Sequoia National Park

sequoia-274158_1280Welcome to the land of giants, Visalia California’s very own Sequoia National Park. Sequoia National Park is full of dramatic landscapes located in the southern Sierra Nevada region, home to huge mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and some of the world’s absolutely most beautiful and largest trees! This park is a testimony of nature’s size, beauty and diversity, taking the breath away from any first time visitor with its grandeur. The park is located just east of San Joaquin Valley and is considered a sister park of Kings Canyon Park, oftentimes combined in name.

The elevation gradient in this park is huge, going from 1,370 to 14,494 feet above sea level, giving it some of the best biodiversity in the area. Your group can explore the hundreds of miles of hiking trails in this 404,064 acre park that show many terrestrial, aquatic, and subterranean ecosystems. Your group will also see over 200 marble caverns full of endemic cave fauna. Sequoia National Park is the second oldest national park in the nation, being deemed protected in 1890 and seeing 1.5 million guests a year since then. Stop by the visitor center to see an intro movie on this vast national park and learn more about its history. 

Be sure to save back plenty of time to hike around, explore some of the world’s largest trees, and relax amidst true pre-settlement beauty of California. Hiking shoes and a camera with plenty of film are musts here, as well are stops to the two following hot-spots within the park!

Mount Whitney - Mt Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous 48 states at an astonishing 14,505 feet above sea level. The unbelievable vista from the top is surrounded by alpine climate species, such as the Sky Pilot plant and various species of butterflies and finch. The unevenness of the steep mountain sides are caused by the fault block deep underneath this geological wonder, as you will learn more about on a trip to this gorgeous summit!

General Sherman Tree - General Sherman is one of the largest trees on earth, coming to an impressive 275 feet high and 25 feet wide. This tree is considered to be the oldest one on the planet, and is located in an old growth forest that is itself about 2,500 years old. Located in the Giant Forest, your group will also see five more giant sequoias that make up five out of the ten largest trees in the world! This forest land makes up about 203,000 acres of the park total, and you aren’t going to want to miss a chance to spend some time in here!