Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park are amazing adjacent wilderness areas that are 100 miles closer to Los Angeles than Yosemite and a lot less crowded. Below are five great things to do when visiting these magnificent parks.
1. Visiting the biggest trees in the world. If you are traveling to these national parks, then you must visit the General Sherman Grove and/or the General Grant Grove. The trees a truly magnificent. While the General Sherman is the biggest tree, I enjoy visiting General Grant Grove’s more due to the stories attached to its various trees, especially the Fallen Monarch which had once served as saloon.
2. Hiking Morro Rock. It is a very short, strenuous, half-mile hike that has spectacular views of the Great Western Divide and sheer drop-offs on either side of the trail. There are 400 stairs on the trail. Think of it as a 20-minute Stairmaster. Huffing and puffing to the top, we all enjoyed it, even our teenage boys. It is not to be missed.
3. Drinking milkshakes and root beer floats at Lake Hume. Lake
Hume is a gorgeous blue jewel surrounded by a pine forest with a back drop of snowcapped
mountains. As if this is not a strong enough lure to entice you to visit the
lake, there’s a very large Christian camp here with a host of facilities that includes
a snack shop with great burgers and at least a dozen of flavors of ice cream
for shakes, floats, and malts. The camp also has one of the best general stores
in the two national parks, rents paddle boats and kayaks, and allows fishing
with a permit. 
4. Hiking to Topokah Falls. This is a 4.4-mile hike that
follows the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River. Walking through that granite
valley, my son said it was one of the most majestic things he’d ever seen. It
is a leisurely hike, although you are in full sun for the last quarter mile to
the base of the falls. Sunscreen, hat, and water are necessities. 
5. Driving to Road’s End at the bottom of Kings Canyon. Kings
Canyon is the deepest canyon in the United States. Yes, it is even deeper than
the Grand Canyon. It is also one of the most remote wilderness areas in the
world. This is because the road to the bottom of the canyon is closed from November
through April. This means that nature can run amok for six months out of the
year without human interference. When I told the ranger that I saw a bear in
the parking lot, he said, “Oh yeah, they are all over the place down here,” and
walked away. In Yosemite, bears cause mass hysteria with rangers following them
and hordes of tourists trying to get their picture during the day or banging
pots and screaming to scare them away at night. In the canyon, there are a number
of great really short hikes to Zumwalt Meadows, Roaring River Falls, Grizzly
Falls, and a beach just off the Road’s End parking lot. Also, at Cedar Grove Lodge
in the canyon, you can eat a hot lunch and take a shower.
One thing that I have not done is visit Crystal Cave in
Sequoia National Park located in the southern end of the park. I have heard
good things about it, but have never made it there.
I hope these tips on where to go and what to see when you're
in Sequoia and Kings Canyon entice you to go and stay longer than just one day to
see the towering trees. These are beautiful areas, uniquely different from
Yosemite, that take time to discover all their natural treasures.
Happy trails!
