Kings Canyon National Park
Another Green Paradise
The Kings Canyon National Park can be located the American State of California and is found South of Sierra Nevada. This is a National Park which was first established in 1940 and the area in which the park covers is 461,901 acres of land. This park is includes the General Grant National Park which was formed in 1890. The reason why the park was formed was to help protect the General Grant Grove with the large sequoias. Kings Canyon National Park is found north of the Sequoia National Park and both of these national parks are controlled by the National Park Service.
The History of Kings Canyon National Park
White settlers did move to Kings Canyon during the mid 19th century. However, until John Muir visited the park in 1873, the area was not given much attention; however after, the area started to receive more and more attention. John Muir loved how the canyon was very similar to that of the Yosemite Valley; it is thought that these mountain valleys were created by earthquakes. The Kings Canyon had Harold Ickes fighting their corner to create the national park; Harold Ickes was a US Secretary of the Interior wanted to create the area as a park.
Harold Ickes looked at Ansel Adams to help document and photograph the park; this helped to create the bill to create the Kings Canyon National Park. The bill took the General Grant Grove and combined this land with back country that lies just past the Zumwalt Meadow. For almost fifty or so years, no one was quite sure whether or not the Kings Canyon was going to still be there.
Many people wanted to actually construct a dam near the end of the valley to the west. Many however wanted to preserve the park for its beauty and natural features also. In 1965, the debate over the park was over as the Tehipite Valley was added to the park’s land.
The Geography of the Kings Canyon National Park
There are 2 areas of the Kings Canyon National Park; and there is the smaller General Grant Grove region which is detached. This area provides the land with many amazing groves of giant sequoias; these areas also have the ever famous General Grant Tree planted along with the Redwood Mountain Grove also. These are the last remaining natural groves of giant sequoias in the world today and they are also the very biggest in the world also. The area with sequoias is a good 3,100 acres with almost 15,800 sequoia trees found here.
The trees are one foot in diameter at their bases so these trees are very big; and in both the Kings Canyon and the Sequoia Nation Parks, there is a combined area of 202,430 area of land. These are found in large forests and there is a mixed forest but visitors can visit the area. Visitors are going to be able to reach this part with the paved highways.
Almost 90 % of the park is found east of the General Grant Grove and it will create the head waters of the South and Middle forks of the Kings River. The South and Middle Forks lead into the San Joaquin River and the rivers of Kings Canyon will have many amazing glacier canyons. Kings Canyon has a massive depth of almost 8,200 feet. This is one of the deepest in America alone; and the Kings Canyon was created from glaciers from granite.
For visitors, the only developed area in which they can reach via vehicles will be Cedar Grove. The Kings Canyon is quite incised and there are flatter floors; though Kearsarge Pass stands at a high elevation of almost 11,000 feet also. This is a very popular part of the park to visit today.
The Sierra Nevada is still a very young mountain range and it probably cannot be any more than around 10 million years old, if that. There are some who debate these details and the argument is certainly going to be something that continues for years to come. This is thought to be associated with the Great Basin; and the power of earth that has helped to develop this area. The mountains are very high and they will continue to rise and grow towards the sky also.
The mountains have been covered or rather coated, with thick mantle ice; and the glaciers have formed over a very long and extended period of time with cold, cool and wet weather that contributes to all of the glaciers forming. The glaciers do move something like Slow Motion Rivers; they are very slow on moving when they carve the deep valleys into the mountains as well as the craggy peaks.
Over the years, waterfalls, hanging valleys, landscape of the alpine lakes, glacier canyons and craggy peaks have all been created due to glaciers and the glaciations method also. The glaciations methods have helped to create this all across the Sierra Nevada region.
Recreational Activities of the Kings Canyon National Park
The camp grounds of the Kings Canyon National Park and the Sequoia National Park are found within the oak wood lands. These wood lands are found in the drier foot hills; and these are found in the cooler and higher conifer forests also. The forests are going to range from elevations from around 2,100 feet to around 7,500 feet. The different camp grounds are;
Atwell Mill
The Lodge Pole
The Grant Grove
The Dorst
These are all very close to the giant sequoia groves and the camp grounds are going to be quite cool.
Kings Canyon National Park is a fantastic park to explore and it certainly is going to be an area in which many will visit today also. It will really be something that more and more people are going to want to know.