Overview

Located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, Sequoia National Park is known for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman tree, the largest tree in the world (by volume). The General Sherman tree is located within the Giant Forest, which contains five of the ten largest trees in the world. The park contains the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet above sea level. The park is south of, and contiguous with, Kings Canyon National Park. King's Canyon National Park abuts Sequoia National Park; managed jointly by the National Park Service, both are home to giant trees. Formerly known as General Grant National Park, Kings Canyon is home to the General Grant Grove of Giant Sequoias. The giant trees can be easily visited by car, but most of these parks are comprised of wilderness areas, with a diversity of landscapes running from the lofty heights of 14,505-foot Mount Whitney to canyons, caves, and forests. Of the two parks, Kings Canyon is the more remote, entered by a single dead-end road open in summer only. Visitors can tour Crystal Cave, hike and camp the backcountry, and of course visit the giant trees: a variety of hikes begin at the massive, 2,100-year-old General Sherman an impossible-to-miss trailhead at 270 feet tall and 102 feet in circumference.