Everything about Kings Canyon National Park totally explained
» This article is about Kings Canyon National Park, USA. For Kings Canyon, Australia, see Kings Canyon (Northern Territory).
Kings Canyon National Park is a
U.S. National Park in the southern
Sierra Nevada, east of
Fresno, California. The park was established in
1940 and covers . It incorporated General Grant National Park, established in 1890 to protect the General Grant Grove.
The park is north of and contiguous with
Sequoia National Park; the two are administered by the
National Park Service as one unit, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
History
Kings Canyon had been known to white settlers since the mid-1800s, but it wasn't until
John Muir first visited in 1873 that the canyon began receiving attention. Muir was delighted at the canyon's similarity to
Yosemite Valley, as it reinforced his theory regarding the origin of both valleys, which, though competing with
Josiah Whitney's then-accepted theory, later proved true: that both valleys were carved by massive glaciers during the last Ice Age.
Kings Canyon's future was in doubt for nearly fifty years. Some wanted to build a dam at the western end of the valley, while others wanted to preserve it as a park. The debate was settled in 1965, when the valley along with Tehipite Valley, was added to General Grant National Park, established 1890.
Geography
Kings Canyon National Park consists of two sections. The small, detached
General Grant Grove section of Kings Canyon National Park preserves several groves of
giant sequoia including the General Grant Grove, with the famous
General Grant Tree, and the
Redwood Mountain Grove, which is the largest remaining natural
Giant Sequoia grove in the world (covering and with 15,800 sequoia trees over one foot (30 cm) in diameter at their bases). This section of the park is mostly mixed
conifer forest, and is readily accessible via paved highways.
The remainder of Kings Canyon National Park, which comprises over 90% of the total area of the park, is located to the east of General Grant Grove and forms the headwaters of the South and Middle Forks of the
Kings River and the South Fork of the
San Joaquin River. Both the South and Middle Forks of the Kings Rivers have extensive glacial canyons. One
portion of the South Fork canyon, known as the
Kings Canyon, gives the entire park its name. According to the Guinness book of world records, Kings Canyon is the deepest canyon in the United States with a maximum depth of . The canyon was carved by glaciers out of
granite. The Kings Canyon, and its developed area,
Cedar Grove, is the only portion of the main part of
the park that's accessible by motor vehicle. Both the Kings Canyon, and its Middle Fork twin,
Tehipite Valley, are glacial “Yosemites” – deeply incised
glacial gorges with relatively flat floors
and towering granite cliffs thousands of feet high.
To the east of the canyons are the high peaks of the Sierra Crest culminating in high
North Palisade, the highest point in the park. This is classic high Sierra country – barren
alpine ridges and glacially scoured lake-filled basins. Usually snow free only from late June until late October, the high country is accessible only via
foot and horse trails
. The Sierran crest forms the eastern boundary of the park, from
Mount Goethe in the north, down to
Junction Peak, at the boundary with
Sequoia National Park. Several well-travelled passes cross the crest into the park, including
Bishop Pass,
Taboose Pass,
Sawmill Pass, and
Kearsarge Pass. All of these passes are above elevation.
Further Information
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