Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks - Definition and Overview

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are two US national parks in the Southern Sierra Nevada, east of Fresno, California.

The two parks are adjacent, and the National Park Service manages them as one administrative unit. Combined, the two parks cover 1347 square miles (3489 km&sup2).

The parks are bounded on the east and north by the John Muir Wilderness. On the south and west, they are bounded by the Giant Sequoia National Monument and the Sequoia National Forest. The Golden Trout Wilderness lies to the south, while the Dinkey Lakes Wilderness lies to the west.

The outstanding features of the parks include

• Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States
• The General Sherman tree, a Giant Sequoia that is the most massive tree on earth.
• Kings Canyon, a deep granite canyon, formed by glaciers.
• Moro Rock, an outstanding lookout point.
• Many hiking trails, including
  • The southern end of the John Muir Trail
  • The Pacific Crest Trail
  • The High Sierra Trail

For more detailed information, please see the articles about the specific park units:

• Kings Canyon National Park
• Sequoia National Park
• General Grant Grove

See also:

• List of guidebooks about the Sierra Nevada
• Biology of the Sierra Nevada

External links and references

• Sequoia and Kings Canyon's Virtual Visitor Center (http://www.nps.gov/seki/mainvc.htm)
• Online map (http://www.sequoia.national-park.com/map.htm)
• Panoramic photos of Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs (http://www.virtualparks.org/parks/kingscanyon-qtvr-map.html)