Photos: Take a Tour of California's Kings Canyon National Park

Many critters

More than 300 species of wildlife live within Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The wide variety of ecological zones and the great variance of elevation make for a wilderness teeming with birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, fish and mammals. The American pika, Ochotona princeps, shown here, is a common resident at the highest elevations of the park. These small, rodent-like herbivores readily survive just above the treeline of the park's highest mountain tops.

Little-known paradise

The North American continent is blessed with many spectacular wildness areas. Kings Canyon National Park in the High Sierra Nevada Mountains of California may not be the most famous of these wilderness areas but it is surely as magnificent as any virgin wilderness area on the continent. From hikers to bikers, photographers and just lovers of nature, Kings Canyon is a natural paradise to explore and enjoy. Weather can be extreme here as some 22 feet (6.7 m) of snow has been known to fall during the winter months. The General Grant tree is shown here during one of those famous Kings Canyon National Park snowstorms.