In the Shadow of Giants: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

 

Giant Sequoias

Or Giant Canyons ...

Which would you choose??

Luckily, we didn't have to choose between the two during our next national park visit. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are two national parks with very different ''personalities'' that are located right next to each other in central California. I admit that we really didn't know much about these national parks before we visited. We quickly found a special place where the great diversity of nature made each hike, each overlook, each day of our week-long visit a unique experience as we hung out in the Shadow of Giants.

After finishing our visit at Yosemite, we drove down 5000 feet in elevation to Fresno in the heart of California's agricultural valley. After stocking up on necessary provisions, we passed many orchards and started our upward ascent once again into the Sierra Nevada mountains.

We quickly lost internet connection, so I figured that this would be a quick visit since we had just spent the few days ''unconnected'' in Yosemite. It can get difficult to plan our future travels without internet ... not to mention one or both of us may start experiencing computer withdrawal symptoms. But when we realized all the unique sight-seeing and hiking opportunities that awaited us, it was a joy to be disconnected and truly enjoy all the beauty that surrounded us.

We came in during the middle of the week to the Kings Canyon Visitor Center and found a primo spot at Azalea Campground, a ''first come'' campground. Even though it was technically located in Kings Canyon National Park, we were near Grant Grove, where climate and altitude combine to make the perfect growing environment for Giant Sequoias. We were feeling pretty special to have our own giant sequoia on our site that seemed big enough to be used as a bedroom for our ''deer'' guests who frequently visited our campsite.

Giant Sequoias are the most massive trees on earth. Classified as a redwood, they grow to be over 200 feet tall with truck diameters of 28+ feet. Unlike the coast redwoods, the giant sequoias maintain their wide truck circumference almost all the way to their top branches. With its thick bark and tannic acid sap, the giant sequoia is, thankfully, fairly resistant to fire. Many of these giants are estimated to be over 1500 years old. An easy hike through the forest from our campsite led us to the second largest tree in the world, the General Grant Tree. It proudly stands at 267 feet tall, has a truck diameter of almost 29 feet, and is believed to be about 1650 years old. 

The next day we drove an hour down the Generals Highway into Sequoia National Park, where Giant Forest is home to majority of these massive beauties including the largest Sequoia on earth, the General Sherman Tree. Standing at 275 feet tall with a truck diameter of 36 feet, it is believed to be around 2500 years old. 

While it is mandatory to pay a visit to this popular ''hero'' of Sequoia National Park, we enjoyed hiking under the quiet shadows of sequoias of all sizes along trails in Grant Grove and Giant Forest. Among our favorites:

Crescent Meadow

Sequoias meet wetland in this hikers' paradise. The trails led us pass sequoias of all ages and sizes that grow alongside other smaller forest trees. Scars from past forest fires reminded us of the sequoia's resiliency, and at the same time, its continued need to be protected.

Big Trees Trail

Educational displays along this one mile loop gave us our ''sequoia lesson''. Among the fun facts:

      1. Sequoias only grow at altitudes between 5000 and 7000 feet.

      2. While they are very hardy, they need precise amounts of sun and water to flourish.

      3. Sequoias start out small ... and they also need forest fires to open up their cones in order to reproduce.

      4. Despite being a massively large organism, their root system is quite shallow with no deep tap root to anchor them ... kinda makes you want make sure that the sequoia that you are standing under is not leaning to one side or the other :-)

High Sierra Trail

This was a picturesque trail that ran along the mountain ridge overlooking the canyons below. Do you really feel like hiking?? Then this trail is for you as it continues for miles deep into the national park. We were passed by a couple of very serious backpackers determined to scale a few mountains and canyons on their way to a back country campsite twenty miles away.

Moro Rock

This iconic granite rock adorns the mountainside and provides amazing views of the canyons below for those who venture up its 350+ stairs. Unfortunately, wildfire smoke made the views less than optimal ... something that this area has been dealing with for the last month.

Sunset Rock Trail

A 1.4 mile trail that provides the ''two park'' experience. We walked through sequoia forests, over a mountain stream, and emerged out on a huge granite slab that overlooked the canyon. As the name suggests, it is a perfect place to watch a ''pseudo'' sunset ... when the sun disappears over the distance mountain tops but doesn't truly disappear over the horizon.

Just like they amazed us, the Giant Sequoias of the Sierras have fascinated humanity since their discovery by hunters in 1833. Sadly, some of these massive beauties were intentionally cut down and shipped to the eastern United States in order to prove their existence, entertain people, and make money. Fortunately, their wood proved to be too soft for construction uses, so many were spared from becoming lumber in the late 1800s. Thanks to the efforts of conservationists like John Muir, the giant sequoias became protected starting in the 1920s, and the logging of sequoias of any size was prohibited by law beginning in 1980. 

Still, while hiking through this area, we found sequoias that had succumbed to fire, winds, or logging through the years. We also saw some of the interesting ways humans have made use of these felled giants whose wood is very resistant to wood rot.

Like a true ''log'' cabin,

... or a playhouse for the kids,

... or a car tunnel (if your vehicle's clearance is eight feet or less),

... or just bridges over a trail, 

 ... I was happy that I didn't have to try to scramble over them!

Kings Canyon National Park lies adjacent Sequoia and has been often referred to as a ''mini Yosemite'' by some visitors. A trip to the ''heart'' of this canyon is all about the journey down. While it is a steep and twisty drive with a 5000 feet elevation drop down into Kings Canyon, the spectacular scenery along the way is well worth the white-knuckle ride. At the canyon base, giant walls of granite rise up on either side of mountain streams making this another hiking and rock climbing paradise. But since it took us the better part of the morning to drive down to the canyon floor, we settled for a scenic lunch spot and short waterfall hike.

With so much area to cover and hiking trails to explore, what started out as a two day trip turned into an enjoyable week-long stay in these two national parks.

The lure of the giant sequoias of Sequoia National Park

... and ...

the sweeping views of Kings Canyon National Park

So what would we choose??

Let's ponder that question for a while ...

.

Fortunately, a visit to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

gives you the best of both!

(although I think Doug may become a little partial to Kings Canyon as he sports his new hat!)

Yosemite National Park: A Double Dose of Wow!

We had heard that the view of El Capitan is amazing, but ... Wow! We weren't prepared for the breath-taking beauty as it rose up majestically from the Yosemite Valley. The thin layer of wildfire smoke tried, but it could not hide its grandeur.

As we left the Oregon coast and headed into Northern California, we realized that Yosemite National Park could easily be one of our next destinations if we did some ''prep work'' ahead of time. Earlier this season, the park service started limiting the number of visitors it admits into Yosemite each day in order to decrease issues with overcrowding. Visitors have to purchase a day-use reservation online for admittance on a specific day. The reservations cost $2 in addition to the regular national park admission cost of $35. Once you obtain and activate this highly sought after reservation, it is good for the following seven days. In recent years, Yosemite has struggled with traffic issues related to the nearly four million annual visitors. With the new system only 1700 reservations are available each day. What a gift we were given ... the chance to visit this hugely popular national park during a very rare ''quiet'' period.

 Less traffic meant primo parking spots for Baby Beest and spectacular front-row views for us!

Since we have adopted a sort of ''plan as we go'' traveling style, we sometimes find it challenging to be in a certain place on a specific day. But for the chance to see Yosemite when the number of visitors is limited ... we will make it work! We actually secured two entrance reservations a week apart, so if we couldn't make the first reservation day on October 5, then we would still have a chance to come in a week later on October 12. Time to study up on Yosemite!

So much to see and do ... how does one decide? I could leave it totally in Doug's hands, but I am quite certain that I won't go along with his suggestion to climb Half Dome!

On our way towards Yosemite from northern California, the route skirted us around San Francisco before heading east towards Yosemite. If we added just a few extra miles to our route, we could drive across and see the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a sunny Sunday morning as we headed that direction ... seemed to be a great opportunity to photograph the landmark bridge. Unfortunately, this was our view as we approached the bridge ...

Yes, the famous San Francisco fog greeted us instead.

While we didn't get our ''photo opportunity'' this time around, we did get to partake in the second most famous San Francisco experience. Google Maps thought it was doing us a favor by helping us avoid some traffic backups on Highway 101. That ''favor'' however, involved redirecting us up a couple of those famous San Francisco side streets that have about a 25% uphill grade. Yikes! Glad my driver and Baby Beest both seemed to enjoy the challenge!

That served as a practice run for the climb later that afternoon into the mountains leading up to Yosemite. Once more driver and van accepted the challenge of taking on uphill climbs and hairpin turns that brought us high into the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range where Yosemite National Park is located. After staying overnight in a private RV park, we drove an hour through national forest land to reach the Big Oak Flat Entrance on the morning of our first entrance reservation day.

As we drove into the park, there was still a hint of smoke from wildfires that had been burning in the area off and on for the last month. Sections like this one in the national forest that surrounds Yosemite were common ... a stark reminder that we have to all do our part to prevent forest fires.

We secured our first seven-day pass and were ready to start exploring. The only problem ... it is a long drive up the mountains that lead into Yosemite. Not a drive that we wanted to repeat every morning and evening for the next few days. Happily, Doug found a last minute opening at Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley for our first night there so we were able to enjoy two full days in that area of the park. Some highlights include: 

Glacier Point Vista: It's a long, winding drive up with a huge payoff of spectacular views of Half Dome and other massive granite cliffs. Through our binoculars, we could see ''more adventurous than us'' rock climbers basking in their glory as they reached the summit of Half Dome. 

Hike Up to Sentinel Dome: A 1.3 mile hike up to the top of Sentinel Dome provided more fabulous views of Yosemite Valley far below

Inspiration Point: It was getting late in the afternoon, so we just climbed about halfway up ... far enough to be inspired by the view!

Views Looking Up From Yosemite Valley: While riding through the many miles of Yosemite beauty, I found out that the co-pilot has a new job. I accepted the challenge of capturing scenic shots along the way and sometime ''jazz'' them up with special affects!

Camping in Yosemite Valley at Upper Pines Campground: With most of the Yosemite campgrounds closed, we were grateful to be able to secure a last minute reservation. We were surrounded by lots of other campers, but Baby Beest has all we need to keep our social distance including a small, but fully functioning interior wet bath ... thanks to Doug's fix-it skills. I am warming up to the idea that my bathroom also gets cleaned every time we take a shower.

Bridalveil Falls: Trail construction prevented us from getting any closer to this Yosemite icon and the smog that day obscured our view, but the falls were still flowing delicately ... like a bridal veil! 

Merced Grove of the Giant Sequoias: This is one of three Sequoia groves in Yosemite. A 1.3 mile hike through the peaceful (and not so smoggy) forest lead us to a few Giant Sequoias that grow in the park. They are not as tall as the Coast Redwoods, but have a much wider truck circumference which makes them larger by volume than their ''cousins''.

Doug had scheduled some work to be done on our van at a Hymer specialist about three hours west of Yosemite, so we headed there with the thought that we may return to Yosemite for a day or two afterwards. But the air quality in that area was getting worse rather than better, so we used our ''flexibility'' to follow the clearer skies and ...

... snag another state capitol building in Sacrament, California

... catch a glimpse of South Lake Tahoe

... enjoy the weekend in the beautiful Carson Valley in Nevada

... capture another state capitol building in Carson City, Nevada

... check out some old western towns (and get a glimpse of autumn)

... visit an authentic ''ghost town'' at Bodie State Historical Site

... see and learn about the tufa columns (columns of calcium carbonate which form in carbonate-rich saltwater lakes) at Mono Lake which is located near the eastern entrance of Yosemite.

And thus we were able to get a ''double dose'' of Yosemite by arriving at the Tioga Pass Entrance on the day that our second park reservation started. With the air quality improving and two more nights of camping at Upper Pines secured, we were happy to continue our Yosemite experience.

Highlights of our second visit to Yosemite included: 

Gaylor Lake Hike: A slight uphill climb brought us to an alpine lake overlook. But why stop there? The lakeside views were just as spectacular.

Olmsted Point: This primo vista was named in honor of the father and son landscape designers and conservationists who helped preserve Yosemite's natural beauty by encouraging that it be set aside as public land in 1864 and fully protected as our third national park in 1890. After we enjoyed another ''lunch with a view'', we climbed up a boulder field for a new prospective of Half Dome and the Yosemite Valley.

Tuolumne Grove: We walked through the second of three Sequoia groves in Yosemite. In the early 20th century, this site was popular with tourists who drove down this steep gravel road for the chance to drive their car through this burnt down but still upright Sequoia trunk.

Tunnel View Vista: Since the air quality had improved considerably since our visit last week, we decided to return to our favorite Yosemite viewpoint. We were doubly delighted when we realized that the setting sun was at just the right angle to turn Bridalveil Falls into a colorful rainbow which Doug captured by connecting his phone camera lens to the binocular lens.

Mirror Lake Trail: Mirror Lake ... sounds like it could be a spectacular sight in the midst of all the towering granite peaks, right? We biked to the trailhead near our campground and hiked a short distance to where the lake should have been. No amazing Mirror Lake here, as the man-made dam that created the lake years ago was taken down ... leaving a more natural, but dried up river bank.

Biking Around Yosemite Valley: There were a number of miles of bike/pedestrian paths that led us past some amazing scenery. Even with tourist numbers down, as evidenced by the many tour buses sitting idle, the bike paths were still very crowded and not well signed. We are not sure if we would feel comfortable biking around this central hub of activity during more normal, busy times.

And we saved the best for last ...

Hike Up to Artist Point: From the Tunnel View parking area, we climbed up towards Inspiration Point but took a side path that actually used to be the road going into Yosemite. The path was quiet and the view made me wish that I had a bit of artistic talent so that I could paint this lovely scene.

But it will be etched in our hearts as we forever savor the double dose of Wow that we were able to enjoy at Yosemite National Park!