Nature Is Real: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Sequoia is our second oldest national park. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are located in south-central California, in the Sierra Nevada.

Topographic Features
To the north lies the Giant Forest plateau where sequoias rise above their forest neighbors. In cathedral-like Giant Forest stands the 275-foot General Sherman giant sequoia tree, whose trunk weighs an estimated 1,385 tons and whose circumference at the ground is nearly 103 feet. To the west, in contrast to these gargantuan conifers, are the dry foothills with their oak trees and chaparral vegetation descending toward the San Joaquin Valley. To the south, and down over 5,000 vertical feet, the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River threads its rugged canyon. To the east snowcapped peaks of the Great Western Divide and the Kaweah Peaks top out on Mount Kaweah at 13,802 feet. Just out of sight beyond the divide the highest mountain in the contiguous 48 states, Mount Whitney, reaches 14,494 feet of elevation.

John Muir

Pioneering conservationist John Muir explored and named the Giant Forest. "When I entered the sublime wilderness the day was nearly done", he observed, "the trees with rosy, glowing countenances seemed to be hushed and thoughtful, as if waiting in conscious religious dependence on the sun, and one naturally walked softly and awestricken among them." With our friends Walt and Mary, Alma and I, spent 4 glorious days in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in June 2013. We had the same feeling that John Muir had walking through the beautiful Sequoia trees, gazing at the magnificent mountain peaks, fly-fishing the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River and enjoying the abundant wildlife.

Deep Canyons and High Peaks
Both Sequoia and Kings Canyon encompass the most rugged portions of the Sierra Nevada. From the highest peaks in the lower 48 states, Ice Age glaciers descended to carve some of the country's deepest canyons. In their upper reaches these gorges show the U-shaped profile characteristic of glacial gouging. At the lower elevations they resume V-shape of water-carved canyons. In Sequoia the Generals Highway climbs the stream-cut walls of the Kaweah canyon. Kings Canyon Scenic Byway passes through both geologic profiles; where it ends, you can stand on canyon floor scoured flat by glaciers and stare up at canyon walls rising thousands of feet. Extreme elevation change--from 1,500 to 14,494 feet--creates a great variety of habitats. Plants and animals inhabit life zones that range from desert heat to Arctic cold. This rich diversity stands as one of the values Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks preserve for the world.

Visiting the Parks
Flights into Fresno or Bakersfield are most convenient departure points for visiting the parks.Vehicle access is by CA 180 into Kings Canyon or CA 198 into Sequoia. The Generals Highway connects both, making loop trips possible. On our visit we used Generals Highway from our overnight accommodations at Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia to drive to and through Kings Canyon. This drive is spectacular and highly recommended on your visit to the Parks.

Moro Rock Trail

Moro Rock
When visiting the must see Giant Forest of Sequoias, Moro Rock is another must see quick side trip. Moro Rock is a dome-shaped granite monolith. Moro Rock parking area is 1.5 miles from Giant Forest Museum. A strenuous .25-mile trail climbs 300 vertical feet between the parking area and Moro Rock's summit. The ultimate elevation is 6,725 feet. Guardrails enclose the narrow, level area at the top of Moro Rock, and interpretive signs identify landmarks. To the north Mount Silliman and Alta Peak are visible, and to the east is the Great Western Divide with the Castle Rocks in the foreground. To the west you can see the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River winding down the canyon toward the town of Three Rivers and the hazy San Joaquin Valley. Mount Whitney, at 14,494 feet, also rises up to the west. Bring a good camera because believe me you will want to snap many pictures while at the top of Moro, especially the beautiful Mount Whitney.

Brown "Black Bear"

Wildlife
Mule deer, yellow-bellied marmots, black bears were all seen and photographed by our party when we visited the two parks. Our first major encounter was right at dusk while enjoying an adult beverage on our way to the Lodge restaurant a few yards from our rooms. During this short stroll we managed to casually walk up on three black bears. We photographed for several minutes a large brown Black Bear (yes, there are brown Black Bears) and two black Black Bears feeding on berries hanging from the young bushy conifer looking trees. We had managed to see the large brown bear on our first day entering the Wuksachi Lodge area and Mary snapped a great picture of it standing on its two hind legs eating berries off a tree. We were in no hurry to leave the safe confines of our SUV. The bear must have stood 6 to 8 feet tall. What was strange about this second encounter was that Mary seemed to instantly loose her fear of bears. I had to remind her to keep her distance before they decided she was a little too close to their main course meal.

Mule Deer Bucks

Our second major wildlife encounter occurred on our last full day before leaving the park. Just off the main road near our overnight accommodations at Wuksachi Lodge were two very well racked mule deer bucks nosing each other. We carefully parked off the shoulder of the road and for about 10 minutes and were able to take photographs and videos of the two very large buck mule deer. We commented over dinner that evening that the two deer must be brothers or father and son because you would never expect two large racked bucks to get along so well.

In addition to the large mammal sitings we saw many varieties of squirrel and chipmunk and an abundance of birds. Other wildlife not encountered by our party, but who live in the park, include Coyotes, foxes, bobcats, skunks and rabbits. The most elusive creatures in Sequoia and Kings Canyon are the mountain lion and the wolverine.

Hiking
The main hiking season in Sequoia and Kings Canyon is early summer, the time we visited the park, through fall. Hikes in the foothills and South Fork areas, are best in the fall and spring. Trails tend to be more crowded on weekends and holidays, and throughout the summer vacation period. We hiked many of the meadow trails that were covered in beautiful wildflowers in full colorful bloom and song birds filled your ears with their joyous tunes. On one of these trails we encountered two mule deer does frolicking the trail and a white headed woodpecker. Walt was successful in snapping a great picture with his new 50 times zoom camera of the woodpecker

It is highly suggested that you be prepared for all kinds of weather because it can turn at any time. A sunny day can turn into a cold and rainy one without much warning at higher elevations. Fortunately for us the weather was perfect every day on our tour of both of these parks. I also recommend that everyone treat wildlife with respect and keep a safe distance.

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