Whitewater for miles: The mighty Upper Kings River, shown above during spring runoff, is part of the world-famous beauty that draws visitors from the world over to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Two of our country’s most beautiful and renowned national parks are located just a short 30 minute drive from Wonder Valley. We take great pride in being neighbors to these national treasures, and encourage all of our visitors, guests and conference attendees who have never experienced the Giant Sequoia forests to make a side trip to the parks a part of their stay with us.

Here is a summary of the history of these magnificent parks:

Sequoia National Park is the second-oldest national park in the United States, and was established in 1890 to protect the Big Trees in Giant Forest. Sequoia also contains the Mineral King Valley and Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the U.S. outside of Alaska. Also in 1890, a small part of what is now Kings Canyon National Park was set aside as General Grant National Park.

In 1940, General Grant was merged into Kings Canyon National Park which eventually grew to include 456,552 acres of backcountry wilderness. Together, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks total over 863,700 acres.

Shortly after the end of the Civil War, people started coming to the parks in large numbers after the General Grant Tree was discovered by Joseph Hardin Thomas. The Grant Tree is the most well-known of all the Giants in the park, all of them wonders of nature that are the main attraction for park visitors.

The largest of the Giant Sequoias is the General Sherman tree – the world's largest living thing – located in Giant Forest. It stands 274.9 feet high with a diameter of 102.6 inches, and has a volume of 52,508 cubic feet. The General Grant Tree – standing 268.1 feet high –  is a living memorial to the men and women of the United States who have given their lives in service to their country. It was proclaimed a National Shrine in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Each year during the Christmas ceremony, park rangers place a large wreath at the base of the Grant Tree, remembering those who gave their lives.

The enormity of these trees is only eclipsed by their ages. While the exact ages of the General Sherman, General Grant and other large sequoias are unknown, it is estimated that these giants are between 1800 and 2700 years old!

Another scenic draw for park visitors is Kings canyon, the best-kept secret in American geology. The canyon reaches a depth outside the park of some 8,200 feet from river level up to Spanish Mountain's peak. At the confluence of the Middle and South Forks of the Kings River, the canyon is the deepest in North America; deeper than the Snake River's Hells Canyon in Idaho, or even the better-known Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Two other attractions that keep millions of visitors coming back to the park year after year is the wildlife and Crystal Caves. Along the many miles of hiking trails within the parks boundaries you may see mule deer, mountain lions, pine martens, fishers, wolverines, squirrels, black bears, marmots, pikas, coyotes, gray fox, bobcats, raccoons, and ringtails. Under the rushing whitewater of the mighty Kings River, you can find brown, brook, golden, cutthroat, rainbow and the little Kern golden trout.

In 1918, Crystal Cave was discovered by two park trail construction employees who were fishing along Cascade Creek on their day off. Walter Fry, a former Park Superintendent and caving enthusiast, led the first exploration party into the cave on April 30 of that year.