Beth Kohn - Lonely Planet Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

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Yosemite and neighboring Sequoia & Kings Canyon occupy the most spectacular region of one of the most spectacular mountain ranges on the planet.

All the usual trappings of civilization can be found within the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range spanning 400 miles roughly north to south across Central California. But take a turn and youll find yourself in one of its dazzling mountain canyons, face-to-face with some of the highest peaks in the country. Trails branch out and lure you to verdant valleys of wildflowers and desolate lightning-prone pinnacles. Bears tear open logs, marmots whistle in warning, and crickets and frogs harmonize to a nightly fever pitch. Something about spending time in the wilderness resets your brain. You step back, assess the situation with fresh eyes and put things into perspective. Maybe it has something to do with the timelessness of the landscape the ancient glaciers or the glow of the lakes at dusk and dawn. Civilization can wait. The wilderness? Maybe not.

You might come for the beauty of the mountains, but this region has a past both wide and deep. Glaciers, although receding, gnaw at granite shoulders as they have for millennia. Prehistoric forests loom within the parks and at inhospitable heights beyond them. The volcanic forces that moved these mountains to life still rumble underfoot, and simmering hot springs serve as a reminder that the earths core continues to stir. Humans have left their mark as well. Trails show the routes taken by indigenous Californians the Sierra Miwok, the Paiute and the Shoshone who traded between the western foothills and the Eastern Sierra; grinding stones and ancient petroglyphs have endured. Pioneers discarded mining camps to the elements, creating desolate ghost towns and the remains of forgotten railway lines. Of course, history is as much in the making as it is in the past, and visitors need to be mindful of their own impact on the parks preservation.

For solitude and serenity, winter rules. Summer may be high season in the parks, but after seeing snow in the Sierras you might well question why. The peaks are some of the highest in the US, regularly rising above 11,000ft, occasionally bursting to 14,000ft, and blanketed by snow for much of the year. Snow paints the trees and splatters the mountains, and your breath turns into moist puffy clouds. In the parks, theres full-moon snow- shoeing and cross-country adventures, plus the chance to camp under a giant sequoia. Go swooshing across the hushed backcountry, barreling down some powdery slopes or just stay inside and warm your toes by a roaring wood fire. Whatever your energy level, theres something fun to fill your days.

Autumnal view of Half Dome ()
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Nothing can strike you speechless like water plunging off a cliff. Standing at the base of a massive waterfall, hearing its roar and reveling in its drenching mist is simultaneously invigorating and humbling. Yosemite holds some of the worlds greatest collections of waterfalls and, in springtime, Yosemite Valley is spray central. In addition to the seasonal creeks tumbling over the Valleys walls, the iconic cataracts of Yosemite Falls () will satisfy any falls fanatic.

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Climbing Half Dome

Just hold on, dont forget to breathe and whatever you do dont look down. A pinnacle so popular that hikers now need a permit to scale it, Half Dome () lives on as Yosemite Valleys coveted cocked-top jewel and a must-reach-it obsession for millions. Its a day hike longer than an average work day, an elevation gain equivalent to almost 480 flights of stairs, and a final stretch of near-vertical steps that melts even the strongest legs and arms to masses of quivering jelly.

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Giant Forest

When its time to pay your respects to the most massive trees on the planet, theres nowhere better than in Sequoia National Park. Giant sequoias can live for 3000 years, and some of those ancient ones standing in the Giant Forest () have been around since the fall of the Roman Empire. Go on, give em a hug if you can even get your arms around their ginormous trunks.

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El Capitan

A pale fortress rising abruptly from the Valley floor, the glow of dusk on El Capitan is a majestic spectacle. A formation most formidable, summiting the sheer granite and splintering cracks of this monolith () is the vertigo-conquering achievement of a lifetime. Now the world standard for big-wall climbs, it was once deemed impossible to ascend. Strain your eyes to find the glowing moth-like bivvies dangling from its face at night, and bite your nails tracking the climbers progress by day.

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Kings Canyon Scenic Byway

Marvel at soaring granite walls and river-carved clefts deeper than the Grand Canyon on this scenic drive (), which connects the Grant Grove and Cedar Grove areas of Kings Canyon National Park. Arrive at Junction View just before dusk or dawn to truly appreciate this glacier-smoothed canyon, which John Muir called a rival to the Yosemite. Twisting hairpin turns, sheer drop-offs and mile-high cliffs are all part of the thrill as you wind down to the bottom of the canyon alongside the rushing Kings River.

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Crystal Cave

Step through the creepy Spider Gate to explore the subterranean tunnels and cool passageways of this rare marble cave (). Among hundreds of caves that have been discovered in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, only this one is open to the public. A hotspot for biodiversity, this creek-polished cave is stuffed full of stalagmites and stalactites, appearing frozen in time, as well as even more impressive hanging curtains and flowstone formations. Ranger-guided tours are given daily during summer dont forget to dodge those bats!