Sequoia/Kings Canyon Parks

The wilderness of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks protects one of America's most superlative scenic landscapes. An extraordinary continuum of ecosystems is arrayed along the greatest vertical relief (1,370 to 14,505 feet in elevation) of any protected area in the lower 48 states. Magnificent glacial canyons, broad lake basins, lush meadows, and sheer granite peaks--hallmarks of the most rugged portion of the High Sierra--form the core of the largest expanse of contiguous wilderness in California, which is visited and valued by people from around the world.

In September of 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness Act, which made the preservation and protection of wild places a national priority. As a result of that act and subsequent state and federal legislation, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks currently protect over 808,000 acres of designated wilderness in addition to 29,500 acres of proposed wilderness.