Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Location and importance

In the middle south of the Californian Sierra Nevada the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks cover an area of mountainous land with majestic granite peaks, deep gorges, mountain lakes, rivers and superb forests. The two parks are administered as one. They stretch from the foothills in the west on the edge of the San Joaquín Valley - the longest valley in Greater California - to the main ridge of the Sierra Nevada in the east. Here Mount Whitney (14,495ft/4,418m) is the highest mountain in the U.S. (apart from Alaska), and Split Mountain (14,140ft/4,285m), Mount Goethe (13,350ft/4,047m) and many others are also over 10,000ft/3,000m. The John Muir Wilderness Area runs along the eastern flank of the National Park area, which adjoins the Inyo National Forest further east. Giant Redwoods

The two national parks cover the most impressive section of a vegetation belt which is 250mi/400km long altogether and between 4,000 and 8,000ft/1,200 and 2,400m high. In this area can be found groves and whole forests of mighty redwood trees of the species sequoiadendron giganteum (sequoia gigantea) or giant sequoia; saplings of which can be purchased at nurseries. Apart from the yew-needled sequoia (sequoia sempervirens) found on the Pacific coast of California, this species is the only surviving member of the genus sequoia belonging to the family of the marsh-cypress (taxodiaceae), which once grew in profusion in the northern hemisphere.

The giant redwood, which can reach a height of 250-300ft/75-90m and a diameter of 40ft/12m, has flat needles and cones the size of pigeons' eggs. Generally speaking it lives happily with other trees. Its extraordinarily long life span (up to 3,500 years) can be attributed mainly to its great resistance to enemies of all kinds and to its astonishing ability to regenerate itself. Its asbestos-like bark, as much as 2ft/60cm thick on some older specimens, is an effective protection against forest fire and the high tannic acid content of the wood keeps insects and fungal diseases at bay. Its only real enemy is man. However, the trees can suffer damage from changes in soil conditions, which may occur during the thousands of years of its life as the result of erosion or washing away of the soil around its comparatively shallow root system. The sequoia trees in the national parks are not influenced by arboreal technology.

Climate, flora and fauna

As a result of the marked differences in altitude there are three main climatic zones. The dry lowlands and sloping sites below 1,500ft/450m above sea level are covered in grass steppes and low scrubland and are free from snow in winter. As well as the extensive native fauna, a large number of animals from the higher regions come here to spend the winter: silver fox, lynx, Californian squirrel, skunk and raccoon are often found. The Pacific rattlesnake, which is quite common here, is the only animal in the park which is not a protected species.

The areas at a medium height of between 1,500 and 4,000ft/450 and 1,200m are covered in coniferous forests (red and white fir, Ponderosa and Lodgepole pine, cedar and giant redwood). The damp meadows are lined with aspen. Winter wraps this area in a 6-10ft/4.5m blanket of snow. Red deer and black bear are often seen, and occasionally mountain lions (pumas).

The higher mountainous region consists of sparse woodland, mountain meadows and bare rocky and gravel slopes. Here the animal life is less varied, being limited to the hardier species suited to the weather and feeding conditions. In these lonely hills live mountain sheep, the brown wolverine which seeks the lower, milder slopes in winter, and the marmot.

History

In pre-Columbian times this region was inhabited by the Potwisha and Kaweah Indians, two friendly tribes who lived by hunting and fishing and did simple basket-work. They spent the winter on the dry, snow-free lowlands, returning in summer to the cool forests of the central mountain regions. Guided by Indians, Hale Tharp was the first white man to penetrate the sequoia regions of the Giant Forest in 1858. He was followed by large numbers of adventurers and gold-seekers who searched in vain for precious metals (relics in Silver City and Mineral King in the south of the park) and in so doing brought to several thousand Indians living near the Kweah River diseases previously unknown to them, such as scarlet fever, smallpox, measles and fever. Any Indian suffering from these diseases was driven out by white settlers; only ten years after the forest was discovered there were no longer any living in these regions. After the stocks of sequoia had been seriously decimated because of the huge amount of wood obtainable from the trees (one tree was enough to build about 40 houses), the Sequoia National Park was founded in 1890. In the early years the cavalry had to protect the nature reserve from timber thieves.The species was given the name "sequoia" by the Pressburg botanist Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher (1804-49), who named it after the Cherokee Indian Sequoyah, the creator of an alphabet of symbols representing the sounds of his tribe's language. In 1828 Sequoyah was elected to represent his people in Washington D.C. His statue stands in the National Hall of Statuary in the Capitol. Kings Canyon derived its name from the river which flows through it, which the Spaniards in 1805 christened Rio de los Santos Reyes, (River of the Holy Kings).

The Redwood Canyon Forest on Redwood Mountain is an example of a sequoia forest which is well worth looking at.

Roads

There are only tracks through the wilderness of the two parks. You can cross them on foot or on horseback. Although both parks are open throughout the year, the more remote parts are inaccessible in winter. Mountain passes are seldom free of snow before July 1st. The so-called Generals Highway (47mi/76km) is blocked by deep snow between December and May. It takes the car-driver to the west of the Sequoia National Park. It leads from the Ash Mountain Entrance through Areale Giant Forest, Lodgepole (winter sports, especially in Wolverton) and Dorst, and leaves the park in the northwest, the far side of Lost Grove. From there it crosses the southern tip of the Sequoia National Forest and meets the U.S. 180 (closed in winter) in the Grant Grove Area. This forms the only approach to the Kings Canyon National Park and links the two national parks together. The Generals Highway ends at Cedar Grove, where a 6mi/10km cul-de-sac continues to Cooper Creek.

Walks

There are about 900mi/1,450km of tracks passing through the two parks. The eastern part of both parks, from which motor vehicles are barred, is crossed by the Pacific Crest Trail (here called the "John Muir Trail"), a mountain track which is still being extended. It is 1,350mi/3,780km long, passes through various national parks, and follows the line of the ridge of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Mountains all the way from the Mexican to the Canadian borders. In the south of the Sequoia National Park the 40mi/64km High Sierra Trail runs eastwards from the Giant Forest Area, through superb countryside by way of Bearpaw Meadow as far as Wallace Creek, where it meets the John Muir Trail.

Events

Campfire programs: summer evening recitals by the camp-fire in Giant Forest, Lodgepole, Dorst, Grant Grove and Cedar Grove; guided tours there as well; accompanied riding trips from Wolverton, Grant Grove and Cedar Grove (horses for hire at all of them).

Information

The entrances to the parks are 53mi/86km south-east of Fresno on the CA 190 (Grant Cove Visitor Center) and 35mi/56km east of Visalia on the CA 198 (Lodgepole Visitor Center). Both Visitor Centers are open all the year round; they will advise you on the best way to look round the parks. The three motels inside the park are open only from the end of May to the beginning of September; at other times you will have to look for accommodation in Three Rivers, Visalia or Porterville.