First, Some Famous Redwoods Of Sequoia​ National Park

Sequoia National Park as its name suggests is an area that preserves a species of California’s State Tree — The Giant Sequoia. This park is also the address of the largest tree in the world and the third-largest tree too. And the second largest of those redwood giants is in the neighbourhood north of this area. One trip to these twin national parks and you can see the largest three Giant Sequoias. 

Or, if you — like me — would like an excuse for another trip to the southern Sierras, you might want to save ‘Kings Canyon National Park for ‘next time.’ 😉

Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) aren’t the only reasons to be at Sequoia National Park. The drive into the park from the Foot Hill entrance in the south is more than just scenic. It’s an adventure. A good part of the highway runs beside the path of the Kaweah River.  Add to that the vistas from high-altitude overlooks along the way and you have a very memorable drive. Other highlights of the park include hikes and the trying climb up Moro Rock and also the unbeatable views from the top of it. 

Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest

We, however, thought it right to start exploring the park at the Giant Forest. The Giant Forest lies between 6000 and 7000 ft and is home to some of the biggest trees in the world. Our first stop was at the foot of Sentinel Tree. 

Sentinel Tree

We were looking up at a tree that was a 2,200-year-old tree and weighing 700 tons. An information board just below it was quick to remind us that this was only an ‘average tree’ and that we were yet to see the creme de la creme of this redwood grove. 

We then walked into the Giant Forest Museum that told us all that we needed to know about the Giant Sequoias. The exhibits there were very impressive. One of my favourites there was the large Sierra exhibit that depicted the vegetation at the different levels of the mountain range and the Sequoias’ place on the slopes. 

Giant Forest Museum

The Sequoia Belt – between 6000ft and 8000ft.

Another memorable exhibit that excited the kids was the one that interpreted the height of these wooden behemoths. 

Fun Fact  – A Giant Sequoia can be the height of 21 elephants. The Coast Redwood (the other redwood that can be found in California) is taller than that.

Later, we visited the Three Graces across the road from the museum. The Three Graces are a group of three trees that stand together, looking like they grew up together. Later we would see the Parker Group and Four Guardsmen, other famous siblings in the area. 

Three Graces

The largest tree in the world

Next point on our itinerary was to see that most celebrated giant here in Sequoia National Park — General Sherman. After driving further north up the General’s Highway that brought us up to the higher altitudes of the park, we turned eastward till we got to Sherman Tree Trail. 

The Sherman Tree Trail took us down a winding downhill path to the largest tree in the world — General Sherman. 

General Sherman Tree

General Sherman becomes the largest tree by the amount of wood in its trunk. Sherman is only 275 ft tall and it’s got a dead top. And that is exactly why it is the ‘largest’ by volume and will be for a long time. Puzzled? A board along the trails told me that as the top is dead, the tree does not get any taller. What happens instead is that the trunk keeps getting larger in width. 

It went on to say that every year the tree grows enough bark to make up a whole good-sized tree. This tree that is over 2000 years old seems to have beat older trees by the width of its trunk. It is the ideal altitude and accompanying climatic and soil conditions that have made Sherman outshine his seniors, say experts.

Presently, the bottom of the trunk is over 103 feet in circumference. And the tree is believed to be just shy of 3,400 tons in weight. 

A few yards down the halfway mark of the trail is a stop that allowed us to look at Sherman from an elevation. The stop also had a footprint of Sherman. 

This is how large the tree trunk is — 

Footstep of Sherman Tree. This tree’s trunk is said to occupy more space than any other tree in the world.

It is difficult to take a full-sized picture of a redwood tree. But I’m sure this picture shows how tall we humans can be standing beside a fully grown Giant Sequoia.

Age: 2,200-years. Volume:52,500 cubic feet. Weight: around 1,385 tons. Circumference: over 103 ft.

The top of this tree is dead. The trunk, however, keeps growing in volume.

Fun Fact – They say if you could fill General Sherman with water, it could easily hold enough for over 9,800 baths.

After our salutes to the general, we walked around a bit and saw a few more huge trees and then started that uphill climb. 

Initially, the plan was to see General Sherman and then go pay respects to the third and fourth largest trees which stand tall by another trail that intersects the Sherman Tree Trail. But after seeing that the ascent back to the parking lot was going get the kids worn out, we skipped plans for the 2-mile Congress Trail.

Sherman Tree Trail

The walk back up Sherman Trail was quite an arduous one. It was supposed to be a half-mile uphill climb but it sure seemed like more. And by the time we were back at the car, we had clocked a good mile and a half — the Sherman Trail plus the walking around we did on the teeny-weeny trails at the bottom of that hill. 

With that, we seemed to have had enough exercise for the day. So off we went to Wuksachi Lodge’s restaurant further north of there, to treat ourselves to a nice, hot late-lunch. It was a cold day, let me add. 

By then it was past 16:00 and the skies were beginning to darken so we were back on General’s Highway driving all the way south. An hour and a half later, we were back in Three Rivers, CA where we were put up for the whole of our Sequoia National Park trip. 

(Come back to see what we saw on day 2 and what else there is to see in Sequoia National Park — other than the Giant Sequoias, that is. Exciting!! ;))

Day 2 — Beyond the Giant Sequoias: Other famous redwoods and Other sights from Sequoia National Park.

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National Parks featured on Tipsy from the TRIP

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