Kings Canyon National Park is a scenic wilderness in east-central California. It has some of the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and some of the country’s oldest and largest giant sequoia trees.
The Grant Grove section of the park has trees that are 1,800 to 2,700 years old. The largest and most famous of these trees is the General Grant. It rises 268 feet (81.7 meters) and has a base circumference of more than 107 feet (32.6 meters). Grant Grove’s second largest tree is the General Lee Tree. The park also has huge pine trees.
The Kings River portion of the park lies northeast of Grant Grove. There, the south and middle forks of the winding Kings River carve out Tehipite Valley Canyon and Kings Canyon. The walls of Kings Canyon are 2,500 to 5,000 feet (762 to 1,500 meters) high. Snow-capped mountains tower above the canyons. Much of the park can be reached only by trail. Sequoia National Park lies next to Kings Canyon National Park on the south (see Sequoia National Park ). Kings Canyon National Park was established in 1940. For the area of Kings Canyon National Park, see National Park System (table: National parks) .
