The Giant Sequoias and beyond

Things to do in Sequoia National Park -- other than seeing the famous still-standing Giant Sequoias -- include stopping at Tunnel Rock, seeing rock art, hiking, climbing Moro Rock...
Moro-rock-stairway

Things to do in Sequoia National Park, Sierra Nevada

10-Things to do in Sequoia National Park

If you are in Sequoia National Park in California, there’s no way you could pass through or return from the park without seeing the famous redwood giants of the Giant Forest on the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. General Sherman, Sentinel Tree, President Tree, Three Graces and the Parker Group are just some of the trees you must see here.

1. Visit the famous still-standing redwoods of Sequoia

Read: First, the famous Redwoods of Sequoia National Park to see what we did on our first day in this National Park in California.

Parker Family - Giant Sequoias

Other things to do in Sequoia National Park

On day 2, we stopped at a few points on the way: a couple of viewpoints to take in the views from the slopes of the Sierras, some intriguing rocks, some fallen trees that are attractions and I even climbed to the very top of Moro Rock.

2. Enjoy the scenic driveΒ up (or down)

We drove into the park from the south β€” ie from Three Rivers California. So we entered the park through California State Route 198. CASR 198 takes you eastward and then you turn into the very unforgettable General’s Highway that runs beside the Kaweah River for a bit then just twists up the mountains of the Sierra Nevada.Β 

With every hairpin bend, the air gets rarer and the view gets better. Stop at the vista points on the way to see how far you’ve come. And let your eyes follow the tight curves that General’s Highway makes along the way.Β 

If it’s fall, the picture only gets prettier.Β 

General's Highway

3. Make a photo-stop at Rock Tunnel

This tunnel here must have been part of the road that runs to the top and back. Today it is closed to vehicles. But you can stop and take pictures of the tunnel and the odd massive rock that plays the roof of this tunnel.Β 

Make sure to catch sight of this place on your drive up. It is easy to miss on the downhill drive.Β 

When we made a stop there, I looked down the ravine on the other side and saw Kawaeh flow down her rocky path.Β 

Tunnel Rock

Tunnel Rock

4. Look out for Moro Rock

Take note of Moro Rock protruding out of the mountains and watch it get closer and larger as you drive uphill.Β 

Moro Rock and Kaweah River from General's Highway

Moro Rock from afar. Also in the pic — Kaweah River.

Moro Rock

Moro Rock from General’s Highway

5. Check in at Hospital Rock

If one were to make a home in between huge pieces of rocks, this is what it would look like. The information Board near the rock says native American tribes lived and died here. Take note of the pictographs here on one of the rock faces. And don’t miss the grinding area just across the Hospital Rock, where they ground acorns.Β 

There’s a picnic area near here. And restrooms too. When you go toward Hospital Rock (from the parking area) make sure you cross the road carefully. You will be crossing the main road that leads up to the park. And it’s a pretty busy road.Β 

Before you leave there, take a better look at Moro Rock.Β 

Hospital Rock

6. Apply brakes near the Auto Log

Wonder what that is? The Auto log is not a drive-through tree. When you turn off at this point you might wonder what you stopped to see. There’s a board on the far end of this fallen tree. And it will tell you that this tree fell in 1917 and that many types of vehicles have been photographed on it.Β 

I had to walk along the fallen tree to the part where it is flat to see what it really was. I saw that a part of it was flattened and it was wide enough for a car to actually drive on that part of the trunk for a photo-opp.Β 

Why you might want to see it:Β  to see how wide the Giant Sequoia can be.Β 

Auto Log

Auto Log

7. Drive through Tunnel Log

Here’s another fallen tree. And you can drive through it. Another large piece of proof of how wide the trunks of these redwoods can be.

When we were there, there was some confusion among the visitors as to which way to drive through and how to photograph their cars.Β 

What seemed ideal to me was to keep right and drive through the tree and have somebody on the other side of the log to photograph you driving through the tree tunnel.Β 

And then you might want to keep right again and drive towards Cresent Meadow if you’d like to see the meadow and the attractions near it. If not, you can loop back and be on your way back.

Tunnel Log

Tunnel Log

8. Walk to Cresent MeadowΒ 

Crescent Meadow is around a .02 mile hike from the parking lot. It is a small meadow. Walk along the trail to the part where a wooden marker stands. This is where you will get a good view of the meadow.Β 

It was in mid-fall that we were there. And it was a dry meadow that day. From there we walked a little over a half mile through a paved trail that snaked through some straight, lichen-coated trees to get to Tharp’s Log.

Crescent Meadow - sequoia NP

Crescent Meadow

9. Get a sense of what it is like to live in the hollow of a humungous tree at ‘Tharp’s Log.’Β 

Somebody once turned a fallen tree into a shelter. Today it is another reminder of huge and mighty the Sequoiadendron Giganteum can grow to be.Β 

It was an easy hike through mostly-flat land. It was a quiet one. There were very few people out on that trail that day. We got to catch some woodpecker action on the way back.Β 

Tharp's log

10. Test your stamina and your fear of heights at Moro Rock

Moro Rock is a granite dome at 6,700 odd ft. Take the around 400-step path to the top, for views of the mountain tops and the valley way down below.Β 

I also enjoyed seeing the main road of the park work its way up to the mountains. As I climbed higher, I got to see more of the till-then hidden stretches of General’s Highway.Β 

This was undoubtedly the highlight of my day 2 at Sequoia NP. So I’d call it an important point in a list of things to do in Sequoia National Park.

Moro-rock-stairway

Moro Rock

PS. Noticed the haze in the air? That’s the smoke from the Camp Fire, California’s most destructive fire. It raged for over two weeks.

Have you been to this national park in CA? Is there anything you would add to your top things to do in Sequoia National Park?

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CaliforniaHikesMountainsNational ParksNatural WondersNorthern CaliforniaWhere to see / What to see / How to see

Dee (Divya): Blogger, Freelance Content Writer & Content Strategist. | πŸ“Έ Loves tripping.πŸ›£ Tipsy from every TRIP!😬🫣 | 🏞Follow > for intoxicating virtual trips!πŸ₯‚πŸ˜‰
35 Comments on this post.
  • Lady Fi
    28 January 2019 at 10:28 pm
    Leave a Reply

    FABULOUS! Just gorgeous.

    • dNambiar
      29 January 2019 at 11:59 am
      Leave a Reply

      The area is blessed with natural beauty.

      Thank you Lady FI for visiting, and for hosting the meme. πŸ™‚

  • Hootin anni
    29 January 2019 at 4:35 am
    Leave a Reply

    Wow..
    Incredible photos & commentary on each step of the tour!

    • dNambiar
      29 January 2019 at 12:00 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Nice to see you here, Hootin Anni.
      Thank you so much. πŸ™‚

  • A ShutterBug Explores
    29 January 2019 at 6:35 am
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    Gorgeous photos of Sequoia ~ what an adventure ~ ^_^

    Happy Tuesday,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

    • dNambiar
      29 January 2019 at 12:03 pm
      Leave a Reply

      These trees are a class apart. And such beauties too, aren’t they?

      That climb to the top of Moro Rock was quite an adventure. It actually deserves a whole post. πŸ˜€

      Thank you, Carol. Have a great week. πŸ™‚

  • Al
    29 January 2019 at 6:00 pm
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    It looks like an amazing place – lovely photos.

    • dNambiar
      30 January 2019 at 12:31 pm
      Leave a Reply

      You should put it on your wishlist, Al.
      You’ll love it.
      Thank you so much. πŸ™‚

  • Kokila Gupta
    30 January 2019 at 6:40 am
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    Gosh! The trees and that log tunnel… AWESOME! Truly an amazing place! I specifically loved those huge Read trees!

    • dNambiar
      30 January 2019 at 12:36 pm
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      Who is this?! Long time!! <3

      The more you learn about these red trees the more fascinated you will be. Someday I should do a post on the wonder that they are. πŸ™‚
      Thank you for stopping by, dear Kokila. πŸ™‚

  • The untourists
    30 January 2019 at 6:48 pm
    Leave a Reply

    The Sequoia National Park is so beautiful. We were here a year ago when it was full of snow. It’s so so beautiful and you are right, the drive up and down is gorgeous…

    • dNambiar
      1 February 2019 at 12:56 pm
      Leave a Reply

      It is. Sequoia NP was beyond what I expected to see. In the snow — I’m sure it looked totally different. That drive is one to remember, I swear. πŸ™‚

  • Ravin
    30 January 2019 at 10:11 pm
    Leave a Reply

    such a beautiful place, i heard about it but never went there.
    Gorgeous pictures πŸ™‚

    • dNambiar
      1 February 2019 at 12:58 pm
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      Thank you, Ravin. πŸ™‚

  • rupam { xhobdo }
    31 January 2019 at 3:04 am
    Leave a Reply

    Amazing place. Awesome pics.

    • dNambiar
      1 February 2019 at 12:58 pm
      Leave a Reply

      It is. Thank you, Rupam. πŸ™‚

  • Bikram Jeet
    31 January 2019 at 4:00 am
    Leave a Reply

    wow, lovely pictures especially the ‘still standing redwoods’ and ‘drive through the log pic’. Crisp information is very good. thanks

    • dNambiar
      1 February 2019 at 1:00 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Redwood trees are such good looking trees. Their trunks must be among the most beautiful ones, really.
      Thank you so much, Bikram. πŸ™‚

  • Niranjan R
    31 January 2019 at 4:28 am
    Leave a Reply

    This looks lovely. The views reminded me of Thamarassery churam.

    • dNambiar
      1 February 2019 at 1:06 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Nature has done such grand work here. So has man, as you can see with that road there. Parts of that highway actually did look like ‘nammude Thamarassery churam,’ Then I went up to the top of that Moro Rock and the views told me that this was like a few Thamarassery Churams put together. πŸ˜€ You’d love the drive! (Actually YOU would want to ride there. πŸ™‚

  • Umashankar
    2 February 2019 at 11:30 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Your images are getting more and more captivating. I love those mountains in fading perspectiveβ€”it lends amazing depths to the landscape shots. You are keeping the spark for travelling alive in my troubled heart. May your trips be as mighty as the giant sequoias!

    • dNambiar
      6 February 2019 at 5:04 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Thank you so much. It’s great hearing that from you. Those mountain sides were views from the top of Morro Rock. We’d have gotten better views if not for the haze. The fire that was raging around that time was so, so bad that I was surprised that we even got to see this much.

      It is nice to know that this blog’s been keeping that spark alive. We look forward to all the pictures and the travel-stories- in- true-USP-style.

      Thank you so much. That’s the best wish, ever. πŸ™‚

  • Anita
    3 February 2019 at 2:23 am
    Leave a Reply

    Wonderful pics. They are really majestic.
    Tunnel log is so interesting.

    • dNambiar
      6 February 2019 at 5:08 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Thank you, Anita.
      Oh yes, really majestic trees.

      The tunnel log shows you just how large those trunks can be. Thank you so much for coming this way. πŸ™‚

  • Rahul Bhatia
    3 February 2019 at 10:07 pm
    Leave a Reply

    A lovely treat to see places with such abundance of natural beauty, Divya!

    • dNambiar
      6 February 2019 at 5:09 pm
      Leave a Reply

      I’m so glad you enjoyed this virtual trip, Mr. Bhatia. πŸ™‚

  • Abhisek Nayak
    5 February 2019 at 1:12 am
    Leave a Reply

    The pictures are very beautiful. You have described the place very well. Great job.

    • dNambiar
      6 February 2019 at 5:09 pm
      Leave a Reply

      Thank you Abhisek. πŸ™‚
      And welcome back. πŸ™‚

  • joshi daniel
    6 February 2019 at 10:36 pm
    Leave a Reply

    Beautiful πŸ™‚

    • dNambiar
      14 February 2019 at 1:05 pm
      Leave a Reply

      πŸ™‚
      Thank you for stopping by, JD. πŸ™‚

  • Deepa Gopal
    24 February 2019 at 7:52 am
    Leave a Reply

    Dee, you surround yourself with such amazing places πŸ˜€ That tunnel rock and log, they are super cool! The second photo is so dreamy!!!

    • dNambiar
      26 February 2019 at 5:15 pm
      Leave a Reply

      These are places I seem to get attracted to. These and those places that are known for their amazing rock formations. The second pic does look dreamy, does it not? Let me not tell what that actually was. πŸ™‚

      Thank you, Deepa. πŸ™‚

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