Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

These two distinct national parks have earned a single spot on the list because they share management, borders, and an entrance fee, and if you pass through one, you’re sure to want to explore the other. In fact, you wouldn’t want to miss either on a trip through Central California, or to Yosemite, which is situated just two and a half hours north. These parks make the perfect trifecta, as long as you give yourself ample time to explore the homes of some of the world’s oldest trees along a thousand miles of forest hiking trails.  Both Sequoia and Kings Canyon are hiking-heavy parks. In Sequoia’s mountainous Giant Forest, it’s possible to drive through sentinels that are slightly shorter, but wider, than the coastal Redwoods to the north, but you won’t come close to a clear view of the canopy from the car.  Almost any trail in the park boasts some sort of record-setting sight. The 8,200-foot depths of Kings Canyon make it America’s deepest, while only miles away dizzying heights like Mount Whitney—contiguous America’s tallest peak—and General Sherman, the 2,200 year old sequoia, make both of these parks continuously breathtaking. 

For the worlds biggest trees…