Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

The Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are incredible areas of protected wilderness located in California’s southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. While not as popular as Yosemite, the Redwoods, or Joshua Tree, these national parks offer unrivaled scenery and limitless adventure opportunities with a fraction of the crowds. Explore the landscape characterized by famous giant sequoia groves, deep canyons, sky-scraping redwoods, vast caverns, granite monoliths, and soaring crests—you will not be disappointed.

Though technically two separate parks, the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park have been jointly administered by the National Parks Service since 1943—thus, admission to one park grants you access to the other. With a combined size of 1,353square miles, the parks feature a diversity of flora and fauna and miles of pristine hiking trails—yielding incredible outdoor experiences. Enjoy dense communities of chaparral, redwood and giant sequoia groves, montane meadows, mixed conifer forests, vibrant wildflowers that bloom in the springs, and keep an eye out for bears, deer, marmots, salamanders, snakes, and coyotes that inhabit the wilderness.

Unparallel in their natural beauty and biological diversity, the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks boast remarkable adventure pursuits. Open year-round; the parks offer hiking, biking, climbing, skiing, snowshoeing, camping, and water recreation experiences. Explore the family-friendly trails that meander through the towering groves of giant sequoias and indulge in the grandeur of the world’s largest sequoia—The General Sherman Tree in the Giant Forest Grove. Adrenaline junkies can climb up a granite monolith or try canyoning.

No matter the type of adventure you are seeking, the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks deliver. Immerse yourself in the great outdoors and revel in the scenery that these beautiful national parks have to offer. Full of wonderment and excitement, a trip to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is a must add to your California itinerary.