Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Feature

Gentle giants: You'll feel small—in a good way—walking among some of the world's largest living things in Sequoia's Giant Forest and Kings Canyon's Grant Grove.

Because it's there: You can't even glimpse it from the main part of Sequoia, but the sight of majestic Mount Whitney is worth the trek to the eastern face of the High Sierra.

Underground exploration: Far older even than the giant sequoias, the gleaming limestone formations in Crystal Cave will draw you along dark, marble passages.

A grander-than-Grand Canyon: Drive the twisting Kings Canyon Scenic Byway down into the jagged, granite Kings River Canyon, deeper in parts than the Grand Canyon.

Regal solitude: To spend a day or two hiking in a subalpine world of your own, pick one of the 11 trailheads at Mineral King.