Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Joined by a high-altitude roadway bisecting a national forest and contiguous with a number of wilderness areas, these two parks combined offer vast stretches of alpine bliss. Groves of giant sequoias, wildflower-strewn meadows, gushing waterfalls, dramatic gorges and spectacular vistas reveal themselves at nearly every turn. General Grant Grove and the Giant Forest, in Kings Canyon and Sequoia respectively, are obvious highlights, but it's the backcountry where you can fully disconnect and listen for the sounds of life.