A little less frequently visited than Yosemite (but arguably just as breath-taking), Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks stretch across the southern part of the High Sierra range. Here, you can experience soaring mountains, gargantuan sequoia trees, rushing rivers and some of the deepest canyons in North America.

It is quite hard to imagine the sequoia tree’s scale before you are actually standing at the foot of one of these gentle giants; be sure to take time to walk the forest pathways to marvel at the sheer size of General Sherman, the world’s largest living tree at 275 feet in height and with a 36 foot diameter base, as well as more of its sky-scraping siblings along the two-mile, paved Congress Trail.

Discover a magical underground world in the Crystal Caves, or for those not put off by heights, take the 350 steps up to the to the top of Moro Rock. Sequoia’s majestic granite dome, this viewpoint offers unparalleled sights over the San Joaquin Valley that extend all the way to the snow-capped peaks of the Great Western Divide.