Created September 25, 1890 because of the efforts of John Muir, Sequoia is the second-oldest United States national park. A week later, the nearby General Grant National Park was created. This was expanded into the much larger Kings Canyon National Park in 1940. Kings Canyon is a bit more isolated than Sequoia and the two parks are administered as a single unit.
The parks lie on the western side of the southern Sierra Nevada, approximately 50 miles (30 km) east of Fresno, California. Sequioa's more famous (and more traveled) attractions and campgrounds lie mostly in the northwestern part of the park:
- First and foremost, the groves of Giant Sequoia which grow only in this region. The largest Sequoia of all, the General Sherman, is in this park; there are several groves of giant trees you can commune with, and be made to feel how puny you really are.
- Moro Rock, a massive granite exfoliation dome affording a panoramic view;
- Crescent Meadow, a favorite of John Muir's;
You will need to be a die-hard hiker to visit the eastern part of the park (as well as nearby
Kings Canyon National Park):
The two parks are bordered on the north and east by the
John Muir Wilderness, part of
Inyo National Forest, and on the south by
Golden Trout Wilderness, part of
Sequoia National Forest.
http://www.visitsequoia.com
http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Park/ca_sequo.htm
http://www.sequoia.national-park.com/info.htm
Rand McNally Road Atlas, 1999