Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park is located in the southern Sierra
Nevada, east of Fresno, California. The park was established in
1940 and covers 462,901 acres. This park was orginally
incorporated as General Grant National Park, established in 1890
to protect the General Grant Grove of Giant Sequoias. The park
is north of and contiguous with Sequoia National Park; the two
are administered by the National Park Service together.
Kings Canyon Sections
Kings Canyon National Park is divided into two sections. The
small, detached General Grant Grove section of Kings Canyon
National Park preserves several groves of giant sequoia
including the General Grant Grove, with the famous General Grant
Tree, and the Redwood Mountain Grove, which is the largest
remaining natural Giant Sequoia grove in the world which covers
3,100 acres and with 15,800 sequoia trees over one foot in
diameter at their bases. The park's Giant Sequoia forests are
part of 202,430 acres of old-growth forests shared by Sequoia
and Kings Canyon National Parks. This section of the park is
mostly mixed conifer forest, and is readily accessible via paved
highways.
The remainder of Kings Canyon National Park, which comprises
over 90% of the total area of the park, is located to the east
of General Grant Grove and forms the headwaters of the South and
Middle Forks of the Kings River and the South Fork of the San
Joaquin River. Both the South and Middle Forks of the Kings
Rivers have extensive glacial canyons. One portion of the South
Fork canyon, known as the Kings Canyon, gives the entire park
its name. Kings Canyon is one of the deepest canyons in the
United States. The canyon was carved by glaciers out of granite.
The Kings Canyon, and its developed area, Cedar Grove, is the
only portion of the main part of the park that is accessible by
motor vehicle. Both the Kings Canyon, and its Middle Fork twin,
Tehipite Valley, are glacial “Yosemites”–deeply incised glacial
gorges with relatively flat floors and towering granite cliffs
thousands of feet high. In addition, the canyon has several cave
systems, one of which is the Boyden Cave, which is open to the
public.
To the east of the canyons are the high peaks of the Sierra
Crest culminating in 14,248-foot high North Palisade, the
highest point in the park. This is classic high Sierra country:
barren alpine ridges and glacially scoured lake-filled basins.
Usually snow free only from late June until late October, the
high country is accessible only via foot and horse trails. The
Sierran crest forms the eastern boundary of the park, from Mount
Goethe in the north, down to Junction Peak, at the boundary with
Sequoia National Park. Several passes cross the crest into the
park, including Bishop Pass, Taboose Pass, Sawmill Pass, and
Kearsarge Pass. All of these passes are above 11,000'.
