Kings Canyon National Park - May 2011

National Parks are amazing places where exercise is disguised as adventure, and you sneak in some learning too. You expect giant trees and a  huge canyon and you won’t be disappointed.  Yet the whole of these parks is even greater than the sum of its famous parts.

You can see the towering trees along the roadway into Kings Canyon.  “Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees,” said naturalist John Muir back in 1898.  Just driving into the park you start to get a feeling of being consumed by the massive sizes of the giant sequoias. As you go through this magnificent park some aspects of this special place is likely to stir your interest.

Here is a map of the Grant Tree Loop.  You can walk the ½ mile loop to see amazing features of the Grant Grove.

The General Grant tree at Kings Canyon is the third largest sequoia tree in the world and is estimated to be more than 3,000 years old.  Located in Grant Grove, the General Grant tree was nicknamed the Nation's Christmas tree by President Calvin Coolidge, and remains one of the most popular attractions in Kings Canyon National Park.

The fallen Monarch is a giant fallen Sequoia tree that is hollow inside. You can walk through the tree, and get a feeling for the immense size of these giants. One wonders how long ago this tree fell. A high tannin content make this great sequoia wood indigestible to fungi, bacteria, insects and other decay.  This decay of the wood takes place very slowly.  This fallen Monarch has remained virtually unchanged for well over 100 years and who knows how much longer. 

This is a photo taken from the other side of the fallen Monarch. You can see visitors waiting their chance to walk through the tree.

Look at Kathy standing in front of another fallen sequoia trunk.  You can see how massive the trunk is in size.  No one knows when this tree fell or how long it will take to decay.

Here is a picture of other giant sequoias in the General Grant grove.   As you walk among these gentle giants you get a feeling of amazement.  You are truly in a special place on earth.

Kings Canyon is one of the deepest canyons in the United States.  If you click to enlarge this photo you can see Kings Canyon Lodge which is only open in the summer. 

Grizzly Falls dramatically drops some 75ft and is at its best in spring, when the thunderous force is so strong you can feel the reverberations in your chest.  When the falls' flow diminishes (often to a single narrow column) in late summer, you'll find lots of people frolicking at the base of the waterfall.

 Roaring River Falls will definitely kill you if you fall in anywhere along the way, it’s very powerful. The river is 45 miles (72 km) long and flows south for the first part of its course, then west for the remainder.

The South Fork Kings River is an important tributary of the Kings River in the U.S. state of California. It joins the Middle Fork Kings River to form the main stem of the Kings. It is famous for flowing through Kings Canyon, a 10,000-foot (3,000 m) deep glacial canyon in the heart of Kings Canyon National Park.

Here's a video of Roaring River Falls.