Sequoia Giants
Just about everything in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is HUGE—the trees, the mountains, and the breathtaking views. Walking among these giants is a humbling experience. They tower above you and make you realize just how small we are in the grand scheme of things.
The drive through these parks takes you deep into ancient forests filled with giant sequoias, some of which have stood for more than 3,000 years. Think about that for a moment. Some of these trees were already growing when Rome was first settled, Ramses XI ruled Egypt, and Solomon ruled Israel.
These trees were here before much of the history we know even began.
Think about that!
Meet King’s Canyon General Grant
These two parks sit side by side, so visiting both felt like a natural choice. And there’s another reason we couldn’t pass up the opportunity: each park is home to one of the two largest giant sequoias in the world. When you’re surrounded by trees this massive, you don’t want to miss a single one!
Kings Canyon National Park is home to the General Grant Tree, an absolute giant standing 268 feet tall with a circumference of 107 feet at its base and a diameter of 29 feet. To put that into perspective, it rises as high as a 14-story building, stands taller than the Statue of Liberty, and even surpasses the height of the Space Shuttle.
And here’s the crazy part: General Grant is only about 1,650 years old! When this youngster first took root, Constantine was emperor of Rome. Yes, that Constantine.
Standing beneath it makes you realize just how different the meaning of “old” becomes when you’re talking about giant sequoias.
Meet Sequoia’s General Sherman
Sequoia National Park boasts the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world by volume. This massive sequoia towers 275 feet above the forest floor, measures 102 feet around at its base, and spans an incredible 36 feet in diameter.
And just when you think those numbers can’t get any more impressive, consider its age. Scientists estimate General Sherman to be around 2,200 years old. That means this giant was already taking root when Archimedes was calculating the value of pi and construction of the Great Wall of China was getting underway.
Two thousand two hundred years old! Standing next to General Sherman puts human history into a whole different perspective. While empires rose and fell, wars were fought, and civilizations changed, this enormous tree simply kept growing.
Cairns Anyone?
These little piles of rocks are called cairns. When you’re hiking, cairns can help mark the trail and point you in the right direction, especially where the path isn’t obvious. They can also serve as landmarks or memorials.
We found hundreds of them scattered across this Sequoia mountaintop—far more than we could ever fit into a single picture. I couldn’t help wondering about their purpose. Were they built to memorialize someone special, or were they simply created by hikers who wanted to leave their own little mark behind?
Whatever their story, seeing hundreds of cairns covering the mountaintop was an unforgettable sight.
Bye Sequoia – Time to Go
We were running short on time, so it was finally time to leave Sequoia behind. The drive into the parks along Route 180 had been absolutely beautiful, but the drive out on State Route 198 was an acrophobe’s worst nightmare!
For 18 miles, the road twists and turns through a seemingly endless series of hairpin curves while dropping 4,400 feet in elevation. And if that wasn’t enough, guardrails seemed to be in short supply while road-hogging motorhomes squeezed us over to the edge. One look over the edge was enough to make your stomach drop.
Let’s just say the scenery was spectacular—but I spent a lot more time looking at the road and the inside of my eyelids than the view!
I wish we had more time to explore these two incredible parks, but we added them to our trip at the last minute. We mistakenly thought we could see Sequoia and Kings Canyon in just a few hours. We couldn’t have been more wrong!
These parks stretch across a massive landscape, and every turn revealed another giant sequoia, breathtaking vista, or winding mountain road. We barely scratched the surface before the clock forced us to leave.
We left with incredible memories, but we also left knowing we had missed far more than we saw. Next time, we’ll plan better, stay longer, and give these magnificent parks the time they deserve.
The giants will be waiting. And so will we.
What about Romin?
As for Romin, well, he was being a little shy on this drive. But we managed to sneak a couple of pictures of him anyway!
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time – Much love,
Romin, Pete, & Lori
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Photo Album: A Walk Among the Giants
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