The National Park Service governs both Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and entry to one park enables access to the other. They are recognized to coexist in the east of the San Joaquin Valley, in the south of Sierra Nevada.
Their scenery is a testament to the immensity, beauty, and diversity of nature, with massive mountains, rocky slopes, deep valleys, immense caves, and giant sequoia trees.
Key Takeaways
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon are national parks in California, USA, featuring giant sequoia trees and stunning landscapes.
- Sequoia National Park is known for its General Sherman Tree, the largest tree by volume, whereas Kings Canyon boasts the deepest canyon in the United States.
- Sequoia offers more developed facilities for visitors than Kings Canyon, but both parks provide various recreational activities.
Sequoia vs Kings Canyon National Park
Sequoia National Park, in the southern Sierra Nevada, East of Visalia, California, is famous for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman tree, the largest tree on Earth. Kings Canyon is also a national park in California known for its deep valley, roaring rivers, and high mountain peaks.
Sequoia is a national park in California’s south of Sierra Nevada. On September 25, 1890, the park was formed to safeguard the wooded mountainous regions that cover 404,064 acres.
The park is very well known for the massive sequoia trees, particularly the General Sherman oak, which is the biggest tree on the planet in terms of space.
Kings Canyon National Park is a picturesque location in east-central California’s Sierra Nevada. It is located near to and north of Sequoia and is supervised by the same agency.
The park encompasses 722 square miles. It has groves of huge trees, or gigantic sequoias, like Sequoia and Yosemite parks, featuring Grant and Cedar groves.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Sequoia | Kings Canyon |
|---|---|---|
| Established in | 1890 | 1940 |
| Area | 1635 km square | 1869.25 km square |
| Previous Park | It was the first park created. | It was previously established under the name General Grant National Park. |
| Famous Trails | Big trees trail | Big stump trail |
| Famous waterfall | Tokopah Falls | Roaring river falls. |
What is Sequoia National Park?
Sequoia National Park is a forestry region of 1,629 square kilometers in east-central California, United States. It is bounded on the northwest by Kings Canyon, and on the east by Mt. Whitney (4,418 meters).
Sequoia National Park was discovered in 1890 to preserve the groves of giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and is arguably the oldest and largest park on the planet.
The General Sherman oak in the Massive Forest is the house of five of the country’s 10 largest trees. The Generals Highway unites the massive Forest to the General Grant Grove in Kings Canyon.
The massive sequoia woodlands in the park are part of a 202,430-acre (316-square-mile; 81,921-hectare; 819-square-kilometer) territory of ancient forest shared by both the parks (Sequoia and Kings Canyon) adjacent to each other.
They defend the landscapes that mirror the south of Sierra Nevada before the Euro-American invasion.
The Giant Sequoia National Monument, developed in 2000, embraces 512 square miles of Sequoia Forest and has numerous groves of huge trees.
The monument’s two sections, split by Sequoia, cover the majority of the excellent groves of massive oaks that aren’t yet protected.
Besides the humongous oaks, the park’s flora and fauna include scented cedars, sugar pines, and numerous flowers and plants in the meadows. There are bears, deer, foxes, squirrels, and other small creatures that can be discovered.
What is Kings Canyon National Park?
Kings Canyon is a national park in California’s Fresno and Tulare provinces., in the south of Sierra Nevada.
The property was renamed Kings Canyon National Park on 4th March 1940 after it was considerably extended and christened General Grant National Park.
Kings Canyon boasts plenty of the greatest vertical topography in North America, with several peaks, near the park’s east perimeter and down to 4500 ft. in Cedar Grove’s valley bottom ten miles to the west.
Situated at the base of Kings Canyon, Cedar Grove is the park’s sole trail component of its vast eastern portion (via Highway 180).
Kings Canyon is a mile-long, steeply cut valley created by glaciers. Several 14,000-foot peaks, high alpine pastures, rapid rivers, and even some of the nation’s biggest stands of humongous sequoia trees are among natural features.
Most of this park is declared wilderness and is supplied by the Kings River’s middle and southern branches, as well as other smaller tributaries. The tourist attractions are divided into two places which are Grant Grove and Cedar Grove
A large percentage of the park’s wilderness, or high area, requires overnight walking, which is buried in heavy snow for much of the year.
It is separated into two pieces. The smaller and older western half is centered on Grant Grove, which is home to several of the park’s sequoias.
The park’s bigger eastern part, which covers much of its land area, is virtually totally wilderness and encompasses the steep gorges of the Kings River’s Middle and South Forks.
Main Differences Between Sequoia and Kings Canyon
- Sequoia National Park was discovered in 1890, whereas Kings Canyon was founded half a century later, in 1940.
- Sequoia covers an area of 1635 square kilometers whereas King Canyon covers an area of 1869.25 square kilometers.
- Sequoia National Park was created first. Then a little while later, General Grant National Park was established which was later turned into Kings Canyon along with the nearby vegetation.
- The most famous trail of Sequoia is the big trees trail meanwhile that of Kings Canyon is a big stump trail.
- The most famous waterfall of Sequoia is the Tokopah falls meanwhile that of Kings Canyon is Roaring River Falls.
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/30054366
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112711000089?casa_token=mXF6o43ANtMAAAAA:8TyYX_l-k4pzmVfxk0VZbNo0O0gmrOvfb7rGwAwdfH5DlQX705Uc4griYfUR5lbXGb9vhOw63CG_
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
