Visited: May 2022
After our visit to Kings Canyon NP, we headed south and spent about a half-a-day at Sequoia National Park. This was our second visit to this Park. Our first visit was all the way back in 2014.
To read about our first visit, check out this post:
To read about our first visit, check out this post:
We hit the highlights: General Sherman Tree in the Giant Forest, Moro Rock (pictured above), and Crescent Meadow. It was a quick visit, but we had an enjoyable time, always great to stand in silence and gaze at these awe-inspiring trees.
It's only a 0.8-mile hike to General Sherman Tree. General Sherman is the largest tree on earth (by volume). General Sherman is a giant sequoia that stands 274.9 ft, a circumference of 102.6 ft at the ground, a bole volume of 52,508 cubic ft, and an estimated mass of 2,472,000 lbs! Even one of the tree's branches alone has a diameter of 6.8 ft! This thing is massive. A sight to behold. Hard to get the whole thing in one photo. 😀
Make sure to take your time and explore the rest of the Giant Forest Grove. Five of the ten most massive trees on Earth are found here (including General Sherman). It's a very pleasant hike.
A very large fire came through Sequoia NP in 2021. You can still see the effects of the fire. Although forest fires are very damaging, they are a necessary part of the cycle of life for these groves.
Many other large trees are found on this hike, including The President and Chief Sequoyah.
Sentinel Tree at the Giant Forest Museum.
Along the hike we saw a black bear right on the trail! It was very neat, and a little scary. 😀😬 So we kept a safe distance and waited patiently for the bear to move on before proceeding on the hike.
Turn off the main park road at the Giant Forest Museum and head to the Crescent Meadow. This is a nice, easy stroll through a beautiful meadow and sequoia grove. John Muir referred to this meadow as the "Gem of the Sierra."
the beautiful and serene Crescent Meadow
Along the road to Crescent Meadow, make sure to drive through the Tunnel Log. This tree fell over across the road in 1937 due to natural causes. A crew carved a tunnel into the fallen tree the following year.
Another highlight along this road is Moro Rock. This granite dome can be summitted via a 351-step stairway built by the CCC in the 1930s. It offers impressive views of the High Sierra Nevada mountains and the surrounding countryside. Well worth the climb.
view of the Generals Highway from Moro Rock
The High Sierra
stairs to the top!
view of Moro Rock as we headed down the Generals Highway
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