The giant sequoia is Earth's largest living tree; at least one other tree lives longer, one other has greater diameter, three grow taller but none is larger. In all the world, these giant sequoias grow naturally on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada.

Kings Canyon National Park is home to General Grant, one of the world's largest of known sequoias. It is 1,700 years old, has a height of 268 feet, has a 40 foot diameter base and a circumference of 107.6 feet. The lowest branch on the tree is 129 feet above the ground. The sequoia stand inside the park was amazing. I was able to hike through one of the trees that had fallen and had been hollowed out.

The drive to the park offered majestic scenes at every turn and provided turn-outs for those (many) kodak moments. Kings River flows through the canyon, forever cutting and creating a natural masterpiece. The drive through the park ended at the Copper Creek Trail - about a 40 mile drive and other than the visitor's center and the privately owned Boyden Cave, there were no services inside the park. Kings Canyon NP offers many hiking trails with varying degrees of difficulty. It would be hard to say which of the trails offered the best views as they all were incredible. I guess my favorite was Zumwalt Meadow Trail (only 1.5mi) because it provided (medium effort) rock climbing, lush green meadows, majestic trees - all in a canyon with the Kings River running along side the northern loop. My least favorite would have been the Chicago Stump; the drive to get there was on a dirt road and it became so narrow it was more like a foot path and most places were too narrow to pass other vehicles without scraping against the thorny bush that lined most of the road. It was, however the only trail that I expected to see bears and other animals - which there were none visible to the camera. Also in the park there were several waterfalls. Grizzly Falls - a short, very easy hike, as was the Roaring River Falls.

The best tip I can provide if travelling through the park - don't leave any food in your vehicle; it is an open invitation for the bears and they will destroy your vehicle to get to it...I even had my concerns about carrying food in my pack. Also, cougars live in the park as well, so don't hike alone. Also, even though the temperatures flucuated between 58 degrees and 78 degrees, always keep hydrated and carry a jacket (unless you're like me and live in your own private summer).

The one most outstanding thing that was noticed - there was no trash anywhere inside the park so always do your part and keep our parks clean...carry out what you carry in.