Kings Canyon National Park

Located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains above the San Joaquin Valley of California, King’s Canyon National Park is a camper’s and hiker’s paradise with giant sequoias providing a canopy over all the visitors’ activities.

The National Park Service wanted some topographic models mapping two different regions of the park, but instead of the colorful topographic relief maps we often create, they wanted something more tactile that also focused attention on the extreme elevation changes in the canyon. They also wanted something outside, that could withstand the elements and a temperature range from below zero to 115 degrees.

We decided that cast bronze was the material for the job. We also designed and fabricated the steel display bases. On each model, the park’s roads and trails are clearly marked, and the relief gives hikers a clear idea of what their route will entail both in exposure and elevation change. So not only are these informative maps, but there is a clear safety motive built-in.