Great Western Divide
Sequoia National Park lies south of Kings Canyon and adjoins it. The park consists of a single unit that rises from the low western foothills to the crest of the Sierra at 14,495- foot- high (4,418- m) Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the 48 contiguous states. The western third of the park is dominated by two natural regions – a zone of foothill vegetation below 5,000 feet (1,524
m), and an extensive band of mixed- conifer forest between 5,000 and 9,000 feet (1,524- 2,743 m). The mixed conifer forest contains 34 separate giant sequoia groves, including the Giant Forest grove, which covers three square miles and contains the world’s largest tree – the General Sherman. Both the Generals Highway and the Mineral King Road provide vehicular access to
this western third of the park. Immediately east of the forest belt is the Great Western Divide, a north- south ridge that runs through the middle of Sequoia National Park. Peaks in the vicinity of the Divide rise as high as 13,802 feet (4,207 m).
