one day in sequoia national park
For me, trees are stand-alone live beings that have a way of communicating the world’s wisdom to us without uttering a word. And traveling to Sequoia National Park and meeting these giant trees that are 250 feet taller than me and have lived 2000 years longer than me, left me in awe of our amazing home planet.
Getting there, 8Am
We started our day early in the morning. Some suggest to get to the park by 9AM, but I say, get to the park by 8AM. During summer months, park gets really crowded and just getting to the park may take a while. So we grabbed some good coffee from Sequoia Coffee Co., packed lunch, since there is no food available in the park, and headed out.
Giant forest and general sherman
The only way to get around the park is by car, and it takes one hour to get from the park’s entrance gate to the Giant Forest. The drive through the forest is just amazing. Usually forests have one dominant species, but Giant Forest is a mix of different pine trees, red fir, and sequoia trees that stand out just so beautifully.
General Sherman is the largest tree on our planet, and it is here in Sequoia National Park. It is 2100 years old, it is 36 feet in diameter at the base, it is 275 feet tall, and you can fit 13 story building under its first branch.
The experience of seeing General Sherman may feel like seeing a museum exhibit at first. It is crowded, the path is paved and gated, and you can’t give General Sherman a hug. But just think about how many people it has seen and how many hugs it’s gotten in the last 2100 years!.. The tree has not always been so guarded. The park was forced to do so to protect the shallow roots of the Sherman Tree and also because visitors would carve their names on it. And while I wanted to come close, at the same time, I was happy it is gated. I want General Sherman to live unharmed , happy, and healthy for another 1000 years.
fun facts
Sequoia National Park is the second national park of the United States. Yellow Stone is the first. Sequoia is on of four species of redwood tree and now can only be found in Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Its bark can get up to 3 feet thick at the base, and roots are only 12-14 feet deep. Giant sequoias need fire to grow. Fire is too low for the giants, so can’t hurt the tree. Meanwhile, sequoias only reproduced by seeds, and most are shed when cones dry from fire heat. Most sequoia trees have split bark at the bottom. It is similar to standing with feet wide open for stability.
the little baldy trail
This is an amazing trail and a great substitute to the popular and crowded Moro Rock!!! It is moderate difficulty, about 3.5 mile long roundtrip with a gradual 700 feet elevation. The reward is an out of this world view from the top of the rock.
SEQUOIA PARK AIR QUALITY
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks experience some of the worst air pollution of any national parks in the U.S. As I stood on top of the rock here, it was hard not to notice. And sadly, my research showed that due to the diversion of the water source of Owens Lake that is located about 120 miles from the park to ever growing Los Angeles, the lake became desiccated and produced a significant amount of windblown harmful dust. Residents had to abandon the area, and the park’s air quality has also been affected, especially during hot summer months.
where to eat
We state in a town Three Rivers, and here are a few places I tried and liked.