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99-618: Kings Canyon National Park is a national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada , in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California . Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park , the park was greatly expanded and renamed on March 4, 1940. The park's namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier -carved valley more than a mile (1,600 m) deep. Other natural features include multiple 14,000-foot (4,300 m) peaks, high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of

198-729: A General Grant National Park and the expansion of Sequoia National Park. The origins of this bill remain largely a mystery, although local politicians with an interest in preserving the park were likely involved. Daniel K. Zumwalt, an agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad – which owned many lumber interests in California – may have seen the park as a way to force their competitors in the Sequoia-Kings Canyon area out of business. On October 1, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed

297-402: A claim to the land surrounding Grant Grove, and their dwelling (built around 1872) has been preserved as a historic site. During the 1870s a government survey "disclosed the remarkable quality of General Grant Grove, and Israel Gamlin was persuaded to give up his claim so the area could be preserved." However, this did not entirely stop logging in the area – in 1875 a 300-foot (91 m) sequoia

396-656: A cliff as Silver Spray Fall, whirls lazily at its foot, and then hurries to join King's River in its journey to the desert. Both the Kings and San Joaquin Rivers flow west into the arid San Joaquin Valley ; however, while the San Joaquin eventually empties into San Francisco Bay , the Kings ends in the terminal sink of Tulare Lake , which – before its waters were diverted for irrigation – was one of

495-542: A continuous protected area linking Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks. Former Sequoia National Park ranger Deanna Lynn Wulff founded the organization Unite the Parks to campaign for the monument's establishment. The proposal has been endorsed by numerous local businesses and organizations, a group of 200 scientists, the California Democratic Party, Democratic National Committee, Sierra Club, and

594-480: A short distance further south, is the largest surviving sequoia grove in the world, covering more than 2,500 acres (1,000 ha); it also has the tallest known sequoia, at 311 feet (95 m). The Converse Basin Grove, located just outside the park boundary, is believed to have once been more than twice as large, but was almost completely clear-cut in the late 1800s. Many of the sequoia groves destroyed by logging, such as

693-425: A stunted, deformed growth pattern characterized by branches closely hugging the ground. Talus slopes are home to small mammals such as pikas and yellow-bellied marmots . Birds such as gray-crowned rosy finches and American pipits , and sensitive amphibian species such as mountain yellow-legged frogs and Yosemite toads , feed on insects near alpine lakes and wetlands. Larger animals such as bears may venture into

792-701: A tendency to steal human food. The Park Service has placed bear lockers in campgrounds, required the use of bear canisters and attempted to relocate bears away from heavily visited areas. This has been successful in the backcountry, where bears have largely ceased to associate backpackers with food, but remains an issue near developed campgrounds. Visitors are encouraged to store all food and scented items in lockers, and dispose of trash in bearproof garbage cans. However, rangers are still sometimes forced to kill "problem bears" who become habituated to human food. People have inhabited Kings Canyon National Park for about 6,000–7,000 years. The Owens Valley Paiutes (also known as

891-458: A tree indicator species , or by a lack of trees. The biotic zones include the foothill woodland zone from 1,000 to 3,000 feet (300 to 910 m) ( interior live oak ), the lower montane zone from 3,000 to 7,000 feet (910 to 2,130 m) ( Ponderosa pine ), the upper montane zone from 7,000 to 9,000 feet (2,100 to 2,700 m) ( lodgepole pine / red fir ), the subalpine zone from 9,000 to 9,500 feet (2,700 to 2,900 m) ( whitebark pine ), and

990-636: A view of sublimity of which is rarely equaled, one which few are privileged to behold. Brewer's party left Kings Canyon via Kearsarge Pass where they encountered a group of prospectors led by Thomas Keough. Although details on the Keough expedition are scarce, the miners had been prospecting on the North Fork of the Kings River and were returning to their homes in the Owens Valley, indicating that they must have crossed

1089-533: Is Gateway Arch National Park , Missouri , at 192.83 acres (0.7804 km ). The total area protected by national parks is approximately 52.4 million acres (212,000 km ), for an average of 833 thousand acres (3,370 km ) but a median of only 220 thousand acres (890 km ). The national parks set a visitation record in 2021, with more than 92 million visitors. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee has been

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1188-592: Is 8a with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 12.3 °F (−10.9 °C). Over 1,200 species of plants occur in Kings Canyon and Sequoia Parks, representing about 20 percent of all plant species in the state. In 1976, Kings Canyon was designated by UNESCO as part of the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Biosphere Reserve . Due to the large range in elevation, the park is characterized by several major plant communities. At lower elevations

1287-489: Is a yet grander valley of the same kind. It is situated on the south fork of the Kings River, above the most extensive groves and forests of the giant sequoia, and beneath the shadows of the highest mountains in the range, where the cañons are deepest and the snow-laden peaks are crowded most closely together. It is called the Big King's River Cañon, or King's River Yosemite ... The stupendous rocks of purplish gray granite that form

1386-739: Is also a ski resort, China Peak , that operates under a special use permit. Great sailing opportunities exist at Huntington Lake . The Sierra National Forest is located within the Pacific Southwest region of the US Forest Service. The forest is divided into three ranger districts: Bass Lake Ranger District is north and west of the San Joaquin River . Its Ranger District office is located at 57003 Road 225 North Fork, California , 93643. The district includes 36 camp sites, 17 picnic sites, 7 Off Highway Vehicle Trails, and 10 trails. It includes

1485-524: Is characterized by some of the steepest vertical relief in North America, with numerous peaks over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) on the Sierra Crest along the park's eastern border, falling to 4,500 feet (1,400 m) in the valley floor of Cedar Grove just ten miles (16 km) to the west. The Sierran crest forms the eastern boundary of the park, from Mount Goethe in the north, down to Junction Peak , at

1584-537: Is now Kings Canyon National Park. In 1805 Gabriel Moraga led an expedition through the Central Valley and crossed what is now the Kings River, bestowing the name Rio de los Santo Reyes (River of the Holy Kings) on the stream. Fur trappers also visited the areas in the 1820s, but most likely did not venture into the high country since beaver were only present at lower elevations. They were followed by prospectors during

1683-517: Is today considered the Kings Canyon backcountry or high country were likely John C. Fremont 's party in 1844, which attempted to cross the Sierra Nevada by way of the Kings River. However, a snowstorm impeded their progress and they were forced to retreat to the Central Valley. In 1858, the J.H. Johnson party successfully crossed the Sierra via the route Fremont had intended to find, via Kearsarge Pass at

1782-548: The California Gold Rush , which began in 1848. However, not much gold, nor other minerals, were discovered in this area. Hale Tharp, a disillusioned gold miner, is credited with the 1858 discovery of Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park, which led to the further exploration and discovery of the other sequoia forests in the area, including Grant Grove. During the 1860s, a road was built to Grant Grove and many of

1881-517: The John Muir Trail , completed in 1933 through what is now the eastern edge of Kings Canyon National Park. For many years a tiny ranger station and a few private structures (such as Knapp Cabin ) had been the only development in Cedar Grove. Starting in 1937, large campgrounds were developed in Kings Canyon by the U.S. Forest Service , but construction of more permanent facilities was foregone since

1980-580: The North American – Pacific Plate boundary. However, the Sierra itself is a young mountain range, no more than 10 million years old. Huge tectonic forces along the western edge of the Great Basin forced the local crustal block to tilt and uplift, creating the mountains' gradual slope to the west and the nearly vertical escarpment to the east bordering the Owens Valley . Many cave systems are also formed in

2079-679: The Sequoia National Forest , and Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks were established from this south portion of Sierra National Forest. Eastern portions of Sierra National Forest became the Inyo and Toiyabe National Forests; northern portions were used for Yosemite National Park and the Stanislaus National Forest . The Sierra National Forest contains artifacts dating back over 10,000 years, mainly from indigenous people before written records started about 150 years ago. Around

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2178-507: The alpine zone from 9,500 feet (2,900 m) (above the tree line ). Some 383,000 acres (598 sq mi; 1,550 km ) of the forest are old growth , containing lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta ) and red fir ( Abies magnifica ). A campaign to designate the national forest as a national monument was begun in 2015. The proposal for the 1,400,000-acre (5,700 km ) Range of Light National Monument would prevent new mining operations and phase out logging and grazing, resulting in

2277-409: The terminal moraine of a retreating glacier. In Kings Canyon there are in fact four such moraines, which the Kings River cascades over, forming whitewater rapids, in an area where it otherwise winds calmly across meadows. The series of moraines one behind the other are termed "nested moraines", each created during a different glacial period by glaciers of varying length. Elsewhere in the high country,

2376-589: The territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands . The state with the most national parks is California with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over 8 million acres (32,375 km ), it is larger than each of the nine smallest states . The next three largest parks are also in Alaska. The smallest park

2475-415: The tree line . A total of 202,430 acres (81,920 ha) of old-growth forests are shared by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Although its sister park to the south, Sequoia, is better known for its giant sequoias , Kings Canyon also has large stands of sequoias – including General Grant , the second largest tree on Earth, in the middle of General Grant Grove. The Redwood Mountain Grove , located

2574-497: The Big Stump Grove, have begun to regenerate, a process that will take many hundreds of years. The forests provide habitat to many mammal species such as mule deer, Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep , mountain lions and black bears, and a diversity of bird and reptile species. The Park Service is involved in restoring the population of bighorn sheep, which are considered endangered in the area; in 2014 several bighorns were released into

2673-457: The Coalition to Protect America's National Parks. The protection of old-growth trees would contribute to the 30 by 30 initiative. It is opposed by Congressman Tom McClintock and the logging industry. In December 2022, Congressmembers Jackie Speier and Jerry McNerney introduced a bill that would establish Range of Light National Monument comprising the entirety of Sierra National Forest and

2772-489: The Eastern Monos) visited the region from their homeland east of the Sierra Nevada, around Mono Lake. The Paiutes mainly used acorns for food, as well as deer and other small animals. They created trade routes connecting the Owens Valley with the Central Valley west of the Sierra Nevada. The Yokuts lived in the Central Valley and also ventured into the mountains during summer to collect plants, hunt game, and trade. Because of

2871-605: The Forest Service Offices of Oakhurst (40343 Hwy 41, Oakhurst, California 93644), and the Clover Meadow Wilderness Office. High Sierra Ranger District is south and east of the San Joaquin River; it has its Ranger District office out of 29688 Auberry Rd P.O. Box 559 Prather, California 93651. This district contains 30 camp sites, 11 picnic sites, and 13 Off Highway Vehicle Trails. It also includes

2970-823: The High Sierra above Cedar Grove. List of national parks of the United States The United States has 63 national parks , which are congressionally designated protected areas operated by the National Park Service , an agency of the Department of the Interior . National parks are designated for their natural beauty, unique geological features, diverse ecosystems, and recreational opportunities, typically "because of some outstanding scenic feature or natural phenomena." While legislatively all units of

3069-622: The High Sierra. The forest's boundary starts clockwise at the intersections of the Merced River , Sweetwater Creek and HWY 140 , then moves east following the Merced River canyon to the border with Yosemite National Park near El Portal . Then it follows the park's southern boundary until it reaches the Inyo National forest near Electra Peak . From there it travels south to its border with Kings Canyon National Park near Mount Goethe . It follows

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3168-559: The Kings River has considerable hydroelectric potential, and reservoirs were proposed for Cedar Grove, Tehipite Valley and Simpson Meadow, among other sites. Development interests blocked legislation that would have made the area a national park, but at the same time, the environmental lobby prevented any of these projects from being built. In 1935 the Generals Highway was completed connecting Sequoia and General Grant National Parks. In 1939 State Route 180 from Grant Grove to Kings Canyon

3267-627: The Kings River. Cedar Grove, located at the bottom of the Kings Canyon, is the only part of the park's vast eastern portion accessible by road (via Highway 180 ). Although most of the park is forested, much of the eastern section consists of alpine regions above the tree line . Usually snow-free only from late June until late October, the high country is accessible solely via foot and horse trails. The Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness encompasses over 768,000 acres (311,000 ha) in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, or nearly 90 percent of their combined area. In addition to Sequoia National Park on

3366-594: The Kings River. This group became known as the Monaches, or Western Mono. They eventually divided into as many as six distinct bands, one of which lived in the area near Grant Grove. The native population suffered greatly during the American expansion in the 19th century; a smallpox epidemic killed off most of the Monache in 1862, and very few remain in the area today. The early Spanish exploration of California largely bypassed what

3465-524: The Middle Fork – then considered a region impossible to access by white settlers – making them the first non-natives to do so. Around 1869, sheepherder Frank Dusy discovered and named the Middle Fork's Tehipite Valley , and later grazed his sheep there. Aside from such occasional uses, most of the high country remained little visited and mostly unexplored. It was not until John Muir first visited in 1873 that Kings Canyon began receiving public attention. Muir

3564-592: The National Park Service "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Many current national parks had been previously protected as national monuments by the president under the Antiquities Act or as other designations created by Congress before being redesignated by Congress;

3663-572: The National Park Service was not formally established until 1916). The future of the park's much larger eastern section remained in doubt for almost fifty years. The backcountry was largely inaccessible and unknown to tourists, requiring several days' journey on horseback through some very rugged terrain. Instead, the area was targeted by water supply and power interests including the city of Los Angeles , who wanted to build hydroelectric dams in Kings Canyon. Due to its heavy flow and long drop – 11,000 feet (3,400 m) in less than 80 miles (130 km) –

3762-652: The National Park System are considered equal with the same mission, national parks are generally larger and more of a destination, and hunting and extractive activities are prohibited. National monuments , on the other hand, are also frequently protected for their historical or archaeological significance. Eight national parks (including six in Alaska ) are paired with a national preserve , areas with different levels of protection that are administered together but considered separate units and whose areas are not included in

3861-619: The Roaring River valley (although sheep never entered Cedar Grove, due to the difficulty of accessing the bottom of Kings Canyon before Highway 180 was constructed). Ranchers drove their herds up into the Sierra Nevada to escape the drought and heat of the San Joaquin Valley. Meadows were trampled by thousands of hooves, leading to increased erosion and watershed degradation. Grizzly bears and wolves which preyed on livestock were shot, trapped and poisoned in large numbers, extirpating them from

3960-519: The Sequoia-Kings Canyon area. Grizzly bears originally roamed the park as well, but were hunted to extinction by the early 1900s. The forks of the Kings River at these middle and lower elevations are also well known for their wild trout; the Kings is known as "one of the finest large trout fisheries in the state". In the high alpine country, plant communities are mostly meadows, herbs and shrubs with some scattered groves of foxtail pine and stunted whitebark pine. Trees often create krummholtz formations, or

4059-687: The Sierra Crest, which to the east is drained by the Owens River , part of the Great Basin watershed. The southern boundary with Sequoia National Park is the divide between the Kings, Kaweah and Kern Rivers . Part of the western boundary follows the divide between the Middle and North Forks of the Kings River. The forks of the Kings River converge in the Sequoia National Forest, a few miles outside

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4158-478: The Sierra Nevada to the east of the San Joaquin Valley , is divided into two distinct sections. The smaller and older western section centers around Grant Grove – home of many of the park's sequoias – and has most of the visitor facilities. The larger eastern section, which accounts for the majority of the park's area, is almost entirely wilderness, and contains the deep canyons of the Middle and South Forks of

4257-494: The Sierra by the early 1900s. Although the Sierra Forest Reserve , including what would become Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, was established in 1893, as many as half a million sheep were illegally grazed there. In 1917 the federal government began to crack down on illegal grazing and established a system of regulated management and range restoration, before sheep were banned from Kings Canyon altogether following

4356-524: The Sierra was divided into different units this was no longer the case. President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the Sierra Forest Reserve on February 14, 1893. Four years later the south half became a separate unit and was named Sierra South during the "forest reserves" era. This designation was dropped after the administrative transition to the National Forests on March 4, 1907. On July 1, 1908,

4455-543: The South Fork, and Tehipite Valley on the Middle Fork. Ice Age glaciations did not extend all the way to the confluence of the Middle and South Forks; consequently, the canyons downstream of Cedar Grove and Tehipite are typical V-shaped river gorges, in contrast to the U-shaped valleys upstream. The glacial valleys are characterized by flat floors and exposed granite cliffs and domes many thousands of feet high, similar in form to

4554-718: The Yosemite Sierra Visitor Bureau (40343 Highway 41, Oakhurst, California 93644); and the Fresno Air Attack Base which is co-located with the Sierra National Forest Emergency Communications Center (2307 and 2309 N Clovis Ave, Fresno, California 93727) at Fresno Yosemite International Airport . In addition, the forest has a close relationship with the Teakettle Experimental Forest which is deep inside

4653-469: The alpine zone in search of food (a behavior now exacerbated by improper disposal of waste by campers), but do not winter there. Although most of the park is now designated wilderness, human activities have significantly modified the ecology of the area ever since Native American times. In order to clear areas for hunting game and to encourage the germination of certain plants, Native Americans set controlled burns in areas of overgrown brush and grass. During

4752-606: The area would lie at the bottom of one of the proposed reservoirs. Ultimately, local opposition to Los Angeles' attempts to secure the Kings River turned into significant political pressure to create a national park, which would prevent any dam projects there. United States Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes was a major proponent for the expansion of the park, and worked to unite local interests, who had widely different views on how much development should be allowed. Ickes also hired Ansel Adams to photograph and document

4851-455: The area, generating publicity for the preservation movement. However, in order to placate the local irrigation districts – who wanted to leave open the option of reservoirs – Cedar Grove and Tehipite Valley were specifically excluded from the new park. On March 4, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill to create Kings Canyon National Park, which added the original General Grant National Park to over 400,000 acres (160,000 ha) of

4950-504: The bill into law, establishing General Grant National Park – the United States' fourth national park – which today is part of the smaller western section of Kings Canyon National Park. For many years the primary way for tourists to reach General Grant National Park was the Stephens Grade, a rough wagon road over which a stagecoach operated from Visalia beginning in the early 1900s. Initially, the U.S. Army had to station troops to protect

5049-497: The boundary travels north to Yosemite Forks and moves west towards Miami Mountain, then heads north to return to the Merced River. The forest includes a number of scenic attractions, including Fresno Dome and Nelder Grove . Several reservoirs offer fishing and boating, including Bass Lake , Shaver Lake , Wishon Reservoir , and Courtright Reservoir . There are numerous hiking opportunities in wilderness areas: Ansel Adams , John Muir , Dinkey Lakes , Kaiser , and Monarch . There

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5148-428: 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 feet (3,400 m) in elevation. There are several prominent subranges of the Sierra within and around the park. The Palisades , along the park's eastern boundary, have four peaks over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) including

5247-450: The canyon. Even after President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded the park in 1940, the fight continued until 1965, when the Cedar Grove and Tehipite Valley dam sites were finally annexed into the park. As visitation rose post– World War II , further debate took place over whether the park should be developed as a tourist resort, or retained as a more natural environment restricted to simpler recreation such as hiking and camping. Ultimately,

5346-493: The cause. In 1880 logging claims in the Grant Grove area were suspended by the federal government, in large part due to the political efforts of Colonel George W. Stewart. In March 1890 a bill (H.R. 8350) was introduced to Congress by Representative William Vandever proposing the creation of Yosemite National Park . Subsequently, some "political intrigue" led to its substitution with H.R. 12187, which also included provisions for

5445-456: The deer population, which further rose due to park visitors feeding them. Ultimately, this led to overgrazing and the vegetation understory was nearly eliminated in large areas of the park. When the park was expanded in 1940, the Park Service began shooting deer in an effort to reduce the size of the herd. Although the culling reduced deer numbers to a more ecologically stable level, the program

5544-491: The early 20th century, " "complete fire suppression" policy led to a great build-up of debris and tinder in the park's forests. By the 1960s it became apparent that this was interfering with the reproductive cycle of the park's sequoias, whose bark is fire resistant but require regular fires to clear away competing growth such as white firs. In 1963, scientists deliberately set fire to part of the Redwood Mountain Grove,

5643-409: The eastern portions of Fresno , Madera , and Mariposa counties, adjacent to the southern part of Yosemite National Park . It includes more than 1,300,000 acres (2,000 sq mi; 5,300 km ), at altitudes ranging from 900 to 13,986 feet (274 to 4,263 m) in elevation. The terrain includes rolling, oak-covered foothills, heavily forested middle elevation slopes and the tundra landscape of

5742-514: The entire park. In the northwest section of the park are other very steep and rugged ranges such as the Goddard Divide, LeConte Divide and Black Divide, all of which are dotted with high mountain lakes and separated by deep chasms. Most of the mountains and canyons, as in other parts of the Sierra Nevada, are formed in igneous intrusive rocks such as granite , diorite and monzonite , formed at least 100 million years ago due to subduction along

5841-406: The falls and Tehipite Valley: ... We paused a moment at the colossal doorway where Tehipite, shimmering through spaces of summer sunshine, in peaceful grandeur compelled our reverential gaze ... Across the river and below the dome Crown Creek races in sparkling cascades to grind a score of horrible pot-holes big enough to swallow a horse and rider; leaves that ferocious task to foam lightly down

5940-588: The far eastern end of Kings Canyon. The first scientific expedition to the area was the 1864 Whitney Survey, conducted by the Geological Survey of California led by William Brewer. After failed attempts to summit Mount Whitney , the Brewer party descended into the Kings Canyon via Native American paths where "they remarked its resemblance to the Yosemite and were impressed by the enormous height of its cliffs." Although

6039-543: The figures below. The 431 units of the National Park System can be broadly referred to as national parks, but most have other formal designations. A bill creating the first national park, Yellowstone , was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks ), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created

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6138-408: The first fire in any of the park's sequoia groves for 75 years. Thousands of new sequoia seedlings germinated. The success of the experiment led to the establishment of the park's first long-term prescribed burn program in 1972. A major source of damage to the park in the late 19th century and early 20th century was summer livestock grazing, particularly sheep, in areas such as Tehipite Valley and

6237-664: The following Forest Service Offices; the High Sierra visitor information station near Mono Hot Springs on the Kaiser Pass Road, Eastwood visitor information center at Hwy 168 and Kaiser Pass Road at Huntington Lake , Dinkey Creek visitor information center on Dinkey Creek Road near the Dinkey Creek Campground, Supervisor's Office (an administrative Unit) contains the Sierra National Forest Supervisor's office (1600 Tollhouse Rd Clovis, California, 93611);

6336-725: The forest and the San Joaquin Experimental Range which is just outside the forest boundaries. They both fall in the Pacific Southwest Research Station which is based in Berkeley, California . The ecology of the National Forest is typical for the western side of the southern Sierra Nevada: distributions of species are largely governed by climate, which is strongly dependent on altitude. The ecology can be described by biotic zones, which are marked by either

6435-425: The high country, such sheer granite cliffs are subject to exfoliation , frost weathering and earthquakes which cause sudden and dramatic rockfalls. Over thousands of years, cliff collapses have built up large talus piles or scree slopes at their bases along almost every glacial valley in the park. Zumwalt Meadow, one of the few large areas of flat land in the park, was formed by the accumulation of sediment behind

6534-409: The highest point in the park, 14,248 feet (4,343 m)  NAVD 88 at the summit of North Palisade . The Great Western Divide extends through the south-central part of the park and also has many peaks over 13,000 feet (4,000 m), including Mount Brewer . The Monarch Divide, stretching between the lower Middle and South Forks of the Kings, has some of the most inaccessible terrain in

6633-488: The hundreds of inches, although the annual snowpack fluctuates greatly between wet and dry years. According to the Köppen climate classification system, most of Kings Canyon National Park has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csb ). with only the lowest of elevations having a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csa ). According to the United States Department of Agriculture , the Plant Hardiness zone at Cedar Grove Visitor Center at 4,613 ft (1,406 m) elevation

6732-401: The inhospitable winter climate, they did not establish permanent villages in the high country. Prior to European contact, the Yokut population numbered between 15,000 and 20,000, and the Monos about 6,000. Around the 1500s AD, some of the Eastern Mono migrated across the Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley, where they created settlements adjoining Yokuts territory in the Sierra foothills near

6831-471: The landscape of bare rock and talus left by former glaciers is replete with hanging valleys , waterfalls, serrated ridges ( arêtes ), cirques , and hundreds of alpine tarns . Some of the highest peaks retain permanent snowfields and even glaciers. Palisade Glacier , the largest in the Sierra, is located near the park's edge in the John Muir Wilderness. These glaciers are not holdovers from the Ice Ages; rather, they were most likely formed during cold periods in

6930-440: The largest freshwater lakes in the western United States. The seasonal rise and fall of the park's rivers is driven by heavy snowfall (typically between November and April) followed by a rapid melt during May and June. Runoff drops significantly by late July (or August in wet years), and rivers are usually a trickle by autumn. Snow accumulations in the higher areas of Kings Canyon National Park can be extremely large, often totaling in

7029-487: The last 1,000 years. The park's glaciers are now melting rapidly due to increased temperatures, and may disappear completely within a few decades. A number of major Sierra rivers have their origins in the park. The South Fork Kings River flows from near Taboose Pass, on the park's eastern boundary, and drains much of the southern half of the park, carving the canyon from which the park takes its name. The Middle Fork Kings River originates near Mount Powell and drains most of

7128-914: The late 1700s, the Fresno River marked the area between the Southern Sierra Miwok and the Chukchansi Yokuts , with the Western Mono living near today's Bass Lake . The borders between these groups were not clear-cut, showing that the Miwok, Yokuts, and Mono territories often overlapped. The first timber sale on a California National Forest took place in the Sierra NF by the United States General Land Office in 1899. Sierra National Forest covers, in descending order of forestland area,

7227-475: The mid-elevation slopes around Grant Grove. In Kings Canyon, which runs almost due east to west, there is a marked difference between the north wall – which is hotter and drier due to receiving more sunlight – and the more cool, shaded south wall which is more heavily forested. Further up, approaching the subalpine zone , red fir and lodgepole pine are found in increasing numbers; whitebark pine , mountain hemlock and foxtail pine dominate in areas approaching

7326-495: The more famous Yosemite Valley to the north, and in fact the term "yosemite" was used in the 19th century by John Muir to describe these valleys before they were widely known by their own names. In A Rival of the Yosemite , published in 1891 in The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine , Muir wrote of Kings Canyon: In the vast Sierra wilderness far to the southward of the famous Yosemite Valley, there

7425-603: The most-visited park since 1944, and had almost 13 million visitors in 2022. In contrast, only about 9,500 people visited the remote Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska in 2022. Download coordinates as: The following table includes the 30 states and two territories that have national parks. Exclusive parks refer to parks entirely within one state or territory. Shared parks refer to parks in multiple states. Territories are set in italics . Sierra National Forest Sierra National Forest

7524-472: The newest national park is New River Gorge , previously a National River, and the most recent entirely new park is National Park of American Samoa . A few former national parks are no longer designated as such , or have been disbanded. Fourteen national parks are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS), and 21 national parks are named UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR), with eight national parks in both programs. Thirty states have national parks, as do

7623-525: The park does not have waterfalls as high and spectacular as those in Yosemite. There are several powerful but short waterfalls including Mist Falls, Roaring River Falls and Grizzly Falls in the Cedar Grove area. The backcountry is home to some much higher falls. Silver Spray Falls in Tehipite Valley drops about 700 feet (210 m) in several tiers. In a 1910 article in Out West , Ernestine Winchell describes

7722-480: The park from illegal grazing and hunting. Although these eventually ceased to be a problem, the rising number of visitors created its own sanitation and waste issues. In the summer of 1907 about 1,100 people visited the park. A new road reached the General Grant National Park by 1913; that summer, the park saw almost 2,800 tourists. In 1914 the park was turned over from military to civilian control (though

7821-445: The park touches the fairly dry Sierra foothill zone which mostly consists of chaparral , brush and shrubs. Oaks, sycamores, willows and various hardwoods are often found along streams and springs at lower elevations. At middle elevations, most of the park consists of montane mixed-conifer forests : ponderosa pine , incense cedar , white fir , sugar pine and scattered groves of giant sequoias prevail in areas such as Cedar Grove and

7920-402: The park's creation in 1940. Livestock grazing is still allowed in some national forest lands around the park. Occasionally hikers may come across gated drift fences in the wilderness designed to control livestock movement. Visitors must close all gates behind them to prevent livestock from wandering into protected areas. The decline of natural predators in the early 1900s led to a huge spike in

8019-476: The park's northern border, then heads south to the Kings River near Deer Canyon. From there it moves down the Kings River canyon east; south of the river is the Sequoia National Forest. When it reaches Pine Flat Lake near Trimmer, it turns north towards Tollhouse and continues on to Auberry . From there Sierra National Forest moves on to North Fork , then west to form a small finger towards Coarsegold . Finally,

8118-491: The park's northern half. A smaller section in the northern tip of the park is drained by the South Fork of the San Joaquin River . The Kings River falls more than 13,000 feet (4,000 m) from the Sierra crest to Pine Flat Reservoir in the San Joaquin Valley – the longest undammed drop of any North American river. Most of the park's borders are formed by watershed divides between river basins. The eastern boundary follows

8217-417: The preservation lobby prevailed and today, the park has only limited services and lodgings despite its size. Due to this and the lack of road access to most of the park, Kings Canyon remains the least visited of the major Sierra parks, with just under 700,000 visitors in 2017 compared to 1.3 million visitors at Sequoia and over 4 million at Yosemite . Kings Canyon National Park, located on the western slope of

8316-469: The rock layers, including Boyden Cave along the South Fork of the Kings River. The present shape of the high country was largely sculpted by glaciations during successive Ice Ages over the last 2.5 million years. Large valley glaciers moved as far as 44 miles (71 km) down the South and Middle Forks of the Kings River, carving out the distinctive deep U-shaped valleys at Cedar Grove and Paradise Valley on

8415-591: The rugged terrain made travel difficult, they discovered a route up the north wall of the canyon and named several prominent features, including Mount King , Mount Gardiner , the Palisades , and Mount Brewer . From the summit of the peak that would bear his name, Brewer described the view: Such a landscape! A hundred peaks in sight over thirteen thousand feet—many very sharp—deep canyons, cliffs in every direction almost rival Yosemite, sharp ridges inaccessible to man, on which human foot has never trod—all combined to produce

8514-512: The sequoias there were logged. The first of several sawmills opened in 1862, and logging operations expanded north and almost entirely leveled Converse Basin, then one of the largest sequoia groves in the world (although the Boole tree , the grove's biggest, was spared). The General Grant tree was discovered by Joseph H. Thomas, a sawmill operator, in 1862. Thomas' business partners, the Gamlin brothers, held

8613-471: The south, Kings Canyon is surrounded by multiple national forests and wilderness areas. The Sierra National Forest , Sequoia National Forest and Inyo National Forest border it on the northwest, west and east, respectively. The John Muir Wilderness wraps around much of the northern half of the park, and the Monarch Wilderness preserves much of the area between the park's two sections. Kings Canyon

8712-427: The valley other mountains rise beyond in glorious array, every one of them shining with rock crystals and snow, and with a network of streams that sing their way down from lake to lake through a labyrinth of ice-burnished cañons. Other significant glacial features include Tehipite Dome , the largest granite dome in the Sierra, rising 3,500 feet (1,100 m) above the floor of Tehipite Valley. In Kings Canyon and across

8811-520: The walls are from 2500 to 5000 feet in height, while the depth of the valley is considerably more than a mile. The bottom of the valley ... is diversified with flowery meadows and groves and open sunny flats, through the midst of which the crystal river, ever changing, ever beautiful, makes its way; now gliding softly with scarce a ripple over beds of brown pebbles, now rustling and leaping in wild exultation across avalanche rock-dams or terminal moraines ... From this long, flowery, forested, well-watered park

8910-405: The walls rise abruptly in plain precipices or richly sculptured masses partly separated by side cañons baring wonderful wealth and variety of architectural forms. From the brink of the walls on either side the ground still rises in a series of ice-carved ridges and basins, superbly forested and adorned with many small lakes and meadows where deer and bear find grateful homes; while from the head of

9009-528: The western boundary of the park, to form the main stem of the river. Here, the river forms one of the deepest canyons in North America, its walls rising as much as 8,200 feet (2,500 m) from river to rim – about half a mile (0.8 km) deeper than the Grand Canyon . The canyons upstream at Cedar Grove are also more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) deep. Although the geology and topography of Cedar Grove and Tehipite Valley are similar to that of Yosemite Valley,

9108-633: The world's largest stands of giant sequoia trees. Kings Canyon is north of and contiguous with Sequoia National Park , and both parks are jointly administered by the National Park Service as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks . The majority of the 461,901-acre (186,925 ha) park, drained by the Middle and South Forks of the Kings River and many smaller streams, is designated wilderness . Tourist facilities are concentrated in two areas: Grant Grove , home to General Grant (the second largest tree in

9207-401: The world, measured by trunk volume) and Cedar Grove , located in the heart of Kings Canyon. Overnight hiking is required to access most of the park's backcountry, or high country, which for much of the year is covered in deep snow. The combined Pacific Crest Trail / John Muir Trail , a backpacking route, traverses the entire length of the park from north to south. General Grant National Park

9306-590: Was chopped down and a section sent to the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. Reportedly, "eastern people refused to accept the exhibit as part of a single tree and called it the 'California Hoax'." The Centennial Stump, and most of the tree, remain as prominent features in Grant Grove: "Ladies from a nearby logging camp used to conduct Sunday school services for their children upon the stump." The first non-native people to venture into what

9405-482: Was criticized for its reliance on brute force rather than more "hands-off" methods, such as re-introducing predators. Today, the only stock allowed in the park are pack horses and mules, which are only permitted in certain areas along major trails, and usually not early in the season in order to protect meadows in the spring while they are wet and soft. The park continues to host a healthy population of black bears, which are typically not aggressive towards humans, but have

9504-448: Was delighted at the canyon's similarity to Yosemite Valley , as it reinforced his theory that the valleys were carved by massive glaciers during the last ice age . This competed with Josiah Whitney 's then-accepted theory that the mountain valleys were formed by earthquakes. Muir's writings on the geology of the park and the magnificence of its sequoia groves led to calls for preservation of the area, and Muir himself continued to lobby for

9603-427: Was finally completed after ten years of construction, finally allowing large numbers of tourists to visit Cedar Grove for the first time. The road was built in part using state prison labor. However, a proposal to extend the state highway over Kearsarge Pass to the Owens Valley was defeated. Well-graded hiking trails were also extended into the backcountry to replace the rough pack trails used by sheepherders – including

9702-436: Was initially created to protect a small area of giant sequoias from logging . Although John Muir 's visits brought public attention to the huge wilderness area to the east, it took more than fifty years for the rest of Kings Canyon to be designated a national park. Environmental groups, park visitors and many local politicians wanted to see the area preserved; however, development interests wanted to build hydroelectric dams in

9801-421: Was the second National Forest created in California and the largest at the time. It covered over six million acres (24,000 km ) of the Sierra Nevada and was about four times the average area of typical California National Forests. Originally it embraced parts of eight counties from Tuolumne on the north to Kern on the south and Mono and Inyo on the east. Initially its name was descriptive, but later when

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