Top Ten National Parks: Tie for No. 2
Discovering the Beauty of America's National (and other) Parks
This week we enter the top 3 National Parks our family has visited …
(So far!)
And it just so happens to be a TIE with next week’s park, so be sure to come back next week to find out what park tied with this one for second place!
This week’s park is …
a close neighbor of last week’s park, King’s Canyon National Park. In fact, MOST of the ratings we give this park are very similar to last week’s ratings. This park just barely edges out King’s Canyon to make it to our top 3 ranking.
Keep scrolling to find out why!
Tied for number 2, Sequoia National Park is …
one of our absolute favorites!
My heart absolutely LONGS to see this place again!
Words cannot describe the beauty surrounding it, nor the intrigue of these massive trees that tower above. Still others that have fallen down you can …
Walk through …
and DRIVE though!
Scenery:
Like last week’s park, the awesome beauty of this place is indescribable, and a moving testament to the magnificent power and lovingkindness of our Creator. When I reminisce about this place, I can’t help but think about how the Lord has been mindful of us (Psalm 115:12). What an awesome God we serve, that He created such beautiful places for us to enjoy!
Again, both King’s Canyon and Sequoia National Parks are renowned not only for the amazing Giant Sequoia trees, but also their scenic grandeur as well.
Sequoia National Park easily gets a 5.0 star perfect rating in this category.
(Take a step-by-step journey on Moro Rock Trail!)
Variety:
Same as last week, don’t let this park’s variety score discourage you from visiting. You can visit this amazing park, as well as it’s neighbor King’s Canyon, and several other parks in California, Arizona, or Utah all in the same trip! This area is LOADED with awesome National Parks!
3.0 stars for this park for variety.
Wildlife:
The same wildlife as King’s Canyon call this park home: bobcats, black bears, gray foxes, mule deer, mountain lions, and bighorn sheep, among many others. This park also gets a score of 4.0 stars in this category.
Camping/Lodging:
There are plenty of options for lodges, cabins, campsites and hotels in the area. You won’t have any trouble finding a place to stay!
Again, check out the Grant Grove Cabins where we stayed: Link below!
National Park Reservations/ Grant Grove
For Camping/Lodging opportunities, this N.P. gets a perfect 5.0 stars!
Other Amenities/Recreation Opportunities:
This area of California has not only plenty of National Park opportunities, but other recreational opportunities as well. You aren’t far at all from Fresno, nor are you very far from San Franciso, or Los Angeles (We went through Fresno, but didn’t really care to see L.A. or San Fran.) 4.5 stars.
That’s the big boy! The largest tree in the world by volume!
That tree is estimated to have been a sapling somewhere between 700 and 300 BC! It is 52,500 cubic feet by volume! It’s 275 feet tall, and 36 feet in diameter!
Again, you just HAVE to see it!
And here’s another big tree for good measure!
Busyness:
This park really wasn’t that busy. Sure didn’t seem like it, anyways! It is slightly busier than King’s Canyon, but the reason probably has to do with our next rating … 4.0 stars.
Accessibility:
So this is where Sequoia National Park barely edges out King’s Canyon, and that is because this park is slightly closer to Fresno, CA, making it just a tad bit more accessible. Technically, if you were pressed for time, you could fly into Fresno and just go see most of what you would see at King’s Canyon here at Sequoia.
Here’s how far this park is from several major cities:
San Francisco, CA - 4 hours northwest
Los Angeles, CA - 3.5 hours south
Fresno, CA - 1.15 hours northwest (closest)
Las Vegas, NV - 5.45 hours east
For accessibility, this park gets a perfect 5.0 stars!
Personal Experience:
Just writing this blog post, I’m VERY tempted to start planning another trip to California to see this amazing place again! It’s one of the most amazing places I’ve ever seen! I would recommend going to Sequoia National Park in a heartbeat!
The trails are fairly easy, with HIGH reward. It’s just a special place!
For this category, Sequoia gets a perfect 10.0 stars (5.0 bonus points)!
Overall Rating:
Sequoia National Park is one of those special places that I seriously doubt anyone could ever find any fault in. I don’t see how anyone could come away from visiting it without a deeper appreciation for God. His fingerprints and designs are everywhere, and I’m just thankful to be able to enjoy the beauty of them.
Thanks to some bonus points and high ratings almost across the board, Sequoia National Park comes in with a score ABOVE a perfect 5.0, with a final score of 5.19 stars!
Sequoia National Park — Tied for No. 2 on our top 10 ranking!
Next week, we reveal our other top 2 National Park. What will it be? You’ll have to wait and see!
Until next time,
Keep exploring, friends!
— Chase