3 Best Sights in Outside Sequoia and Kings Canyon Nationa Parks, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

More than two dozen murals in the Central Valley city of Exeter's cute-as-a-button downtown make it worth a quick detour if you're traveling on Route 198. Several of the murals, which depict the area's agricultural and social history, are quite good. All adorn buildings within a few blocks of the intersection of Pine and E streets. If you're hungry, the Wildflower Cafe, at 121 South E Street, serves inventive salads and sandwiches. Shortly after entering Exeter, head west on Pine Street (it's just before the water tower) to reach downtown.

The Kaweah River rushes out of the Sierra from high above Mineral King in Sequoia National Park. When it reaches the hills above the Central Valley, the water collects in in this lake, a reservoir operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. You can swim, sail, kayak, water ski, hike, camp, fish, and picnic here. The visitor center at Lemon Hill has interesting exhibits about the dam that created the lake.

Delicate spring wildflowers, cool summer campgrounds, and varied winter-sports opportunities—not to mention more than half of the world's giant sequoia groves—draw outdoorsy types year-round to this sprawling district surrounding the national parks. Together, the forest and monument cover nearly 1,700 square miles, south from the Kings River and east from the foothills along the San Joaquin Valley. The monument's groves are both north and south of Sequoia National Park. One of the most popular is the Converse Basin Grove, home of the Boole Tree, the forest's largest sequoia. The grove is accessible by car on an unpaved road.

The Hume Lake Forest Service District Office, at 35860 Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (Route 180), has information about the groves, along with details about recreational activities. In springtime, diversions include hiking among the wildflowers that brighten the foothills. The floral display rises with the heat as the mountain elevations warm up in summer, when hikers, campers, and picnickers become more plentiful. The abundant trout supply attracts anglers to area waters, including 87-acre Hume Lake, which is also ideal for swimming and nonmotorized boating. By fall, the turning leaves provide the visual delights, particularly in the Western Divide, Indian Basin, and the Kern Plateau. Winter activities include downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling.