Photos by Denise Davis and Anne Groebner

To see trees that are labeled “the largest living things in the entire world,” is beyond remarkable. To stand beneath the giant Sequoias, General Sherman and General Grant, who stand over 270 feet with circumferences of over 100 feet and limbs almost seven feet in diameter, was profound. To wonder about the history witnessed beneath these titans’ branches, over the 3,000-plus years they’ve resided within the Sierra Nevada, is beyond imagination. It’s needless to say that my trip to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks left me in awe of Mother Nature’s ability to produce a life that grows so ancient and colossal. 

I met my brother, Jeff, and his wife, Denise, in Miramonte, California on the last weekend in March. They had bought four kayaks from M&M Kayaks in Pinetop, and I offered to deliver them, only if we could meet somewhere around the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Since both Jeff and I had never seen the giant sequoias, we decided on Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. The cabin in Miramonte was small and rustic, but a perfect location to get to both parks. However, extreme twists and turns in the roads slowed us down some — a few miles would take almost twenty minutes — thankfully, the scenery was pretty spectacular.

On the first day, we drove to Kings Canyon National Park to see the General Grant Tree, located within Grant Grove in the Sequoia National Forest. There is a 0.3-mile loop trail that leads to what the park calls “the second-largest living tree on earth.” General Grant is 268 feet tall with a base circumference of 107.6 feet. The max base diameter is 40.3 feet and the diameter of the largest branch is 4.5 feet. They estimate that he weighs about 1,254 tons. 

General Grant National Park was established two weeks after Sequoia National Park in 1890 to preserve the giant sequoias — these trees John Muir described as “the only occurrence of sequoia gigantea that properly might be called a forest.” Kings Canyon and Yosemite were established as National Parks that same year and in 1940, Kings Canyon incorporated Grants National Park. Today only 8 percent of all giant sequoias are on private property.

Leaving the General Grant Tree, we drove north along the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway and then south to Hume Lake, stopping along the way at scenic overlooks with views of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. The beautiful 87-acre Hume Lake, surrounded by forest and mountains, is on Ten-Mile Creek, which is a tributary of the Kings River. Kayakers and fishermen paddled past us on their way back to the Hume Christian Camp, located on its southern shores. We stopped to take in the scenic views and then attempted to continue on the same southern route that looped back to the General’s Highway. 

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in March are unpredictable, to say the least. You never know when it will snow and along its winding roadways, even on a warm sunny day, there is snow blanketing the highway shoulder. We weren’t worried about snow, as we ventured to see what was around each turn in the road blessed with 70-degree temperatures. Eventually we discovered large patches of slushy snow extending across the highway, but easily made it through with my Ford Ranger in four-wheel-drive — until we came to a patch of snow over a foot high that was impassable. It forced us to turn around and drive back the way we came.

The next day, we left early and drove Highway 180 (General’s Highway) through the Kings Canyon entrance station, but traveled south toward Sequoia National Park. We crossed over the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River, stopped to take some photos, and then headed to General Sherman Tree — “the largest tree on the face of the earth.” The 1.2-mile out and back trail to General Sherman is an easy downhill hike, but you gain 196 feet in elevation on your way back to the parking lot. The tree sits at around 7,000 feet in elevation, so if you aren’t acclimated, a slower pace is recommended and there are places to stop and rest on your ascent. The tree stands 275 feet with a base circumference of 103 feet and weighs approximately 1,385 tons. Its largest branch is almost seven feet in diameter. To stand next to this colossal old soul is worth the trek. I don’t like to have my picture taken, but this time I made an exception. 

Climbing the Granite Dome

Our next destination was Moro Rock. From the Giant Forest Museum, it is a 3.4-mile roundtrip hike to the giant granite boulder rising up and out over the High Sierra. Once you reach the entrance, the trail climbs over 350 steps to the top at an elevation of 6,725 feet. Within a few steps you can view the High Sierra Peaks and it is breathtaking. I wasn’t sure I wanted to make it to the top, especially when the railing ran out and the only thing between me and the edge were some short, carved boulders. I asked everyone coming down that I passed if they had made it and every one of them said yes and that it was worth it. I think, though, it was the 10-year-old boy I asked who was pretty excited about making it to the top that convinced me that I, too, could do it — and I did. The 360-degree view at the top? It was worth it.

As we hiked through the Giant Forest back to the parking lot, I was amazed at how small we were compared to these titans that towered over us. I stopped to feel the bark and it felt spongy but thick. You could see some of the damage last year’s fires caused, but I learned that the bark is thick, fibrous and non-resinous in order to help resist fire (and beetles). A tree can survive unless the fire burns for several days and the heat penetrates the cambium layer which could kill a tree. There is evidence that sequoias will grow new wood and new bark to cover a fire scar. As long as a thin band of live bark remains to provide communication between the roots and the foliage, the tree can continue to live and grow and, in some cases, can completely heal itself. 

Another amazing characteristic of a sequoia is that a single tree will produce a billion seeds in its lifetime. Mature sequoias produce cones but because the seeds must fall on mineral soil that is exposed to sunlight, only a few ever germinate and produce seedlings. In a thick coniferous forest, open areas with plenty of sunlight is hard to find. That’s why so many young sequoias can be seen on the shoulders of roads and trails.

Young Sequoias are some of the most beautiful trees in the forest. Evenly tapered and sharply conical, they have thick foliage that reaches down to the ground giving it a character all its own. The needles are short, sharp and awl-shaped, and overlap like shingles around the twigs and branchlets. As they grow, the lower branches get shaded from the sun, lose needles, and start to prune themselves, resulting in the same conical-shaped tree, except it sits on top of a straight bare trunk. The branches that remain, expand, re-branch, and form the rounded crown that is seen on mature Sequoias. 

Sequoias live for thousands of years, but I read that they are their own worst enemy. Its massive roots are fragile and shallow and it has no taproot — these heavy giants are just a balancing act. They depend on their broad base and not their root systems to stay erect. Wind, lightning (which has stopped the growth of General Sherman), fire, and soil erosion can all play a part in the toppling of a sequoia. Once the balance is lost, it is rarely restored. In the whole scheme of things, however, only one tree might fall each year. Its real enemy is drought and fire. 

There is so much more I want to see at these parks. A lot of the roads were closed until summer so my next visit will be later in the year. With the California drought and the onslaught of wildfires, I think my next visit will be sooner than later. 

Sequoias are truly a marvel of nature. They are super-beings that have survived, despite all odds, balancing their life on a planet of uncertainty. They hold the secret to near immortality — an impossible feat for just about any other living being — one of Mother Nature’s grandiose creations. Standing next to them I felt diminutive and yet privileged to observe these grand old souls. My wish is that they survive another 4,000 years.

Happy Earth Day: 04-22-2022

Last year’s Castle and SQF Fires each destroyed about about 2,380 giant sequoias with more expected to die within several years because of drought and fire and the KNP Complex fire seared more than 88,300 acres.

For more information, go to sequoiaparksconservancy.org. To find out how you can help, email giving@sequoiaparks.org.