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Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks with The World Outdoors (www.TheWorldOutdoors.com) (September 2003) |
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Introduction
§ I have a lot of pictures for this trip so I have created two pages this one for Kings Canyon & Sequoia and a separate page for Yosemite |
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The first map shows the location of the Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks in California and the second map shows the location of coastal Redwoods and Giant Sequoias. As you can see they both occur in a very limited geographic area. The third map shows the two national parks and some of their key features.
Places in Kings Canyon NP Places in Sequoia NP 1 Redwood Canyon 1 Hospital Rock 2 General Grant Tree 2 Moro Rock 3 Boyden Caverns 3 Giant Forest Village 4 Grizzly Falls 4 General Sherman Tree 5 Roaring River Falls 5 Generals Highway 6 Mist Falls As you can see the two parks have a common boundary. We entered the parks on CA 180 which is known as Generals Highway because it connects the General Grant and General Sherman trees. The pink section by itself right at the entrance is part of Kings Canyon, but it was originally set aside in 1890 as General Grant National Park. Then when Kings Canyon was created in 1940 General Grant was absorbed into the new Kings Canyon National Park which eventually grew to include the South Fork of the Kings River and 456,552 acres of backcountry wilderness. Managed as one park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon together total over 863,700 acres. This small separate pink section contains the Redwood Mountain Grove where we hiked the first day. It was a very interesting road down to the beginning of the trail. You would really have to know what you were looking for and would have to have a lot of faith to follow that road all the way down to its end. The hike was VERY interesting, a lot of fun, and was our first exposure to the Giant Sequoias. |
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the first large Sequoia we saw |
pictures of Kings Canyon & Sequoia 1) click on a thumbnail picture to view a larger image 2) right click on the larger image to save the picture 3) click on your Internet Browser's Back arrow to return to this page
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after this picture all 9 of us circled the tree and joined hands we were barely able to touch each other's hand |
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Wendy, one of our guides |
Sequoias &
Fires Sequoia trees are very fire
resistant. Unlike most tree barks, the bark has NO resin in it, so it
doesn't burn very well. In addition, the bark is very thick - sometimes
more than two feet at the base - and this insulates the tree and protects
it. As you can see here the tree
has a big hole caused by a fire, but it is still a vigorous growing tree. Fire is essential for the
propagation of the sequoias. The heat of the fire opens their cones and
allows the seeds to emerge. It also burns off the undergrowth and
sterilizes the ground, creating a nice little nursery for the seeds.
Without the competition from the other plants and trees, the young
sequoias have a chance to take root and flourish. |
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this fallen Sequoia log was turned into a log cabin by someone the first picture shows the entrance & you can see where some chinking was done on the bottom against the ground the other two pictures show each end of the inside of the log |
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Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum, also called GIANT SEQUOIA, or SIERRA REDWOOD (as distinct from the redwood of coastal areas, genus Sequoia), is a coniferous evergreen of the deciduous cypress family found in about 75 scattered groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Range of California at elevations between 3,000 and 8,500 feet. It is the largest of all trees in bulk, but the largest stumps examined in tree-ring studies were found to be less than 4,000 years old thus bristlecone pines are older. The big tree is distinguished from the coastal redwood by having uniformly scalelike, or awl-shaped, leaves, scaleless winter buds, and cones requiring two seasons to mature. The pyramidal tree shape, reddish brown furrowed bark, and drooping branches are common to both genera. The largest specimen is the General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park. This tree measures 101.5 feet in circumference at its base, is 272.4 feet tall, and has a total estimated weight of 6,167 tons. A few specimens are more than 300 feet tall but have less bulk than the General Sherman tree. Giant sequoia principally occurs in scattered groves. Nowhere does it grow in pure stands. Typically, giant sequoia is found in a mixed conifer type dominated by California white fir but characteristic associates include sugar pine, Jeffrey pine, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, incense-cedar, and California black oak. Compared to other trees it shares its environment with the Giant Sequoia lives a very long time. Some current individuals are from 2000-3000 years old, the oldest recorded age being 3200 years. By way of comparison, other tree species in the mixed conifer forest are considered old between 300-600 years of age. Even though it lives longer than other trees, Giant sequoias are subject to the same natural forces that affect other tree species. At least nine fungi have been found associated with decayed giant sequoia wood; however, diseases generally do not kill trees past the seedling stage directly but rather by contributing to root or stem failure. Also air-pollution creating acidic mists significantly reduce root growth of giant sequoia, and the development of facilities for human use, such as paved roads and buildings, can damage giant sequoia roots and hence slow growth. The Giant sequoia reproduce primarily by seed. Young trees start to bear cones at the age of 20 years. Cones are shaped like an egg, and seeds are the size of an oat flake. Douglas squirrels and wind are two important dissemination agents of the seed. A mature giant sequoia has been estimated to disperse from 300,000 to 400,000 seeds per year. The winged seeds may be carried up to 600 feet from the parent tree. |
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our first delicious lunch--we all wanted the recipe for the simple, but delicious entree |
a group picture among the giant Sequoias |
a closeup |
 Wendy (notice how large the burn hole is but the tree is still alive) |
Flat Rock Plum (?) |
Wendy & Shaun (notice how large the root ball is compared to the human figures) |
again, notice that Wendy easily stands inside the hollow log |
here, notice that not only do the trees have burn holes but the base of the trees (feet of the Sequoias) are burnt |
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Wendy |
Wendy & I - notice how small we are compared to the size of the tree |
the Hart tree - the 25th largest Sequoia |
we got as far away from the tree as we could trying to get as much of the tree as we could in our lens |
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Wendy with Redwood Falls in the background |
this huge fallen Sequoia is called the "fallen Goliath" and we walked through the center of it which is hollow |
Wendy climbed on top of the fallen Goliath and then climbed through this hole into the center of the log |
when I was unpacking the first evening I looked out the window and saw this deer family right outside my window |
We stayed 2 nights at Wuksachi Lodge. Wuksachi Village and Lodge is the first phase in a planned $15 million park improvement project. It has been built as a replacement to the visitor services of the former Giant Forest Lodge in an effort to mitigate environmental impact to the historic forest. The new Lodge is located six miles north of the sequoia grove so that facilities can be built and maintained without damaging the shallow roots of the Big Trees. It is 25 miles from the gate to Wuksachi Lodge. |
Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park preserves a huge beautiful area of the central Sierra Nevada mountains, with several deep glaciated canyons, countless lakes, pools, meadows and waterfalls, and over 20 peaks that exceed 13,000 feet. The park also has several groves of giant sequoia trees, found near the southern boundary which is shared with Sequoia National Park. Kings Canyon is similar to the Yosemite and Zion National Parks as the central attraction is a deep valley accessible from one end only, surrounded by huge areas of back-country that most people never visit. The canyon is not quite as immediately spectacular, but it is much less spoilt by development as the dead-end canyon approach drive is the only road of any kind within the 462,000 acres of the park.The centerpiece of the park is Kings Canyon, formed by the South Fork of the Kings River - this is the deepest canyon in the US, however most lies outside the Park to the west and forms the boundary between the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests. |
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south fork of the Kings River |
view from a canyon overlook on the highway |
Wendy ducking her head in the ice cold Kings River |
Wendy, Shaun, Christine, & Carol |
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view downstream |
Bubbs Creek Bridge can be seen in the background |
wild bamboo |
looking downstream from Bubbs Creek Bridge |
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view off to the side of Bubbs Creek feeding in to Kings River |
view of the canyon walls above the bridge |
all of our group (except me the picture taker) on the bridge |
another picture of bamboo |
Kings River |
looking down the canyon |
Kings River |
Kings River |
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Mist
Falls Mist
Falls The final section of the path to the falls is closer to the river, generally less shaded by trees, steeper and more rocky. The river flows across various other small cascades and rapids, with deep, clear pools. The main falls are indeed misty, and support a large area of mosses and greenery for a few hundred yards downstream. The trail continues, becoming quite steep for a while next to the falls, where there are many large flat boulders close to the water - these make ideal places to rest and admire the view down the canyon - towering mountains of sheer granite, worn smooth by countless years of heavy snowfall and glaciation. |
Wendy went in for a VERY quick dunk in the VERY cold water |
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looking downstream from Mist Falls |
Shaun doing a hand stand |
we stopped at a point where two canyons merge & I took a picture of each canyon - this one shows Kings River |
this one shows the road that we were on
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Sequoia
National Park Big trees
are the prime attraction of Sequoia National Park - many groves of
the remarkable giant sequoia are found scattered along the moist,
west-facing slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains, between elevations of
5,000 and 7,000 feet. Sequoia is half of a combined unit of two National Parks, administered together - the other is Kings Canyon to the north. Sequoia Park has one spectacular valley, Kern Canyon, that runs north-south near the eastern border, and there are some groves of giant sequoia in Kings Canyon Park, but the name of each park accurately reflects their most important features. Both are relatively quiet and unspoilt compared with some other Southwest parks, and there are few main roads. |
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Tree rings reveal more than age. They also record the fire history of
individual trees and the surrounding area. Giant sequoias record forest
fires as damaged growth rings. Scientists can read the tree's history in
these often 'hidden "fire scars." A wider ring immediately after
the fire scar indicates increased growth as a result of the tree's natural
healing process. The sign at the bottom of the log is enlarged on the left
so some of these damaged growth rings can be seen. From the study of this slab and other sequoias in the Giant Forest, it
is evident that fires were frequent here for more than 2,000 years. Fire
frequency varies and is probably related to shifts in global climate. This
tree recorded at least 80 separate fires, all of which it survived. Not only is the giant sequoia adapted to live with fire, it gains some
benefit from the association. Giant sequoia seed germination naturally
occurs best in fire-burned, mineral-rich soils. Fires may also reduce
competition from other trees and shrubs, allowing for better growing
conditions. It is quite possible that a fire prepared the
soil for this tree to begin life in 261 B.C. |
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The General Sherman Tree stands as the ultimate example of the
growth potential of a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). Other
types of trees are taller, or thicker at the base, but no other living
thing on this planet exceeds the volume of this giant sequoia. The General
Sherman Tree owes its immense size not to great age (many other sequoias
are older) but rather to its very rapid growth rate. For over two thousand
years this tree has survived numerous fires, climatic change and even the
coming of modern man. Today it remains not only the world's largest living
thing, but also one of the fastest growing. Estimated
Age - 2300-2700 years Estimated
Weight of Trunk - 1385 tons (1256 m.t.) Height above
base - 274.9 feet (83.8 m.) Circumference
at Ground - 102.6 feet (31.3 m.) Maximum
Diameter at Base - 36.5 feet (11.1 meters) Diameter 60
feet above Ground - 17.5 feet (5.3 meters) Diameter 180
feet above Ground - 14.0 feet (4.3 meters) Diameter of
Largest Branch - 6.8 feet (2.1 meters) Height of
First Large Branch - 130.0 feet (39.6 m.) Volume of
Trunk - 52,500 cu. feet (1,466.6 cu. m.) |
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looking UP at the General Sherman tree from the base |
Wendy & the Macarena Cactus antenna decoration on The World Outdoors van |
beginning of the Congress Trail |
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this tree has survived many fires and has a HUGE hole inside it but it still lives - in the last picture I am standing inside the tree taking the picture upward |
a grouping called The Senate |
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The President Tree |
a grouping called The House |
a tree is growing out of another tree |
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Shawn (notice how large this uprooted root ball is) |
Circle Meadow |
Chimney Tree |
inside Chimney Tree looking up |
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a tree with a lot of burls on it |
Crescent Meadow Called "Gem of the Sierras" by John Muir |
view of Moro Rock from Bobcat Point |
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Scarlet Red Trumpet |
climbing up Moro Rock |
close view of Moro Rock |
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switchbacks on CA 198 viewed from Moro Rock & view NE from Moro Rock Despite its open appearance, the Middle Fork Canyon of the Kaweah River is nearly as deep as Arizona's Grand Canyon. The summit of Moro Rock is 4,000 vertical feet above the canyon floor and east of here the canyon is even deeper. The steep terrain of this region made pioneer access extremely difficult. Only after the construction of the Generals Highway, 1921-1926, did Giant Forest Become easily accessible. |
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view east
view west |
view in front
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Why is the View so Poor On warm summer afternoons dirty air from the Valley rises up the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. This polluted air not only reduces visibility but damages the trees and other plants of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Under certain weather conditions the air pollution is trapped in the valley for weeks at a time. |
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climbing down |
looking down the side of Moro Rock |
looking back up at the top from near the bottom |
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we visited the museum in Sequoia & we all spun the wheel to see what would happen to us if we were a sequoia seed -- all of us died in one way or another none of us sprouted and became a tree |
The Sentinel, a 2,200-year-old sequoia, is a monster--compared to most trees. But in this land of giants, the Sentinel is just average. In the grove of sequoias that surrounds you, some trees are nearly twice as large as the Sentinel. At 700 tons (635 m tons) the Sentinel Tree weighs more than two fully loaded jumbo jet airplanes-yet it is still just an average sequoia tree. |
The Sentinel |
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Note: This is my 3rd trip with The World Outdoors this year, but I had
some back problems and a minor accident on the first two so I was really
looking forward to this one. The trip is called the "Yosemite
Sierra Hiker" and includes two days in Kings Canyon, one day in
Sequoia, and 3 days in Yosemite. I had been to Yosemite on my own in
1994 and it is one of my favorite parks. 
