The park is adjacent to Sequoia National Park; the two are administered by the National Park Service as one unit (see Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks).
The main geographical feature of the park is Kings Canyon, a 4000-foot-deep canyon carved by glaciers and the Kings River out of granite. Visitors can drive partway to the end of Kings Canyon: the road stops at Cedar Grove.
Most of the area of the park is backcountry wilderness, which is only accessible on foot or on horseback. The Sierra crest in the park reaches an elevation of 14,000 feet.