Hike the Parks Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks. Scott Turner

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       Ferns and falls compose a tranquil scene on the Hart Tree Loop (Route 31).

VISITING SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS

      At the moment you read this, snow-fed rivers pour over granite boulders within deep canyons, nourishing wildlife and flora spanning a bewildering range of habitats. The towering crown of a giant sequoia, survivor of fires and lightning strikes and witness to several millennia, sways gently in a west wind. A pristine lake nestled within a glacial basin shimmers in the crystalline high altitude. A determined hiker climbs toward a 12,000-foot (3658-m) mountain pass deep within the interior of the range. The hiker pulls deeply on the thin atmosphere while standing in awe of a vast panorama of mystifying size and scale.

      These moments illustrate the hallmarks of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks: size, variety, and the ability to impart lifelong memories. Both parks contain several groves of giant sequoias, largest of all trees by volume. Sequoia National Park contains the highest peak in the Lower 48—Mount Whitney—while Kings Canyon itself is one of the deepest canyons in the United States. Combined, the parks span an elevation range of nearly 13,500 feet (4115 m) from the summit of Mount Whitney to the Ash Mountain Entrance. Such superlative features ensure a sense of grandeur, along with one of the greatest displays of biodiversity in the country.

      Although Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are separate entities, the National Park Service manages both parks conjointly. Combined, the two parks form one massive, sprawling mountain wonderland that also encompasses the northern unit of Giant Sequoia National Monument. Even though the combined parks contain over 800 СКАЧАТЬ