Sequoia National Park: A Day in the Land of Giants

Sequoia National Park had always been on my bucket list, so when we finally planned a visit out there,  I was quite stoked, to say the least.  My excitement could not be contained and soon, our two daughters wanted to know everything about these old giant sequoia trees. Our conversations often lead to questions like, “Are they as tall as ten elephants standing on top of each other? Are they as old as dinosaurs?” Believe it or not, I actually did try to look up the average height of an elephant and come up with a legitimate answer. While conducting this extremely important research, I also managed to gather information on the best things to do in Sequoia National Park in one day. Unfortunately, this is all the time we had since we also wanted to dedicate a day for Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia’s less known neighbor.

When the much anticipated day finally came, we started our journey at the crack of dawn in Tulare, CA. After indulging in the typical continental breakfast at the Charter Inn & Suites Hotel, we were on our way to meet the magnificent giant sequoias.

The Best Things to Do in Sequoia National Park in One Day

We entered the park from the south side, shortly after passing the little town of Three Rivers. As we drove in through the entrance gate, all of us began staring out the windows, desperately trying to spot our first sequoia. However, there were none that we could see at this point, so the anticipation kept building up.

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TIP: The town of Three Rivers is an excellent place to stay because it’s very close to the South Entrance of the park. Book well in advance as it can be hard to find accommodations especially during the peak summer season.

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Our first stop was at the Foothills Visitor Center, where we picked up maps, junior ranger booklets for the kids, and got some specific recommendations from the park rangers. This is pretty much the way we always start a visit in a national park even if we have a fairly good idea what we are doing.

Driving the Generals Highway

Armed with a pile of useful information, we got back in the car and started following the Generals Highway, the main park road. The plan was to make our way to the Giant Forest Museum in a reasonable amount of time and stop to look around there. We had barely started moving when I spotted an interesting sight that definitely warranted a short stop.

Tunnel Rock

There was a large flat rock that was hanging above a narrow paved road balancing on top of two other rocks. It formed a short tunnel passage underneath, which is why it was appropriately named Tunnel Rock. Our kids were quite eager to go check it out and even managed to climb on top. After about ten minutes, we were back on the road chasing new sights and adventures.

Overlook

We continued driving north on the Generals Highway, which quickly became a thrill ride, featuring a series of switchbacks and tight turns. Before anyone felt too nauseous, we reached an overlook near the road, and stopped to check out the views. From here, we could see the imposing Moro Rock in the distance rising above everything else in the vicinity. At the time, I didn’t realize this was the very rock we would be climbing in a few short hours.

Generals Highway to the Museum

As we continued making our way further along the Generals Highway, we were finally greeted by the very first sequoias. Their massive reddish trunks were easy to spot among all the other pine trees. Even though they looked much thicker, we couldn’t quite gain clear perception of how enormous the sequoias really were; not until we actually stood right next to one.

Our first close and personal rendezvous with the giant sequoias occurred after we arrived and somehow managed to find a parking spot at the Giant Forest Museum.

There were so many incredible specimen along the way that we had to make frequent stops and admire these ancient giants where permitted.

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TIP: In general, it is not a good idea to walk close to a living sequoia’s trunk. This erodes the soil near the roots making the foundation of the tree weaker. Always follow the signs in the park and don’t cross any fences that were placed to protect the sequoias.

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Sentinel Tree & Giant Forest Museum

When we finally reached the Giant Forest Museum, right in front of the entrance, we were greeted by the Sentinel. This was a tree that looked absolutely enormous, but according to the sign next to it, the Sentinel was just an average size sequoia. We spent some time contemplating this wonder of Mother Nature, and then walked into the museum. The exhibits we discovered inside provided a wealth of information about this unique enchanted Giant Forest. Without question, this was definitely one of the worthwhile things to do in Sequoia National Park.

We looked around for a bit, then headed back towards the car since we had a lot more to see. Admittedly, the impressive giant trees all around did not make keeping a good pace easy.

Taking pictures was quite a challenge, too, which naturally slowed me down even further. After all I had to figure out how to take photos that do at least some justice to these truly majestic sequoias.

Moro Rock, Crescent Meadow Road

When we finally managed to get back to driving, we decided to follow the small road to the left of the Giant Forest Museum. This was the way to Moro Rock, Crescent Meadow, and a few other attractions that were on our must-see list.

Parker Group

The first stop we made along this road was near a cluster of giant sequoias growing close together named the Parker Group. We were truly excited that we could walk near them, and enjoy their grand beauty up close.

Fallen Buttress Tree

Not too far from the Parker Group, there was a fallen sequoia, and its roots were resting right near the road. We walked over to see it, and as we got closer, we were stunned by the sheer size of those roots! They were truly unbelievable!  A sign next to the tree read:

Buttress Tree, Length 272 ft, Base Diameter 20 ft, Estimated Age 2,300 yrs.

Fell without warning June 3, 1959. The weather was clear with no wind. Sequoias lose their balance and fall when their shallow root systems are weakened by fire, erosion, or very wet soil.

Shallow or not, these roots were quite impressive, and we stopped for a while to take in this remarkable sight.

Tunnel Log

The next stop along the road was Tunnel Log, the place where visitors get to drive their cars through a tunnel carved in the trunk of a fallen sequoia. The story here was that this giant tree fell down and landed across the road back on December 4, 1937. Since it was too difficult to move out of the way, the park solved the problem by simply digging a tunnel through it’s trunk. According to the sign nearby, the size of the tunnel was 8 feet high by 17 feet wide, quite a respectable crosscut…wouldn’t you say!

As expected, Tunnel Log turned out to be a very popular attraction, and everyone who came here had to snap a photo of their car passing through the massive trunk. It is definitely one of the most touristy things to do in Sequoia National Park. We, too, joined the “parade” and captured this pivotal moment from our journey in the Giant Forest.

Lunch Before the Hike

We continued the journey towards our next stop, Tharps Log Trail. The park ranger at Foothills Visitor Center had recommended this short hike, and we planned on checking it out. It was at the very end of the road, not too far from Tunnel Log.

After we arrived in the parking area, we decided it would be best to get some lunch before hiking. We had brought some bagels and muffins from the hotel, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and some fruit. There was something for everyone.

Tharps Log Trail

When we finished our gourmet lunch, we put on our backpacks and set out on the trail to Tharps Log. It was a beautiful, easy path in a serene forest of giants. The Sequoias were interspersed throughout, and each time the kids spotted one, they excitedly and loudly announced their discovery.

For hubby and me, the experience was more introspective. Walking through this forest full of giant sequoias felt incredibly peaceful, and healing of the mind and spirit. It seemed as though I felt a very old, but warm presence from those huge trees, and staring at them was truly awe-inspiring.

Crescent Meadow

It wasn’t too long until our trail lead us near a beautiful meadow. The sign near it read:

Crescent Meadow, Gem of the Sierras – John Muir

We stopped for a minute to take in the sight of this lovely place where light green grass gave way to the darker shades of pine trees. A few scattered puffy clouds in the brilliant blue sky put the final touch in this picturesque panorama.

After a quick family photo in front of Crescent Meadow, we continued on the trail headed towards Tharps Log.

More Unbelievable Sequoias

We didn’t walk for long before we took a very short detour to a giant Sequoia that looked quite unique. It appeared that its trunk had been substantially burned by a wildfire at some point. Despite that, the tree was alive and well.

After we spent a little time inspecting this amazing Sequoia up close, we got back on the trail. Our path continued winding through the Giant Forest, and every time we walked near another Sequoia, we had to slow down, and in a way, pay our respects.

Tharp’s Log

It wasn’t too long before we reached our final goal, Tharp’s Log, which turned out to be an enormous fallen Sequoia with a hollowed trunk. A man named Hale Tharp, who was a cattleman, came to the Giant Forest and in 1861 turned this tree into a log cabin. He brought his cattle to the area, and stayed in his newly remodeled log mostly in the summer. Mr. Tharp did however build a stone fireplace on the side of the hollow trunk for cold nights. He also cut out a window, and constructed a cabin-like entrance. Mr. Tharp furnished his log suite with a few pieces of hand-made furniture including a table, a bed, and a couple of shelves.

We all had fun looking inside this unique cabin, and trying to imagine what it must have been like sleeping in a hollow giant sequoia tree. It actually looked quite cozy, especially if you had a fire crackling.

Onto Moro Rock and a Lot of Stairs

After we spent a little more time around Tharp’s Log, we started walking back. It was time to make our way to the next park attraction, Moro Rock.

We returned to our car fairly quickly, and began driving back on the same road. Moro Rock was located before Tunnel Log, and we had passed it earlier.

We drove back passing through Tunnel Log once again, except this time I was in the car, not waiting outside to snap a photo. As we drove through, I took a little video to commemorate the experience of driving through a giant Sequoia.

The Trail to the Summit

We arrived near Moro Rock, and got very lucky to find a parking spot right near the trailhead. It is a popular attraction, and there were a lot of cars lined near the sides of the road for a good distance.

We got to the start of the hike, and began climbing. All we knew was that the entire trail was mostly made up of stairs, more than 350 stairs to be exact.

We didn’t have to climb too far before we started seeing beautiful panoramas of the park. Hiking up the giant Moro Rock was quite a memorable experience as the narrow path and stairs kept weaving left and right, and taking us higher and higher.

We could see a couple of falcons soaring in the air, and by the time we reached the summit they didn’t seem all that far above our heads any more.

The top of Moro Rock truly felt like the top of the world with its breathtaking, 360-degree views of the High Sierra. We stood there in awe, leaning against metal pipe rails, trying to comprehend the vastness of this panorama. It was truly an amazing place, one that is an absolute must when visiting Sequoia National Park.

While it was hard to leave this spectacular summit, we had to start making our way back down, in order to see another very important attraction. It was the most famous point of interest in the entire park, the General Sherman, the largest tree in the world.

In Search of General Sherman

We came down Moro Rock’s 400 stairs pretty quickly, and got in the car, excited to go see the tree of trees, the most giant of all giant Sequoias. Hubby drove us back to the Generals Highway, and took it north towards the General Sherman area. Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the parking lot, quickly found a parking spot, and then made our way to the Sherman Tree Trail.

The Hike

It was a paved and fairly wide path that slowly descended through the forest. We walked for a while, and there was no General Sherman in sight. It seemed like the hike was taking a little longer than expected. According to the map at the start, the trail was 0.5 mile long, and descended 212 feet. Perhaps we were a little too eager to see that famous Sequoia, so even a half a mile felt a bit too long.

The Footprint

Finally, we arrived at a circular paved area, which showed the footprint of General Sherman in cobblestones. It was truly mind boggling how enormous the base of its trunk was! From here, we could also see the actual tree in the distance, although it was hard to comprehend exactly how massive it was.

The Tree of All Trees

We continued walking, and a few minutes later, we arrived as close to General Sherman as we could. The next thing we knew, we were standing in line, waiting to snap a photo of us with the largest tree in the world by volume.

Even though we couldn’t get right next to it because there were protective wooden fences, we could still see that the Sherman Tree was absolutely colossal! It was standing there peacefully in all of its glory, as it has been for over 2300 years! How mind-blowing is that! I couldn’t even begin to imagine the changes that have taken place in the world over such a long period of time.

As I became more and more absorbed in my thoughts, our turn to take a picture came. We walked over as close as we could and snapped a few photos with as much of General Sherman’s trunk as we could fit in the picture.

After another ten minutes of hanging around, we decided it was time to go. We were hoping the kids could get their Junior Ranger badges at the nearby Lodgepole Visitor Center before it closed.

Luckily, we didn’t have to climb back up on the same trail we walked down. There was a shuttle stop nearby, where we could get a lift back to our car.

While we waited for the shuttle to arrive, the kids found another enormous fallen tree that had a walk-through tunnel carved into its trunk. They sure had fun jumping and running back and forth through the giant sequoia!

At Lodgepole Visitor Center

After a brief wait, the shuttle arrived and took us back to the car. Once we got to the car, we decided it would be best if the kids started working on their Junior Ranger booklets. Meanwhile, hubby drove us back to the Generals Highway, and headed further north towards Lodgepole Visitor Center.

We were excited for the kids to get another Junior Ranger badge. Furthermore, we had heard that they had ice cream near the Lodgepole Visitor Center, and were all looking forward to that!

When we arrived there, we helped the kids finish their booklets, and walked inside to find a park ranger. There was a nice lady at the counter who took the kids’ booklets, and checked their answers. She asked them a couple of questions, and had them repeat the familiar Junior Ranger pledge. Then, she handed them their shiny new badges, and everyone was happy. Next, we walked into the movie theater, and watched a fascinating documentary about the black bears inhabiting the park.

After we finished all there was to do at the Lodgepole Visitor Center, we were ready to get some ice cream in the nearby food court. To our great disappointment, they had just closed down, and would not give us a single scoop! The kids took it quite hard, so we had to think of something quickly to lighten up their mood. A bag of Doritos and the promise of a yummy dinner did the trick.

Back to Tulare, CA

We got back to our car, and decided to head out of the park on the Generals Highway. It was another chance for us to see and revisit all the treasures of the Giant Forest.

On the way back, we didn’t make any more stops, but enjoyed the already familiar sights from the car.

After we exited the park, we headed back to our hotel, the Charter Inn & Suites in Tulare. Before retiring for the day, we made a short stop at Bravo Farms in town where we had delicious and quite healthy dinner.

At last, we got back to our hotel room, exhausted, but fulfilled from seeing and learning so much about these ancient giant trees. We fell asleep very quickly, ready for more inspiring California adventures!

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