Ann Marie Brown - Moon Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon: Hiking, Camping, Waterfalls & Big Trees

Tenaya Lake.

Plunging waterfalls, stark granite, alpine lakes, pristine meadows, giant sequoia trees, and raging riversyoull find them all in the national parks of Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon.

From Yosemite Valleys famous waterfalls, which are among the tallest in the world, to the towering granite domes and glistening meadows of Tioga Pass, Yosemite is a place that can only be described in superlatives. At 1,169 square miles (3,028 sq km), the park is nearly the size of Rhode Island and is one of the most popular national parks in the United States, visited by about four million people each year.

Set aside as a national park in 1890, Yosemite is a place that is synonymous with scenery. The 7-mile-long (11.3-km) Yosemite Valley, with its 3,000-foot (900-m) granite walls and leaping waterfalls, is known the world over as an incomparable natural wonder. It is estimated that more than half of the parks visitors see only the Valley when they travel to Yosemite, even though it comprises less than 1 percent of the park.

Beyond the Valley lies the pristine high country of Tioga Pass Road and Tuolumne Meadows subalpine expanse, bordered by precipitous mountain summits and granite domes. To the northwest lies Hetch Hetchy, a reservoir in a valley considered a twin of Yosemite Valley. To the south are Glacier Point, with its picture-postcard vistas, and the marvels of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoiasthe largest living trees on earth.

El Capitan

Tuolumne Meadows

Half Dome in the clouds

Just 75 miles (121 km) south of Yosemite are two national parks that hold the greatest concentration of these botanical wondersbut with about half the visitors of Yosemite. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks harbor more than 50 of the worlds 75 remaining groves of giant sequoias. Adjacent to the national parks are the lands of Giant Sequoia National Monument, which are managed by the U.S. Forest Service. This distinction is inconsequential to most visitors: Park roads such as the winding Kings Canyon Scenic Byway and the epic Generals Highway cross park and forest boundaries, and the lovely Sierra scenery knows no limits.

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

traditional dwelling at Yosemite Museums Miwok Indian Village.

Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park

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: Climbing this granite dome is a once-in-a-lifetime hike, where youre in for a 16-mile (25.8-km) round-trip journey with a 4,800-foot (1,463-m) elevation gain.

Visit in : Highlights of a winter visit include ice-skating in the shadow of Half Dome, snowshoeing, skiing, or just cozying up with a warm drink at a park lodge.

is one of the most popular for swimming and sunning.

: This historic hotel boasts timber beams, stained-glass windows, and Native American tapestriesthe perfect setting for a drink.

: In this pristine subalpine meadow, you can hike Lembert and Pothole Domes, fish on the Tuolumne River, or visit Parsons Memorial Lodge and Soda Springs.

: Every park visitor should climb this popular granite stairway, where the mist cools you as you approach Vernal Fall.

tree.