Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California is the slightly less famous cousin of Yosemite National Park. This doesn't mean that the park is any less interesting to visit, but it does get overlooked by tour groups and others. Although you can go visit just to see the sequoia trees, make hiking a focus of your trip and you will really get to enjoy the Kings Canyon section of the park.

Stop at the General Sherman Tree and the Giant Forest museum to learn more about the sequoia tree, which only grows in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Many of them outside the park were cut down, and the park now preserves many of the remaining giant trees.

An interesting side trip within the park is the Crystal Cave. The cave contains stalactites, stalagmites, and waterfalls! The cave is open for guided tours between May and October.