california's national parks
Updated: May, 2022
People love to reverse bandwagon. It is way more fun to route for an underdog and hate against the main crowd. However, as much as it pains me to admit this: California is pretty sick. California may get a lot of hate, but my gosh does that state know how to do nature and we need to give credit where credit is due. While other states (Alaska) may beat out Cali for pure square mileage of parks, California is the top dog in its quantity of them.
Cali is home to 9 National Parks; Redwood, Lassen Volcanic, Yosemite, Pinnacles, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Death Valley, Channel Islands, and Joshua Tree National Parks. The state is home to beautiful coastal shorelines, record breaking heat in the desert, volcanic activity and fault lines, and even ski hills- it really has it all. I had the pleasure of visiting Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite in late May of 2019 with my darling sister Monica. Yosemite was my first ever National Park and I'll always have a special spot in my heart for it. Getting into climbing has only grown my appreciation for Yosemite and I know I will be back one day. I'm also pretty eager to see the rest of what this state has to offer, but until then check out some of my previous Cali adventures! :)
KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA
Visited: May, 2019
The beautiful Kings Canyon is adjacent to the Sequoia Park. While Monica and I may have accidentally driven down the entire canyon looking for our place to stay for the night, we had zero regrets in our slight adventure detour. I wish we got to spend a little more time in the park, but I was thankful to get such a beautiful view of what the park had to offer in our sunset drive through they canyon.
Facts about Kings Canyon
Sequoia is not the only park in abundance with caves, Kings Canyon has a few of its own! Lilburn Cave is the longest cave in the Parks (and in California) at its impressive 17 miles of passage.
Both of the parks combined contain over 200 caves due to their glacial and metamorphic origins!
Kings Canyon initially was established under the name "General Grant National Park" in its original creation to preserve the world's second largest tree, General Grant. What is known as Kings Canyon today was created to preserve more of the surrounding area in the 1940s. The newly established Kings Canyon Park was inclusive of the General Grant National Park area, and subsequently the park became apart of Kings Canyon. The General Grant namesake was continued in the establishment of the General Grant Grove section of the park.
References: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/general-grant-national-park.htm , https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/cave_descriptions.htm
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA
Visited: May, 2019
The second national park on my sister and I's California trip was the magical Sequoia forest. I honestly can't tell you what route we took around the park because I was in SUCH a trance of these trees. Walking among these gentle giants was like walking in an alternate universe.
What I do remember about the trip into the Sequoia grove was that the road into the forest was ABSOLUTELY WILD. It was so steep and so windy and poor Monica did a killer job driving us into the grove. The road is definitely less crazy once you are in the forest, but there is even a part in the park called the "Tunnel Log" in which cars can drive through/beneath a cut out giant fallen tree!!
So what is so special about Sequoia Trees?
Sequoia's are the world's largest trees by volume. Their cousin's, the Redwoods, are typically taller, but Sequoia's themselves can grow pretty tall themselves (up to 300 ft tall- the height of a 26 story building). The Sequoia's gain their world's largest tree title by being incredibly girthy. They typically grow to be 20-35 feet across in their 3,000 year lifespan. The branches can be up to 8 feet in diameter and the bark can be up to 3 feet thick.
Sequoia's are extremely picky about where and how they get to grow. Their seeds can remain in their cones for 20 years because they generally require forest fire level heat to open up. Once the seeds are hatched, the trees continue to be difficult in only growing in a very specific 260 mile strip of California. These huge trees primarily grow between 5,000 and 7,000 feet elevation in the Sierra mountains with very particular climate requirements of moist acidic well drained soils.
TLDR: They are incredibly picky huge old trees.
Ref: https://www.treehugger.com/spectacular-facts-about-giant-sequoias-4858757 , https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=918
The Sequoia National Park grove contains a few celebrities in the tree world. There is one particular tree my sister and I got to see that put me at a loss for words.
*read the following in the voice of Bruce Buffer (the mma announcer guy)*
In this grove, weighing in at 2.7 million pounds, 52,508 cubic feet in volume, 275 ft in height, 102 ft circumference at its base, the current largest living tree and living organism in the WORLDDDDD, we have GENERAL SHERMAN!!!!
Enjoy some of my favorite facts I've learned about Sequoia!!
Sequoia was the first National Park created in order to protect a living organism (The Sequoia Trees) in 1890.
Sequoia is not only home to some super tall trees, but a super tall mountain as well. The park is home to the tallest mountain in the lower 48, Mt. Whitney, at 14,494 feet in elevation
If you're thinking about how rock beats paper, Sequoia offers some gnarly rock fun as well. Visitors can elect to take a 50 minute guided tour of Crystal cave- a marble cavern. (Tickets must be bought online 36 hours ahead of time, but it is recommended to buy them two months in advance of your visit.)
References: https://www.doi.gov/blog/11-things-you-didnt-know-about-sequoia-and-kings-canyon-national-parks
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA
Visited: May, 2019
Yosemite was my first ever national park visit and I honestly don't think I'll ever forget it. I literally cried when my sister and I drove into the park because it really is that unbelievably beautiful.
We visited in late May of 2019 and the weather could not have been more perfect. The cool nights and warm days coupled with the fresh spring vegetation made for the BEST experience.
One thing has changed since 2019- the reservation system. Just like Glacier National Park, reservations are required to enter the park between 6am-4pm from May until September. Reservations can be made through a lottery system on recreation.gov!
The Sentinel Meadow of the Yosemite Valley was absolutely stunning. I really loved how the area made its accessibility blend so well with the surroundings. The wooden boardwalk blends with the area, but adds its own charm to valley.
The drive up to Glacier Point brings you STUNNING views of the valley including Half Dome and Yosemite Falls. The drive even has its own labeled Tunnel View area with parking to allow people to appreciate this crazy valley. It is another accessible area that I don't think anyone visiting Yosemite should miss.
Speaking of Yosemite Falls, Monica and I had the amazing opportunity to hike it! The falls is the tallest in all of North America with its 2,425ft drop.
You can choose to go partly up the trail to the Columbia Rock view or treck the entire way to the top! Views from Columbia Rock are pretty incredible, but the top of the falls definitely takes the cake.
The trail is a little steep at some points, but it does have plenty of switchbacks! We were in the sun for the majority of the hike so bring your sunscreen and plenty of water if you decide to check it out.
Columbia Rock
Elevation Gain: 1000 feet
Length: 2 miles Round Trip
Difficulty: Medium
Time: ~2 hours
Note(s):
Medium difficulty because I remember a family turning around right before this viewpoint :,)
Top of Yosemite Falls
Elevation Gain: 2,700 feet
Length: 7.2 miles round trip
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Time: ~6 hours
Note(s):
Trail starts along the Valley Loop Trail
Plenty of space at the top for people to spread out and enjoy a little time on top of the world
Def a lil steep on the way up, but well worth the hike!
