Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Giant Sequoia National Monument and Sequoia National Forest combine to protect several groves of giant sequoia trees that grow only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The parks and lands also include several features of the high Sierras, including Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the U.S. outside of Alaska, and Kings Canyon.

In 2002 I took what was a day trip west out of Fresno that passed through Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. I stopped at a number of ... (more)