The Giant Sequoias and beyond

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.

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 drive up (or down)

We drove into the park from the south — 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. 

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. 

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

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. 

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

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

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. 

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. 

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. 

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

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. 

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

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. 

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. 

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.

8. Walk to Cresent Meadow 

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. 

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.

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

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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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