From atop Moro Rock you can grasp the many superlatives that brought Sequoia, and eventually Kings Canyon, into the National Park System so early that Sequoia is now our second-oldest national park. To the north lies the Giant Forest where sequoias rose above their forest neighbours. In this Cathedral-like grove stands the 275-foot-tall General Sherman Tree. Its trunk weighs an estimated 1385 tons and its circumference at the ground is nearly 103 feet. To the west are the dry but diverse foothills with their oak trees and chaparral brush descending toward the San Joaquin Valley. To the South, and down over 5000 vertical feet, the middle Fork of the Kaweah River Threads its rugged Canyon. To the east, snow-capped peaks up to 13,802 feet tall are visible.