2015-19 Kings Canyon National Park, California
Hello All,
Our next adventure took us into Kings Canyon National Park in California. It lies north of and borders Sequoia National Park. The two are jointly administered by the National Park Service as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Both are in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
Kings Canyon was originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park. On March 4, 1940, it was greatly expanded and renamed Kings Canyon National Park. Its namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier-carved valley more than a mile (1,600 m) deep. The park also includes multiple 14,000-foot (4,300 m) peaks, high mountain meadows, swift flowing rivers, and some of the world's largest stands of giant sequoia trees. We find the park truly breathtaking and hope you enjoy a few of the following highlights.
Our first stop this day would be the General Grant Grove. The grove showcases some of the best sequoia habitat anywhere, producing some of the world’s largest trees. From the parking area there is a ½-mile paved trail that loops into the grove. It is relatively easy and takes about 30 minutes to complete. There are no steep slopes or stairs on the main trail.
It is a lovely walk that kept us busy snapping photos all the way. The thousands of year old giant sequoias are truly majestic. Around every twist and turn of the trail there are never-ending photo opportunities.
Our next adventure took us into Kings Canyon National Park in California. It lies north of and borders Sequoia National Park. The two are jointly administered by the National Park Service as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Both are in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
Kings Canyon was originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park. On March 4, 1940, it was greatly expanded and renamed Kings Canyon National Park. Its namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier-carved valley more than a mile (1,600 m) deep. The park also includes multiple 14,000-foot (4,300 m) peaks, high mountain meadows, swift flowing rivers, and some of the world's largest stands of giant sequoia trees. We find the park truly breathtaking and hope you enjoy a few of the following highlights.
Our first stop this day would be the General Grant Grove. The grove showcases some of the best sequoia habitat anywhere, producing some of the world’s largest trees. From the parking area there is a ½-mile paved trail that loops into the grove. It is relatively easy and takes about 30 minutes to complete. There are no steep slopes or stairs on the main trail.
It is a lovely walk that kept us busy snapping photos all the way. The thousands of year old giant sequoias are truly majestic. Around every twist and turn of the trail there are never-ending photo opportunities.
Halfway around the loop stands the General Grant Tree, one of the largest trees on earth.
The General Grant Tree’s massive trunk makes it the third largest tree in the world. And at 40 feet (12 m) in diameter at ground level, it is the world’s widest known sequoia. But, it is not nearly the oldest. In fact, it is nearly 1,500 years younger than the oldest known sequoia.
Location, not age, is the key to a sequoia’s size. In places with the best combination of moisture, sunlight, and nutrients, they outgrow older sequoias rooted in less prime locations. Apparently conditions here are ideal, considering how quickly the General Grant Tree has grown so large. At 268 feet tall this monarch towers above the rest of the grove, and it is just 1,700 years in age.
This cabin was built in 1872 by Israel Gamlin, who with his brother Thomas filed a timber claim to 160 acres within the Grant Grove. They quartered here until 1878 while grazing cattle in the mountains. After General Grant Park was established in 1890, the cabin was used as a storehouse by the U.S. Cavalry who patrolled the park until 1913. Later it became the quarters of the first park ranger stationed here.
Early explorers told of giant trees in California, but the public remained skeptical. At least three nearby sequoias died to prove that they lived. Cut into pieces they were shipped across country and around the world to prove they existed. At over 300 feet tall, the Mark Twain Tree was cut in 1891. Slabs of its trunk still hang in museums in New York and London.
As a natural process frequent fires have shaped this ecosystem. Fires have touched every mature sequoia many times. Thick insulating bark protects sequoias from all but the hottest flames. The Tennessee Tree below has burned more dramatically than many, yet it survives. How, you might ask. Sequoia wood is high in tannin, a chemical that helps exposed wood resist rot and insects.Where bark remains, nutrients can still flow to keep the tree healthy.
As a natural process frequent fires have shaped this ecosystem. Fires have touched every mature sequoia many times. Thick insulating bark protects sequoias from all but the hottest flames. The Tennessee Tree below has burned more dramatically than many, yet it survives. How, you might ask. Sequoia wood is high in tannin, a chemical that helps exposed wood resist rot and insects.Where bark remains, nutrients can still flow to keep the tree healthy.
Returning to our car we continued our venture further into the park. We made a quick stop at Grizzly Falls where we utilized the picnic area for a quick snack. It is a small 80-foot waterfall, and is well worth taking the time to stop and snap a few photos.
Departing Grizzly Falls our next target destination in the park was the end of Highway 180 through the Kings River Canyon. Highway 180 is only open from May through October, weather permitting. It is a good paved road that requires a driver to stay alert at all times. While it is spectacularly scenic, a wandering eye could result in a bad situation quickly. There are numerous pulloffs and view points along the way and we highly recommend stopping often to take it all in.
In the following photo Highway 180 is in the lower center of the photo. It works its way down into the bottom of the scenic Kings River Canyon. The highway ends near the base of the distant snow capped mountains.
In the following photo Highway 180 is in the lower center of the photo. It works its way down into the bottom of the scenic Kings River Canyon. The highway ends near the base of the distant snow capped mountains.
From this lower vantage point you can see the highway coming into the photo on the left and then winding back and forth across the photo to the right. Then it comes back into view at a lower elevation on the right before going out of sight.
A final shot of the highway working its way down into the bottom of the canyon.
The Kings River Canyon is a wonderland of unique geology. The middle and south forks of the Kings River steadily scour and reshape this canyon, one of the deepest in North America. However, this was a shallow sea in the early Jurassic period where plants and animals were buried in the sand. A volcanic wave at the edge of the continental plate lifted this prehistoric sea floor. It squeezed, melted, and twisted the layers of marine sediment into marble and other metamorphic rock. Magma pushed upward and solidified into granite domes. Then about 15,000 years ago glaciers scraped away sedimentary and metamorphic rock and polished the granite domes. And then as the glaciers retreated water and wind eroded the canyon walls into what we see today.
One can visualize the rock below bubbling into the formation it is today.
And the rock below is unlike any other we have come across.
As we approached the bottom of the canyon it really closed in on us. Not a place for the driver to be gawking around! However, we found it to be quite beautiful.
In our eyes it is quite a spectacular drive. We would love to make the trip again in early summer when wildflowers are blooming.
Rounding each corner brought a different view and perspective. If you enjoy the outdoors and what Mother Nature provides you will not be disappointed venturing into Kings Canyon.
As we approached the roads end the canyon widened out. There were campgrounds in the area and numerous trailheads for hiking into the wilderness areas.
Hope you have enjoyed this quick trip into Kings Canyon National Park. It is always our pleasure to have you join us. Our next adventure will take us into Yosemite National Park. We have a couple of spare seats so we hope you will consider riding along with us.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns