Together, the Sierra Nevada Mountains’ adjacent Giant Sequoia National Monument/Sequoia National Forest (including Hume Lake) and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks offer serene drives, a variety of trails, recreation areas, and breathtaking trees and canyon views, both humbling in their immensity. Collectively, they provide the Great Outdoors for just about every level of interest, and just an hour and a half’s drive from Fresno.

I started my recent visit with a one-mile trail to the “Big Stump.” This beautiful but eerie area shows the giant sequoia that were destroyed by loggers who were excited about economic possibilities only to discover that the giant logs would shatter apart as the beautiful trees fell to the ground. There’s a stump about 20 feet in diameter that has a staircase, so you can climb up and sit on the stump. It has a harrowing, elephant graveyard sort of vibe.

Next, I stopped by the Visitor’s Center, where I really wish I would have bought a Jr. Ranger Booklet—even “grown ups” can complete the book and earn a patch! Something to look forward to… Then we took the short trail around the General Grant Grove. The General Grant Tree is one of the world’s largest living trees, and there are other huge trees in the vicinity as well.

We drove into Kings Canyon, stopping frequently to look around. During these stops, I realized what truly differentiates Kings Canyon from Yosemite for me, though I adore them both. In Yosemite, you feel driven to go from one thing to the next; in Kings Canyon, you feel more compelled just to sit and absorb a view for as long as possible. The fact that the park gets fewer visitors (so there are fewer visitor services) and the design of the park contribute to this, because there certainly are tons of things you should want to see in Kings Canyon!

For example, we managed to see three amazing waterfalls, the Roaring River Falls, Grizzly Falls, and Mist Falls. We made it to “Road’s End,” then drove the return trip. We did all of this in just one manageable day.

On my next visit, I might take a tour of Boyden Cavern (http://www.caverntours.com/BoydenRt.htm) or Crystal Cave; 45-mintue tours of either cave cost $11 per person. I may take the 1.5 mile trail to the Zumwalt Meadow. Since the visitor services are relatively sparse (though there is some food available in the park), I’m sure I will continue to bring picnics with me. I still haven’t seen the General Sherman tree, the world’s largest tree. And of course, I have to work on that Jr. Ranger book…

To avoid some mountain driving and park pollution, I might consider the new shuttle system that will be running from Visalia to the parks from May 24 through September 3. A round-trip ticket for the shuttle from Visalia is $10 per person, and this includes the entrance fee to the park (http://www.sequoiashuttle.com/en/index.php).

For more information on Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, visit http://www.nps.gov/seki/. The entrance fee is $20 per vehicle for a 7-day pass.