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Top 10 Remarkable Facts About Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare countries, California. It was originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park.

It was expanded greatly and renamed on March 4, 1940.  Other natural features include high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of the largest stands of giant sequoia trees. 

Kings Canyon is situated north of the Sequoia National Park. Both parks are managed by the National Park Service. They include multiple 14,000-foot or 4,300m peaks.

The General Grant National Park was initially created to protect a small area of giant sequoias from logging. Environment groups, park visitors, and many local politicians wanted to see the area preserved but the development interests wanted to build hydroelectric dams in the canyon.

After much debate, the place was turned into a tourist resort, or retained as a more natural environment restricted to simpler recreation like hiking and camping. 

1. Natural History

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The majority of the park’s area is entirely wilderness and contains the deep canyons of the middle south forks of the Kings River. Usually snow-free only from late June until late October. The high country is accessible solely via foot and horse trails.

2. Natural Attraction

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Kings Canyon is characterized by numerous peaks over 14,000 feet on the Sierra Crest along the park’s eastern border. 

The glacial valleys however are characterized by flat floors exposed to granite cliffs and domes. Other significant glacial features include Tehipite Dome, which is the largest granite dome in the Sierra.

The cliffs are subject to frost weathering and earthquakes which cause sudden rockfalls.

The former glaciers are enveloped with hanging valleys, waterfalls, serrated ridges, and quite a number of alpine tarns. Some of the high peaks have permanent snowfields and even glaciers. 

3. Plants In The Canyon

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The canyon is home to 1,200 species of plants so much so that it was designated by UNESCO. The park is characterized by several major plant communities, it consists of brush and shrubs, oaks, sycamores, willows, and various hardwoods which are often found in streams and springs.

The forests provide habitat to mammals like mule deer, mountain lions, black bears, and a diversity of birds. The larger animals venture into the alpine zone in search of food.

4. Human Impacts 

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Livestock grazing is one of the major sources of damage to the park, due to this the meadows were trampled by thousands of hooves leading to erosion and watershed degradation. 

In the late 1900s, there was a spike in the deer population which led to overgrazing and the vegetation understory was nearly eliminated in large areas of the park.

Due to this, the only animals allowed to feed in the park are pack horses and mules,s and only late in the season in order to protect the meadows.

5. Early Exploration

People inhabited what is now Kings Canyon for about 6,000- 7,000 years. They created trade routes connecting the Owens Valley with the Central Valley.

However, due to the winter climate, they did not establish themselves permanently in the high country. The native population suffered in the area after Europeans arrived in the 18th century.

The Spanish exploration of California largely bypassed the canyon. In the 1820s, fur trappers also visited the high country since beaver were only present at lower elevations.

In 1948, there was a gold rush which was followed by prospectors, but this went to no result because not much gold or other mineral were discovered in this area. 

6. First Survey

The first non-native people to venture into the canyon was John C. Fremont’s party in 1844. They attempted to cross the Sierra Nevada by way of the Kings River. Due to a snowstorm, they were forced to retreat to the Central Valley.

However, the party successfully crossed the Sierra via the route Fremont had intended to find.

The first scientific expedition was in 1864, it was conducted by the Geological Survey of California and led by William Brewer.

The Brewer party descends into the canyon via Native American paths. They discovered a route up the north wall of the canyon and named some of the prominent features.

7. Park Creation & Expansion

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The park was first visited in 1873 and it was not until then that the Canyon began receiving public attention. After that, the place was initially open as a tourist sight. 

8.The Origin of most Rivers

A number of major Sierra rivers have their origins in the park. The South Fork Kings River flows from near Taboose Pass, on the park’s eastern boundary, and drains much of the southern half of the park, carving the canyon from which the park takes its name.

The Middle Fork Kings River originates near Mount Powell and drains most of the park’s northern half. A smaller section in the northern tip of the park is drained by the South Fork of the San Joaquin River.

The Kings River falls more than 13,000 feet (4,000 m) from the Sierra crest to Pine Flat Reservoir in the San Joaquin Valley â€“ the longest undammed drop of any North American river.

9. Watersheds Mark the Borders

Most of the park’s borders are formed by the watershed divides between river basins. The eastern boundary follows the Sierra Crest, which to the east is drained by the Owens River, part of the Great Basin watershed.

The southern boundary with Sequoia National Park is the divide between the Kings, Kaweah, and Kern Rivers. Part of the western boundary follows the divide between the Middle and North Forks of the Kings River.

10. Favorable Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, most of Kings Canyon National Park has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. with only the lowest of elevations having a hot-summer Mediterranean climate.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Plant Hardiness zone at Cedar Grove Visitor Center at 4613 ft (1406 m) elevation is 8a with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 12.3 Â°F (-10.9 Â°C).