Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park: The Trees Are Even Bigger Than You’ve Heard

Giant sequoias are not the tallest trees on earth, that’s the coastal redwoods of Northern California. They’re not the widest, that’s the Montezuma cypress in Mexico. What they are is the largest living things on earth by volume, and the General Sherman Tree at 84 metres tall and 11 metres in diameter at the base contains more wood than any other single organism. It has been growing continuously for over 2,700 years. When it was a seedling, Pythagoras was still alive. None of this prepares you for standing next to it. Its lowest branch, 40 metres off the ground, is nearly 2 metres in diameter. The tree is over 2,700 years old. The volume of wood in a single mature giant sequoia exceeds that of most buildings you’ve stood in. None of this prepares you adequately for standing next to one.

Sequoia and adjacent Kings Canyon National Parks share administration and are effectively one destination on Highway 198 out of Fresno or Visalia. The combined entrance fee is $35 per vehicle for 7 days; the America the Beautiful annual pass at $80 covers all national parks and is worth buying if you’re visiting more than two.

What to See

The Giant Forest Museum is the sensible starting point: free with park entry, 20-minute visit, and it explains the ecology and fire history of sequoias before you walk among them. Park maps and ranger schedules are available here.

General Sherman Tree is a 0.5-mile walk from the main car park, mostly paved, accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. The trees in the immediate vicinity of Sherman are not the largest but they’re all massive; the scale starts to make sense as you walk through.

Moro Rock, 2.5 miles from the Giant Forest, requires a 350-step staircase cut into the granite dome. At 2,050 metres, the view takes in the Great Western Divide, the peaks of the Kaweah Range, and on clear days, the Central Valley to the west. The hike is 30 minutes up, 20 minutes down, and worth every step.

Crystal Cave, accessed by a side road near the Amphitheater Point turnoff, requires a guided tour ($24 adult, $12 child). The marble cavern formed from sequoia forest soil running through fractures in the rock. Tours depart every 90 minutes in season (mid-May through November) and sell out; book at recreation.gov weeks ahead.

Where to Stay

Wuksachi Lodge, the main park accommodation, has comfortable rooms from $200-300 per night and a decent restaurant serving American food (breakfast and dinner). The lodge sits at 2,100 metres and gets cold at night even in summer; bring layers.

Lodgepole Campground (168 sites, $22-28 per night, reservable at recreation.gov from January) is the main campground near the Giant Forest. It books out within minutes of reservations opening in the new year for summer dates.

For town-based accommodation with lower prices, Three Rivers on Highway 198 south of the park entrance has motels and vacation rentals from $80-150. The commute to the Giant Forest is 35-45 minutes.

Trails Worth Doing

The Tokopah Falls Trail (4.6 miles round trip from Lodgepole) leads to a 610-metre granite waterfall above a glacially carved canyon. Flat enough for most fitness levels; spectacular in late spring when snowmelt is running.

The High Sierra Trail starts from Crescent Meadow and, if followed all the way, crosses the Sierra Nevada to Mount Whitney. Most day hikers do the first 5-8 miles to Eagle View for the panoramic views before turning back.

Winter

The park is open year-round but Highway 198 from Three Rivers to the Giant Forest closes in heavy snow. Check road conditions at nps.gov before driving in winter. Cross-country skiing is permitted on unplowed roads; the Giant Forest snowshoeing trails are marked by rangers. No fee beyond park entry.