Yesterday was day 7 of our 4,500 mile Epic Road Trip- Our Late Start to Summer

Early in our day we visited Cat Haven on our way to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks in California. These are two separate National Parks, but they are connected, so most people visit them at the same time. Even the National Geographic’s “Guide to the National Parks” book combines these parks into one.  These two combined parks encompass 1,300 square miles.

These parks are know mostly for the great Sequoia trees, which only grow in this area of the country (Sierra Nevada in California). I have seen photos of these trees all of my life, but until I saw them person, I did not truly grasp the vastness of these trees. I am thankful these lands have been preserved! Many of these trees are 1000-2000 years old. Settlers could have cut them all down and wiped out this species, but they didn’t and we still have them here in these two National Parks to visit and stand in awe. God is an amazing creator, better than anyone here on Earth!

Walking inside a fallen ancient Sequoia tree.

Sequoia National Park is home to the largest tree on Earth (by volume). General Sherman is the name of this tree that is over 2,000 year old. According to the National Geographic it is estimated to weigh 1,385 tons and it is just shy if 275 feet!

Something interesting about the Sequoia trees that I learned is that they rarely die because of old age, fire, or bug infestations. They typically die because they fall over. They are very hearty trees and tend to withstand bugs and fires.

These parks have lots of beautiful scenic roadways and plenty of places to stop for viewing of the trees. Just make sure to stop into the visitor’s center to get locations of the highlights such as the General Sherman tree and General Grant tree. They have some lovely hiking trails and even some hiking that is wheelchair accessible (meaning super easy hiking and you get to see a great deal too). I can’t decide which I enjoyed more, the scenic drives or the hikes, as both proved to be exhilarating and memorable experiences.

Here are some photos from our scenic drive on Kings Canyon Scenic Byway:

Here are some of the photos from our hikes at these two National Parks:

I finally took out my tripod and got some photos of Justin and I on, as we drove the scenic route in the parks and stopped at some of the overlooks.