Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are 2 of the earlier national parks -- Sequoia National Park was established (encompassing the southwestern area of the park around Hockett Meadow) about a week before Yosemite and General Grant were created. At that time, the Giant Forest was added to Sequoia National Park. Later, the Kern drainage, with no Sequoias, was added to Sequoia National Park, and the Kings drainage (also with no Sequoias) was added to General Grant (then a small area around the General Grant tree) and the name changed to Kings Canyon National Park, which is now in two separate pieces. While the Sequoia and Kings Canyon are separate parks, they are managed as a single unit.
The Giant Sequoia National Monument was established in April 2000 to preserve a number of Sequoia groves that lie outside the 2 adjacent parks. The management plan is still being developed (spring 2009 was a major comment period so the plan is starting to be finalized). This Monument includes much of the area between Grant Grove and the rest of Kings Canyon (except those areas in Monarch and Jennie Lakes Wildneress areas) plus a southern section roughly around the Jonhsondale road. With the Monument, the 2 parks, and the forest service wilderness areas, much of the southern Sierra is now provided some level of protection, though such protection is never complete, permanent or final.
Even though it is not the largest identifiable grove of Sequoias, Giant Forest is the most accessible large grove. This is the home of Crescent Meadow, the General Sherman tree, the Congress Trail, the former site of the Giant Forest cabins (which have been replaced by the Wuksachi Village, a more expensive, better insulated and less environmentally harmful accomodation), and (almost) Moro Rock.
While this is a portion of Kings Canyon National Park, it is more logically a part of Sequoia. This small part of the park has several campgrounds, a variety of lodging options, the visitor center, the General Grant tree, and Wilsonia (a private in-holding). There are more accomodations here than in Sequoia (and an easier drive from Fresno).
The Lower Kings Canyon exhibits the V shape of an eroded valley more than the U shape of a glacial valley. Roads End (where the lodging and trail heads are mostly located) is only a little lower than Yosemite Valley, but is much warmer due to latitude (it is about 100 miles South of Yosemite), shape of canyon, amount of water, etc. Plus, the rain and snow generally decreases as you go south along the Sierra (or more generally south along the Pacific coast with the Sierra variation reflecting that gradient).
Some references call this the deepest canyon in some subset of the world (with the depth measured somewhere in the vacinity of this picture). Since there is no really obvious flat top for the canyon (as is the case of the Grand Canyon) I take no stand on how deep it may be, except to say it is not an easy hike up. The view is primarily up the Middle Fork (which leads to Muir Pass and Palisade Creek but the road is up the South Fork (to the right). Access to areas on the North Fork is via other routes (e.g. Courtwright Reservoir). These are far more interesting for hiking than the lower Middle Fork, and for most purposes, the trails that leave the hot, dusty, low end of the road at Cedar Grove.
Mineral King is a separate valley originally developed as a mining area. This development kept the area outside of the early park boundaries (it is adjacent to the inital section of the park around Hockett Meadow). Mineral King was added after a series of events led to a ski resort proposal that served to alert people to the potential of this region and the need to protect it. The mining was not as extensive as the classical gold rush regions or parts of Colorado, but traces (cabins, dams, mine shafts) will remain for a few more centuries. A number of private cabins and other structures remain from the time before the Park Service took over management. The road remains closed through the winter, but is not as bad as often described. It is constant curves, constant up hill, and a minimal width for two lanes. But, compared to many other Sierra access roads, this one is very good.
There are several campgrounds and a privately operated "lodge" (Silver City Resort) so that you can spend some time in this remote, yet accessible, valley. Most hiking starts out going UP, but leads to lakes and passes relatively quickly. Sawtooth (peak and pass) is a good hike. Sawtooth peak is visible from other parts of the park such as from Alta Peak across the Kaweah River.
Most of Sequoia and Kings Canyon is managed as Wilderness (essentially everything more than 1 mile from a road -- wilderness is best defined by what the law that created wilderness areas says, not by anything else). It is also where you see fewer people. We have spent several consecutive days on major trails (i.e. the Muir Trail), and encountered less than 5 people. You have to walk to see it. Horses are allowed on most of the trails -- like everything this is both good and bad (it means trails need to be well constructed and it limits the steepness, but also that trails can be worn and dusty).
The combined backcountry includes the Kern Trench, Mt. Whitney, and numerous high lakes and basins of the Kern and Kings rivers, and a bit of the San Joaquin river. The only way to appreciate it is to visit more than once. Each trip will be different, with different weather and different snow, but the beauty is constant.
The Sequoia backcountry is dominated by the almost straight North-South Kern Trench, with plateaus on either side. Access is either from the park roads, or from the Inyo National Forest via the Mt. Whitney trail, or Shepard Pass -- neither of these trails are easy. There is also a trail from the south along the Kern River.
The divide between the Kings and Kern Rivers is Forrester Pass (the highest point on the Pacific Crest Trail). Going south, be sure to make the turn at the top or bring your parachute. The Kings Canyon wilderness has numerous basins, lakes passes, side trips, and alternate access trails to the east (many of which are not for the lazy -- e.g. Sawmill, Baxter, Taboose) or from the north via the hydro power lakes (Courtright, Edison, Florence) built by SCE or PGE. At least these are outside the park, unlike Hetch Hetchy where San Francisco continues its destruction of Yosemite.
Evolution Basin (an upper basin of the San Joaquin River) was described to me as the most beautiful place in the world. I will not argue.
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Of course you want to visit these 2 parks. They are open summer and winter (though the low elevation Kings Canyon is not accessible in the winter since the access road closes) with different activities for each season. Expect snow (and be prepared to drive in snow) in the winter.
Are they the same? (Not even close.)
How do you tell them apart? (Other than location.)
The Online Book, The Challenge of the Big Trees gives a detailed history of the establishment of the two parks with their growth and development up until 1990.
The Official Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks site has all the offical information, including the pointers to accomodations, camping, hiking, news, traffic, weather, shuttles, etc. Why look anywhere else when this is the current information.
The new documentary
Ken Burns: National Parks - America's Best Idea
Maintained by Keith Price.