Highly combustible forests and rugged terrain in both Sequoia and Lassen Volcanic national parks in California gave firefighters on the ground little option but to watch as flames jumped across the two parks. While Lassen Volcanic has been closed to the public since early August, parts of Sequoia closed this week as a complex of fires was galloping across the landscape and forcing area evacuations.

Wildfires sparked by lightning strikes have prompted some closures at Sequoia National Park in California, including that of a section of the Generals Highway.

A soaring, 1.3-million-acre swath of the High Sierra would make a wonderful addition to the National Park System, one that could help slow the sixth mass extinction, forward the Biden administration's 30 by 30 initiative, and possibly even help the fight with climate change.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks can offer a demanding landscape if you require a wheelchair or other aid in getting around the park and its facilities or reading interpretive displays. Park staff realizes that, and is working on plans to improve access and interpretation to some of the parks' wonders.