The two parks are adjacent, and the National Park Service manages them as one administrative unit. Combined, the two parks cover 1347 square miles.
The parks are bounded on the east and north by the John Muir Wilderness. On the south and west, they are bounded by the Giant Sequoia National Monument and the Sequoia National Forest. The Golden Trout Wilderness lies to the south, while the Dinkey Lakes Wilderness lies to the west.
The outstanding features of the parks include