Park: Sequoia National Park Location: Tulare County, CA Established: September 25, 1890 Size: 404,064 acres Annual visitors: 1,106,584 (2012) Entrance fee: $30 /vehicle /week Times visited: 2 |
We drove into Sequoia National Park from the northern entrance, which first passes through Kings Canyon National Park. Our goal for the afternoon was to visit the largest living tree on the planet: the General Sherman Tree.
We pulled into Logdgepole Village and enjoyed a quick visit of the Visitor's Center. We then hopped onto a free shuttle bus to the General Sherman Tree.
The tree is a giant among giants, and so doesn't necessarily stand out from the forest around it.
We enjoyed a quick visit at the Giant Forest Museum to learn more about the Giant Sequoias and the park that protects them, and then hopped back on the shuttle to get us back to our car.
With another day or two, we would've returned to the Giant Forest, parking in the south end. From there you can climb the 400 steps to the top of Moro Rock for an amazing view, visit Tokopah Falls or wander around the edges of Round Meadow and enjoy the towering trees.
Sequoia National Park is a huge park, encompassing thousands of feet of vertical terrain to explore. The main frontcountry area is mostly between 5,000 and 9,000 feet, offering exploration of the montane forest, home to the Giant Sequoias. One day is enough to explore just the Giant Forest, but there are many more valleys, lakes and peaks to visit on day hikes if you can afford a few nights in a campground.