National Parks near Wonder Valley
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Lodging and More
By far, the most popular “side trip” from Wonder Valley Ranch Resort is a visit to any one of the three National Parks that are near our Sierra foothills property. We take great pride in being neighbors to these parks, and encourage all of our visitors, guests and conference attendees to experience the Giant forests of Sequoia or cascading waterfalls of Yosemite. Whether you travel by car with your friends or family, or see the parks as part of a guided group tour staying at Wonder Valley, a visit to these national treasures will be a rewarding day. If you are interested in booking a group tour with us, please click HERE for more information.
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is the second-oldest national park in the United States, and was established in 1890 to protect the Big Trees in Giant Forest. Sequoia is about a 30-minute drive from Wonder Valley and also contains the Mineral King Valley and Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the U.S. outside of Alaska. Also in 1890, a small part of what is now Kings Canyon National Park was set aside as General Grant National Park. In 1940, General Grant was merged into Kings Canyon National Park which eventually grew to include 456,552 acres of backcountry wilderness.
Kings Canyon National Park
Another scenic draw for park visitors is Kings Canyon, the best-kept secret in American geology. The canyon reaches a depth outside the park of some 8,200 feet from river level up to Spanish Mountain’s peak. At the confluence of the Middle and South Forks of the Kings River, the canyon is the deepest in North America; deeper than the Snake River’s Hells Canyon in Idaho, or even the better-known Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park, which boasts nearly 95 percent designated Wilderness, is an easy drive from Wonder Valley. The expansive park’s 747,956 acres or 1,169 square miles are home to hundreds of wildlife species and an abundance of native plants. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant Sequoia groves and biological diversity. Two Wild & Scenic Rivers, the Tuolumne and Merced rivers, begin within Yosemite and flow west into the Central Valley. People experience the park through 800 miles of hiking trails and 350 miles of road.
