While Kings Canyon isn’t nearly as unknown as many of the other locations I’ve discussed here as it is the namesake of a national park, I feel like this national park is very underappreciated compared to Yosemite, Redwood, and others and deserves a post.

As the name suggests, Kings Canyon is a massive granite canyon that looks like Zion blended together with the colors of Yosemite. It has a vertical element that is rivaled by very few other places, check it out for yourself:

With a bit of the general information out of the way, let’s discuss some of the sights that can be seen at the park:

Mist Falls

This is the most known trail within the park, however because this park has little name recognition I felt like it was worth covering anyway. Unlike with many other canyon hikes, this hike will take you directly through a forest, so you can feel both the sereness that you would walking in many other parts of the state while still being able to witness the insane geology of the canyon. The trees remind me of many elements of New England forests, while also giving that California feeling you have from all the very unique trees across California. Eventually, you come to a vista with a small waterfall with an incredible backdrop.

The name “Mist Falls” comes from a place that lays just beyond this, where the incredible force of the river allows mist to explode upwards over one hundred feet above the surface of the river. Despite it’s smaller size, it is a pretty unique waterfall (though the website is not letting me upload a picture of it).

Paradise Valley

Continuing past Mist Falls, you will eventually reach an even more impressive vista. At this point, the hike reaches over a dozen miles so you will likely need an entire day to complete the Paradise Valley hike. As you can see in the picture above, the trees do eventually stop due to the steepness of the terrain – and the principal goal of the Paradise Valley hike is so that you can ascend above the treeline. It’s difficult to find information about the area between Mist Falls and the end of Paradise Valley, but what is known is how nice the view is at the end:

Sequoia Trees

Kings Canyon directly borders Sequoia National Park, so it’s no surprise that some of the famed Sequoia trees bleed over into this national park. Within Kings Canyon lies the General Grant tree, which is the 2nd tallest tree in the entire world. Coming in at a towering 267 feet, it far trumps any building within the State College area (it’s as tall as a 24 story building!). While I haven’t been able to see this for myself, I do plan on visiting California and definitely here within the next couple years.

And while we’re at it, let’s take a look at some other incredible sites in the eastern part of California.

Sidewinder Canyon

Death Valley is well known for being an absolutely sweltering place which has set multiple global heat records throughout the years. What is less known about it is some of the incredible slot canyons the area forms. Perhaps the coolest one is Sidewinder Canyon, which is accessible only via crawlspace. Personally, this concept sounds incredible to me while simultaneously being terrifying for those who are claustrophobic.

Bennett Juniper Tree

In what seems to be a very common theme, a California tree holds yet another record – it is the largest juniper tree in the world, and possibly in the top 10 oldest trees in the world, though exact methods can’t be used on this tree due to its delicacy. Most estimates estimate the tree to between 4,000 and 6,000 years old (which would make it the oldest tree in existence) – predating most Californian civilizations that are documented. Perhaps its remote location and California natives’ relatively passive use of the land is what allowed all these old trees to survive.