The biggest of them all!

A grove of giant redwoods or sequoias should be kept just as we keep a great or beautiful cathedral.

Theodore Roosevelt

The great redwoods and sequoias of California are not merely trees; they stand to remind us of the beauty and resilience of nature. They have inspired countless artists, writers and nature lovers. They epitomise strength, survival and the grandeur of the natural world.

You might think we would have had enough of viewing them in the coastal Humboldt State Park and in Grant Grove. But no, and anyway, we couldn’t leave this area without seeing the biggest of them all! So we drove south from Grant Grove to visit the Giant Forest, stopping on the way for views from Redwood Overlook, where my feature photo was taken.

The Giant Forest

Five of the ten most massive trees on Earth are located within the Giant Forest. This the largest of the unlogged giant sequoia groves. It contains more exceptionally large sequoias, known as monarchs, than any other grove.

And among them is the General Sherman, the largest tree in the world by volume. Others may be taller or wider, but this is the largest overall.

The park website gives these statistics:

Height above base          274.9 feet / 83.8 metres

Circumference at ground             102.6 feet / 31.1 metres

Maximum diameter at base        36.5 feet / 11.1 metres

Diameter 60 feet (18.3 metres) above base          17.5 feet / 5.3 metres

Diameter 180 feet (54.9 metres) above base        14.0 feet / 4.3 metres

Diameter of Largest Branch         6.8 feet / 2.1 metres

Height of first large branch above the base          130.0 feet / 39.6 metres

Average crown spread    106.5 feet / 32.5 metres

A path winds downhill to the General Sherman for about half a mile, with informative plaques from time to time. The people just visible on the left of this shot will give you some idea of the scale of the trees in this grove.

Arriving at the tree the path circles around the fence that protects it. This is to prevent people walking on the roots as well as to keep potential vandals away from the trunk. It makes it possible to stand well ack but it’s still a challenge to get the whole tree in a photo. I experimented with the panorama setting on my camera but scrolling from top to bottom rather than left to right – with only limited success!

The General Sherman Tree

A looped path leads around some other impressive trees in the vicinity. A couple of longer trails take you further into the grove, but we had accommodation booked for the night and other sights we wanted to see in the park first.

On the way back up what was quite a steep path we stopped for a breather on a convenient bench. Hearing rustling in the undergrowth behind us we turned to see a beautiful deer enjoying some leaves just a couple of metres from the path! The voices you can hear on my video come from a family on the next bench who were eating a picnic lunch and taking no interest in what was just behind them, to my amazement.

I think this is a mule deer

We stopped briefly at the Giant Forest Museum to look at some of the exhibits, but a lot of the information duplicated what Brett had told us during the talk by the General Grant tree a couple of days ago. However it gave us a chance to see another of the famous monarchs, the Sentinel Tree.

The Sentinel Tree and Giant Forest Museum

Crescent Meadow

A narrow winding road led up from here to Crescent Meadow, where the open spaces attracted other trees such as aspens, just starting to change colour. We had our snack lunch at a picnic table here and took a short stroll round part of the meadow’s edge.

We didn’t bother to queue to drive through the famous tunnel log either on our way up to or back from the meadow, instead taking the detour around the tree trunk. But we did stop long enough to get some photos of others doing so.

Moro Rock

Halfway back down this narrow road we aimed to visit Moro Rock. The parking area was small and full (we were surprised to see so many people everywhere in this part of the park, in contrast to our experience yesterday in Kings Canyon).

Moro Rock from near where we parked

Luckily Chris found room to park at the roadside, as neither of us would have wanted to miss this spot. The rock rises high above the road and 350 steps hewn into it make it possible to climb to the top.

Climbing Moro Rock

Possible for some that is! I gave up probably just below the halfway point, and was pleased with myself for even managing that much! Chris of course made it to the top and came back with photos to share.  But even from the point I had reached, the views were pretty spectacular! I have already shared one, in a virtual postcard posted during the trip; here are a few more.

Views from Moro Rock

Hospital Rock

Our last stop in the park was rather different. The road descended dramatically through a series of hairpin bends, dropping us about 4,000 feet in eleven miles. Near the bottom is Hospital Rock, which has some Native American pictographs. I’m always fascinated by pictographs and petroglyphs, imagining the long-ago hands that left their mark for us to see. Nearby hollows in another rock show where native women once ground acorns for flour.

Hospital Rock (the light was challenging for photography, as you can see!)

From here it was just a short drive to the park’s southern exit where we left the giant trees behind us to venture further south and east.

I am scheduling this Monday Walk for publication a few days into a three week trip so please bear with me if I don’t reply to comments as promptly as usual. But I promise I will read them all and catch up eventually!

I visited Sequoia National Park in October 2024