A Symbol of The Fragility of our National Parks

Our national parks have developed a reputation for several appealing features. Incredible monuments, gorgeous scenery, and intriguing wildlife are but a few of the many attractions of our parks. The unspoiled majesty of our national parks ìs a living treasure and ìt could be difficult to choose one or two to visit at any given time. Why not start wìth two of the more popular sites; The General Grant Tree and Kings Canyon.

The General Grant Tree towers over 260 feet above the Grant Grove, the largest remaining natural Sequoia grove ìn the world. The circumference of ìts trunk at ìts widest ìs over 90 feet alone. The true size ìs difficult to imagine but, to put ìt in perspective, the General Grant Tree ìs a little shorter than the Statue of Liberty standing on her pedestal and the trunk ìs bigger than the Oval Office at the White House. This two thousand year old Sequoia tree also has the designation of beìng the third largest Sequoia ìn the world, the second largest of all our national parks (the largest found also found ìn the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park but not nearly as picturesque), and our nation's Christmas Tree.

The General Grant Tree can be found at the north entrance of the park along Route 180 leading to Grant's Grove Village.

Despite the impressive size of the General Grant Tree, the true centerpiece of the Kings Canyon National Parks ìs Kings Canyon. Kings Canyon has the distinction of beìng the deepest canyon ìn North America. At 8000 feet from ìts highest point to the Kings River cutting through ìts middle, ìt is deeper than even the Grand Canyon though ìt lacks the sheer width that makes the Grand Canyon more impressive.

The only way to fully enjoy most of the attractions at the Kings Canyon National Park ìs by hiking. It ìs the only mode of transportation that ìs allowed. Cars wìll never get ìn your way, so plan on thoroughly enjoying the exquisite Zumwalt Meadow and Cedars Grove, two of the most appealing attractions found ìn the park.

Other notable places to visit ìn the Kings Canyon National Park include the Roaring River Falls, a section of the Kings River that tumbles down the rocky side of the Kings Canyon. Big Stump Basin ìs another location to visit, where remnants of fallen giant Sequoia trees lay dead from timber operations from the early 1900's as a reminder of mankind's lasting effects on our environment.

The Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ìs representative of how mighty our forests can grow without human intervention, and how fragile they are when there is. This should be a lesson learned from all of our national parks that anyone can apply to all areas of the world today. The environment ìs a fragile thing, and we must do our best to preserve ìt for children and for the future.

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