With its mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, the area around the Foothills Visitor Center at Ash Mountain supports life forms that are very different from those found higher in the Sierra Nevada. Ash Mountain is the headquarters for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and also for the Sequoia Natural History Association, a non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting educational and scientific activities in these parks. Crystal Cave, a beautifully decorated marble cavern, is located on a spur road off the Generals Highway between Ash Mountain and the Giant Forest.
Less
than 1/4 mile inside the entrance to Sequoia National Park stands
a massive, hand-carved wooden sign, modeled after the face on
the old Indian head nickel. This sign was created by a Civilian
Conservation Corps enrollee from Arkansas in the 1930's. The giant
trees that make this park famous may have been named after a Cherokee
Indian, Se-quo-yah, who devised an alphabet for his people.
This
large granite boulder is 1.6 miles from the Ash Mountain Visitor
Center. Originally, the only road here was the bypass. The CCC
dug the tunnel beneath the rock and faced the dirt wall with rock,
finishing the work in 1938.
This
pleasant site on the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River was once
home to nearly 500 Native Americans belonging to the Potwisha
sub-group of the Monache, or Western Mono, Indians. Archeological
evidence indicates that Indians settled in this area as early
as 1350. Today, visitors to Hospital Rock can still view ancient
rock paintings, or pictographs, and bedrock mortars used to grind
acorns. The area got its present name in 1873, when James Everton
stayed here to recover from a gunshot wound he had received while
stumbling into a shotgun snare set to trap bear.
Amphitheater
Point is a broad turnout on the Generals Highway, 10.3 miles from
the Foothills Visitor Center. From here, you can see all three
of the life zones of the Sierra. Below lies the Foothill zone
with its oak and brush forests. Above lies the mixed- conifer forest,
home to the giant sequoias, the world's largest living things.
And in the distance, you can get your first good view of the high
Sierra, as the barren, rocky peaks of the Great Western Divide
appear on your right.
While snow is still melting in the Sequoia groves, the foothills are clothed in a glorious array of wildflowers. Late March through late May are especially colorful. Remember, however, that poison oak is also abundant at these elevations. In the spring and summer, this twiggy shrub has shiny green leaves in groups of three. Its berries are white. The leaves turn red in the fall; the twigs are bare in the winter but may still cause a reaction if touched. If you have any contact with poison oak, wash your skin and clothes as soon as possible.
As you walk through foothill grasses, a tick may hitch a ride. Tick bites are painless, but a small percentage of ticks carry Lyme disease. If you have been hiking in brushy or grassy areas, check yourself thoroughly when you return from your hike. If you find a tick, remove it with tweezers and seek a ranger's or doctor's advice.
The foothills are also home to rattlesnakes. These and all animals in the National Park are protected. Most snake bites occur as a result of teasing or trying to handle snakes. Very few people die from rattlesnake bites, but their poison can cause severe tissue damage.
Topographic maps of the foothill trails are available at the visitor center book store.
Please note that pets are not permitted on any of the trails in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. In campgrounds and picnic areas, pets must be kept on a leash at all times.
