9,000 feet, where the greatest amount of snow accumulates. A band of white fir trees followed by a band of red fir occurs at the lower part of this zone. The canopies of these forests are thick and prevent the forest floor from receiving enough sunlight to support many other plants. This also limits the animals present here. Above and mixed in with the fir trees, lodgepole pine dominate extensively combined with montane chaparral and alpine meadows. Fir and lodgepole pine form pure species-specific stands. Mixed between fir and lodgepole stands in the upper portion of the sub-alpine zone are western white pine, Jeffrey pine, aspen, and mountain juniper.

At 9,000 feet you might think that tree life would cease, but between 9,000 and 10,000 feet, there are whitebark pine, limber pine, mountain hemlock, and foxtail pine, named for the way that the tree is shaped by the harsh elements. Above the timberline in the rocky alpine, talus slopes, rocky outcroppings, and alpine meadows cover the mountain. Earth-hugging perennial herbs replace the stunted trees and shrubs. And to think that Mt. Whitney is still looming above the treeline another 4,500 feet.

There is a lot more to see in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park then the trees. This park system is also known for its spectacular river canyons and congregation of towering peaks. There are a few places where the two extremes combine. Kings Canyon is one of those marvels with the Kings River cutting into sheer granite at the base of mountains with differences of over 7,500 vertical feet. Many waterfalls and lush meadows abound in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park as well. Dozens of canyons, several with 4,000-6,000 foot walls, are highlighted throughout the park. 2,600 miles of rivers and streams create breathtaking opportunities everywhere you turn. The fishing is also abundant due to decades of fish stocking, supplementing the native population.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains get higher as you go south and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park is the apex of the amazing Sierran heights. There are eleven mountain peaks that exceed 14,000 feet. Westward extending ridges in Kings Canyon National Park surpass 13,000 feet. The Great Western Divide reaches heights over 12,000 feet. All these heights are shadowed by Mt. Whitney at 14,505 feet. In Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, great heights are at your fingertips. The real question is whether you accept the challenge.