Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, jointly managed since 1943, span about 1,353 square miles of California’s Sierra Nevada, from San Joaquin Valley foothills to the crest of the range. Their dramatic terrain includes glacially carved canyons, granite domes, hundreds of glacial lakes, some of the highest ground in the Sierra Nevada, giant sequoia forests, and about 200 marble caves. Human use reaches back at least five thousand years, including Native American trade routes. Preservation arose largely to protect sequoias from logging, leading to Sequoia National Park in 1890 and Kings Canyon National Park in 1940. Today the parks conserve diverse ecosystems while balancing public access and environmental protection.