Kings Canyon National Park

Visited: June 2014

Nearby city: Visalia, CA; Fresno, CA

Kings Canyon National Park is made up of two units. The much smaller and separated from the main portion of the park is (1) General Grant Grove. This unit is the most visited region of the park, because of its proximity to Sequoia National Park. The second unit, and main unit of the park is (2) the canyons of the south and middle forks of the Kings River and south fork of San Joaquin River. This portion of the park consists of 90% of the park's area. It contains lots of backcountry wilderness, backpacking trails, glacial canyons, alpine lakes, and waterfalls.

Unfortunately, we only had time to visit the General Grant Grove. This grove was first set aside as the General Grant National Park. However, when Kings Canyon National Park was created in 1940, it incorporated General Grant National Park. The entrance fee is $30, and it also covers admission to Sequoia National Park.

The centerpiece of the grove is General Grant tree. It is the second largest tree in the world, after General Sherman tree. Stats for General Grant, Height: 267.4 ft Circumference at base: 107.6 ft Trunk volume: 46,608 cubic feet.

General Grant is a very impressive tree. Pres. Calvin Coolidge proclaimed it as the "Nation's Christmas Tree" in 1926. The hike to the General Grant Tree is only 0.7 mile loop and there are lots of other trees to admire and explore.

the wide trunk is incredibly impressive

After you get your fill of General Grant Tree, take the rest of the loop trail. It is a very pleasant hike.

The other highlight of the General Grant grove is the Fallen Monarch. A large tree that fell years ago with a hollowed out trunk that you can walk through. Tara has had lots of experience hiking in redwood groves, and likes to find trees that she can "live" in. She considers Fallen Monarch prime real estate. 😊

Unfortunately, we gave Kings Canyon short shrift. John Muir considered the Kings Canyon almost as beautiful as Yosemite (our next stop). So, we are excited to go back and explore all that the Park has to offer. However, if you are short on time a visit to General Grant grove is worth it. Visit the Park website for more info: https://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm