Sequoia & Kings Canyon, CA

Quiet Giants

Imagine a tree that's as high as a 26-story building, and as wide as a big-city block. No, it's not a mutant species taking over planet Earth (though your little sci-fi fans would love it if that were true). These are giant 3,000-year-old sequoias, growing peacefully in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.

Each year, millions of visitors come to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, to see the largest and oldest trees on Earth. They're so unfathomably big, you'll feel compelled to shout "Honey, I Shrunk the Family!" while posing for a photo next to one of them.

Kings Canyon, copyright
National Park Service Photo

While trees steal the show here, a trip to these twin parks is not just about stiff old barks. Part of the fun includes driving on top of, through, and over these monster trees. You can also enjoy them from 800 miles of hiking trails, or on horseback rides through picturesque canyons.