Break out the campfire stove at backcountry sites, or get comfy at a glampsite (sauna included).

Walk among giants in these neighboring California parks.

The Lost Grove in Sequoia National Park

Home to the world’s largest tree, the 275-foot General Sherman tree, Sequoia National Park is teeming with sequoia groves on the western side of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. The towering sequoia trees that comprise its Giant Forest stand hundreds of feet tall and are a mighty sight to behold. The splendor of this park shines through the extraordinary views from the many hiking trails and granite domes, including Moro Rock. Be sure to visit neighboring Kings Canyon National Park — both parks are operated in tandem and connected by the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway.

In her book, In the Name of Plants, our botanist Sandra Knapp reveals the stories of remarkable plants and the extraordinary people behind their names.

This extract explores the giant redwood trees of California, which reach astounding sizes, and their equally impressive namesake, the Native American Sequoyah, a member of the Cherokee Nation.

Six decades ago, Walt Disney set his sights on Mineral King, a mountain valley in California’s Sierra Nevada bordering Sequoia National Park. It was the perfect setting for a ski resort, but a lawsuit between the Sierra Club and the U.S. Forest Service put a kibosh on the plan.

Filmmakers Gavin Heffernan and Harun Mehmedinovic of Sunchaser Pictures captured ethereal timelapse footage of the Kaweah River and the surrounding nature of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, California, as the day moves into night.

There’s nothing like the peace and solitude offered by a California hiking trail. Sometimes demanding but always worth it, these stretches of dirt, soil and rock stand as a testament to the state’s everlasting beauty.