GeologyMount Whitney |
BiologyGeneral Grant |
These National Parks not only have extremely tall trees but it also contains the tallest mountain in the continental U.S. Mount Whitney. Click here for more information on Mount Whitney...
CavesCrystal Cave is one of 240 know caves in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. It was first discovered by two fisherman in 1918 and was said to be carved by an underground river. Crystal Cave is considered a marble karst cave. It has many stalactites and stalagmites and this cave is estimated to be 10,000 years old. Tours of the cave are given often and many people enjoy and would recommend the tour. The cave is always 50 degrees no matter what the outside weather. So if your planning on going a light jacket is recommended.
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This park is known for its ridiculously tall Sequoia trees. Sequoia National Park happens to be the location of the 1st and 2nd tallest Sequoias in the world, the General Sherman tree (1st), and the General Grant Tree(2nd). General Grant is the equivalent to a 27 story building and it has a diameter of about 28.9ft. Thats about 2 Volkswagen Beetles put together!
Black BearsBlack bears are a very common animal in Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Black bears climb trees when they are frightened. They are more afraid of you than you are of them. But if you do encounter a black bear that doesn't flee when they see you do not approach it and back away slowly. If you encounter a mother black bear get away as fast as possible. When they have young cubs they tend to be more aggressive, they will do anything to protect the young. Basically if you stay away from them they should stay away from you.
The National Park Service (NSP) stresses that when you are camping that you clean up after your meals and store food in a secure bear proof container. Not only can litter be harmful to the bears and other wildlife the food you leave out can also be harmful as well. When people leave out food and the bears start to eat it, the bears become reliant on people food. This causes unnatural behavior that is both dangerous to the bears and humans. Because of this the NSP has provided most campsites with bear proof storage boxes for your meals to ensure no bears will be harmed and your food will not be taken. |