William Tweed, Chief Park Naturalist at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks before he retired in 2006, is the author, with Lauren Davis, of Death Valley and the Northern Mojave, A Visitor's Guide and, with Lary M. Dilsaver, of Challenge of the Big Trees: A Resource History of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

"Elegant and thoughtful ... A welcome -- and long overdue -- call for a fundamental redefinition of the National Park Service's core mission and management goals." High Country News "This is a must-read for anyone who loves national parks." Fresno Bee "Tweed plays the role of tour guide perfectly... exercising his considerable knowledge about wilderness and its remarkable role in park history." National Parks Traveler "Anyone who has an interest in the physical future and relevancy of our National Park System to our changing society should read this book. " A Park Ranger's Life Blog "I strongly encourage this interested in the future of parks and wilderness to add this jewel of a book to their libraries." George Wright Journal

• Foreword Introduction 1. South from Yosemite 2. Kings Canyon National Park 3. Sequoia National Park 4. National Parks in the Twenty-first Century Notes References Acknowledgments Index