Kings Canyon National Park: Difference between revisions
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<span class="dablink">''This Article is about Kings Canyon National Park, USA. For Kings Canyon, Australia, see [[Kings Canyon, Northern Territory |
<span class="dablink">''This Article is about Kings Canyon National Park, USA. For Kings Canyon, Australia, see [[Kings Canyon, Northern Territory]].''</span> |
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'''Kings Canyon National Park''' is a [[national park]] in the southern [[Sierra Nevada (US)|Sierra Nevada]], east of [[Fresno, California]]. The park was established in [[1940]] and covers 461,901 acres (1,869.25 km²). |
'''Kings Canyon National Park''' is a [[national park]] in the southern [[Sierra Nevada (US)|Sierra Nevada]], east of [[Fresno, California]]. The park was established in [[1940]] and covers 461,901 acres (1,869.25 km²). |
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Revision as of 09:25, 3 October 2005
| Kings Canyon | |
| File:Map of USA Locator Kings Canyon N.P..jpg | |
| Designation | National Park |
| Location | California, USA |
| Nearest City | Fresno, California |
| Coordinates | 36°48′N 118°33′W / 36.800°N 118.550°W |
| Area | 461,901 acres (1,869 km²) 186,900 ha |
| Date of Establishment | 1940 |
| Visitation | 1,520,835 (2003) |
| Governing Body | National Park Service |
| IUCN category | II National Park |
This Article is about Kings Canyon National Park, USA. For Kings Canyon, Australia, see Kings Canyon, Northern Territory.
Kings Canyon National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Fresno, California. The park was established in 1940 and covers 461,901 acres (1,869.25 km²).
The park is adjacent to Sequoia National Park; the two are administered by the National Park Service as one unit, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
The main geographical feature of the park is Kings Canyon, a 4000 feet (1.2 km) deep canyon carved by glaciers and the Kings River out of granite. Visitors can drive part way to the end of Kings Canyon: the road stops at Cedar Grove. Where the road ends is a large flat granite rock that juts into the Kings River. This rock is known as Muir Rock as John Muir occasionally gave talks on that rock in the early days of the Sierra Club outings to Kings Canyon (1901 to 1908?).
For nearly 50 years, Kings Canyon's future was in doubt. Some people wanted to build a dam at the western end of the valley while others wanted to preserve it as a park. The debate was finally settled in 1965 when the valley was added to the already existing Kings Canyon National Park.
The other major attraction is the park's Giant Sequoia groves. The park includes the Redwood Mountain Grove, which covers 3100 acres (1250 hectares) and has 15,800 sequoia trees over one foot (0.30 m) in diameter at their bases. This is the largest sequoia grove remaining in the world.
The park is also home to Grant Grove, which includes General Grant tree among other sequoias. That grove is connected by the park's Generals Highway to another sequoia grove, Giant Forest, which is in Sequoia National Park.
Most of the area of the park is backcountry wilderness, which is only accessible on foot or on horseback. The Sierra crest in the park reaches an elevation of 14,000 feet (4,300 m).
See also: Biology of the Sierra Nevada
External links and references
- Panoramic photos of North Kings Canyon NP
- Panoramic photos of South Kings Canyon NP
- Photographic virtual tour of Kings Canyon National Park.
- Kings Canyon National Park - National Parks Gallery
See also: List of guidebooks about the Sierra Nevada
