Sequoia National ParkSequoia National park is home to the largest living thing on the planet; the General Sherman Tree. Sequoia was the second National Park. The Generals Highway climbs over 5000 feet from chaparral and oak-studded foothills to the awe-inspiring sequoia groves. Sequoia was the second National Park designated in this country. General Grant National Park, the forerunner of Kings Canyon, was third. There are many trails lead to the high-alpine wilderness which makes up most of the park. Beneath the surface lie hundreds of fascinating caverns. |
Virtual Sequoia Park Map
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Park HighlightsGiant Forest |
Named in 1875 by explorer and conservationist John Muir, Giant Forest is celebrated for its beautiful meadows and its sequoia grove, the park's most famous attraction. The first thing to do in Giant Forest is to go to the Giant Forest museum, where exhibits and park rangers will help you understand the story of this beautiful grove. The cinnamon-colored Big Trees, members of the redwood family, may be seen today as Muir found them, "Giants grouped in pure temple groves, or arranged in colonnades along the sides of meadows."
The largest living trees grow in Sequoia National Park. The General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park is the largest, by volume, tree in the world. At the base the diameter of this giant is over 36 feet, with a circumference of over 102 feet.
Crystal Cave
By some accounts Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks could have been set aside solely to protect the amazing caves found in this area of the Southern Sierra Nevada. Crystal Cave has been one of the parks' primary visitor attractions since 1941. Crystal is the parks' only commercialized cave. It has 3 miles of passage, making it the second longest cave in the two parks. More than 2,000 feet of passage and three new entrances were found in the early 1990s. The cave is a complex, "anastomotic" maze and is heavily decorated with many varieties of speleothems including rarely formed "shields" and "raft cones". Crystal has at least four unique species of invertebrates including spiders and aquatic isopods living in the cave stream.
To visit Crystal Cave you must be part of a guided tour. You will walk by scenic waterfalls on the half-mile trail to Crystal Cave. Beautiful stalactites and curtains, impressively large rooms, and ornate marble polished naturally by a subterranean stream make a tour of Crystal Cave an unforgettable experience. To find out more information about this amazing adventure, visit Foothills or Lodgepole visitor centers in Sequoia National Park.
Sequoia offers a myriad of year around attractions and recreational activities. Spring and summer offers hiking or backpacking into the scenic sierra high country, there is also there is sightseeing, nature viewing, photography and cave tours. Winter offers some of the finest cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snow play to be found in the Sierra. Throughout the year, the park features ranger naturalist programs, nature walks, visitor centers and interpretive museum exhibits.