The Giant Forest, famed for its

giant sequoia ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the la ...

trees, is within the United States'

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and toda ...

. This

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

, situated at over

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

in the western

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, covers an area of . The Giant Forest is the most accessible of all

giant sequoia groves In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of humanoid appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 from ...

, as it has over of

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

s. Five of the ten most massive trees on Earth are located within the Giant Forest. The largest of these, the

General Sherman Tree The General Sherman Tree is a giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') tree in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, California. By volume, it is the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth. History The Gener ...

, measures across the base. The giant sequoia is the world's most massive species of tree and is one of the six species documented to grow to in height; the others are

coast redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995: 606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coast ...

, yellow meranti, ''

Eucalyptus regnans ''Eucalyptus regnans'', known variously as mountain ash (in Victoria), giant ash or swamp gum (in Tasmania), or stringy gum, is a species of very tall forest tree that is native to the Australia states of Tasmania and Victoria. It is a straigh ...

'',

Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...

, and

Sitka spruce ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to just over tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth- ...

. It is also among the longest-lived of all trees in the world.

The area

Giant Forest is close to Crystal Cave, Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow. The western trailhead of the

High Sierra Trail The High Sierra Trail (HST) is a hiking trail in Sequoia National Park, California. The trail crosses the Sierra Nevada from west to east. According to the Yosemite Decimal System, the HST is a Class 1/Class 2 trail, which means simple scrambl ...

which crosses the Sierra Nevada to

Mount Whitney Mount Whitney (Paiute: ''Too-man-i-goo-yah'' or ''Too-man-go-yah'') is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, and the highest point in the contiguous United States, with an elevation of . It lies in East–Central Califor ...

is at the Crescent Meadow parking area. Ponderosa, Jeffrey,

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

, and Lodgepole

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

trees are common here, as well as

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and

red fir ''Abies magnifica'', the red fir or silvertip fir, is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high-elevation tree, typically occurring at elevation, though only rarel ...

. Visitors often see

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

Douglas squirrel The Douglas squirrel (''Tamiasciurus douglasii'') is a pine squirrel found in western North America, from the Pacific Northwest (including the northwestern coastal states of the United States as well as the southwestern coast of British Columb ...

, and

American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is Endemism, endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with ...

. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

warns visitors not to leave any food in unattended vehicles because bears may break in to steal food. Giant Forest is unique among sequoia groves in that it contains large water-storing fen meadows such as Round Meadow, Crescent Meadow and Circle Meadow.

Giant Forest Village

The

trees are first encountered on the approach from the south at Giant Forest Village—a small cluster of buildings that is dwarfed by the surrounding trees. Some of the sequoias have become unstable due to root damage caused by building development and hence visitor services in this area have been reduced, including transfer of lodging to Wuksachi Village, north. The sequoia forest extends mainly east of the village, and is accessed by a side road plus many interconnecting foot trails. These range from in length, leading to various named individual trees and clusters of particular importance. The area is generally quite sheltered and receives high rainfall, which is one reason why the sequoia attain such size, but these conditions are also ideal for mosquitoes, which are abundant in the forests most of the year. These provide the only real hazard—the paths are generally quite level and well shaded from the sun.

History

Once the home of nearly 300 buildings, the region now has four, with no commercial activity. It is a designated "day use" area. The Giant Forest Lodge Historic District was designated in 1978, encompassing the main area of development in the Giant Forest grove. The development was demolished between 1995 and 2000, with day use features moving to the nearby Giant Forest Village–Camp Kaweah Historic District, which was itself extensively altered, and overnight visitor services moving to Wuksachi Village. The area within the grove was restored to nearly natural conditions, allowing the use of fire for forest management and the germination of new sequoia seedlings.

Access

The forest can be reached from

Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

by State Route 180 or from Visalia by State Route 198. The Generals' Highway connects Giant Forest to

Kings Canyon National Park Kings Canyon National Park is a national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and ren ...

and the

General Grant Grove General Grant Grove, a section of the greater Kings Canyon National Park, was established by the U.S. Congress in 1890 and is located in Fresno County, California. The primary attraction of General Grant Grove is the giant sequoia trees that ...

, home to the General Grant tree among other giant sequoias.

Noteworthy trees

Some of the trees found in the grove that are worthy of special note are: *

General Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

: In 1931 this tree was established to be the largest living thing in the world and, therefore, also the largest tree in the world. It has a volume of . The top of the Sherman is a dead limb that at one time served as a leader branch. Its largest limb is around in diameter. The second-largest tree in the world, the General Grant, is located about 27 miles away in Kings Canyon National Park. * The President: Recent measurements by arborists who climbed up into the crown of the tree and rappelled down through the limbs have discovered that The President tree is actually bigger than the General Grant tree and is even beginning to rival the General Sherman Tree as the world's largest. * ''Congress group'': a grove (), located between the

and the Giant Forest Museum, and further divided into ''The House'' and ''The Senate''. The Congress Grove is near The President tree. It was in 1922, that Colonel John R. White, the superintendent of Sequoia National Park, named the Senate trees to honor the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. On the Congress Trail, an easy hike of stroll takes you to The Senate. A short additional distance will add other prominent sequoias. * Chief Sequoyah: Just uphill from the President tree is the massive and very impressive Chief Sequoyah. This tree is one of the most strikingly rugged trees in the forest. *

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

: This is the fourth-largest tree at . *

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

: Although it is the eighth-largest tree in the world, this tree has been largely ignored, perhaps because it is in such a massive grove with many other large specimens. This tree has a huge fire scar on one side and a very large diameter. *

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

: The tenth-largest tree in the world. * General Pershing: The lower trunk is massive and the top is a tapering dead snag. * Column Tree: About from the General Pershing is another large sequoia. Its lack of taper makes it the fourteenth-largest giant sequoia. * Adams Tree: From about up, the trunk is very irregular with many limb buttresses and much foliage. The top is a maze of limbs. * Cleveland Tree: One of the 40 largest giant sequoias. * Hamilton: A large tree with a volume of . * Near Ed by Ned: Another tree with an impressive lower trunk, it was measured in 1997 at a volume of . The tree is located north of Ed by Ned, hence the name. * Ed by Ned: A pair of intertwined giant sequoia trees located at the southern end of Round Meadow; also known as the "Uncle Ned Tree". * Hazelwood Tree: A large tree that, although reduced by half due to lightning damage sustained in 2002, is still alive. * Washington tree: Once the second-largest tree in the world, a fire in 2003 and snowstorm in 2005 cost it most of its trunk and size, and it is no longer exceptional. * Unnamed Tree: A nameless but unusually tall tree, measured from two different angles to be tall. With a diameter of at breast height and a volume probably around , it is the largest-known sequoia to exceed .

Gallery

File:United States - California - Sequoia National Park - 09.jpg, The Giant Forest Museum with the Sentinel Tree (far left) File:Sequoia N.P. - velký strom a mýtina - panoramio.jpg, Round Meadow with Ed by Ned (far left) File:17 23 399 tunnel.jpg, Tunnel Log File:Tharp's log.jpg, Tharp's Log File:Large Sequoia Trees in Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park - June 2022.jpg, Sequoias trees located in Giant Forest File:Clara Barton Tree, Sequoia National Park - June 2022 01.jpg, Clara Barton Tree File:Sentinel Tree, Sequoia National Park - June 2022.jpg, Sentinel Tree File:McKinley Tree (distance), Sequoia National Park (July 2023).jpg, McKinley Tree File:Room Tree (distance), Sequoia National Park (July 2023).jpg, Room Tree File:Gothic Arch aka Alta Twin Sequoia Trees (distance) in Sequoia National Park (July 2023).jpg, Gothic Arch/Alta 2 Tree (right) & Near Gothic Arch/Alta 1 Tree (left) File:Gothic Arch Tree (base) in Sequoia National Park - July 2023.jpg, Gothic Arch/Alta 2 Tree (base) File:President Tree, Sequoia National Park (July 2023).jpg, The President Tree File:Chief Sequoyah Tree, Sequoia National Park (distance) July 2023.jpg, Chief Sequoyah Tree (distance) File:Chief Sequoyah Tree, Sequoia National Park (July 2023).jpg, Chief Sequoyah Tree (base) File:TheHouseGroupGiantForest.JPG, The House Group File:Lincoln Tree in Sequoia National Park (distance) July 2023.jpg, Lincoln Tree (distance) File:Lincoln Tree (base) in Sequoia National Park - July 2023.jpg, Lincoln Tree (base) File:Franklin Sequoia Tree in Sequoia National Park (distance) July 2023.jpg, Franklin Tree File:Washington Sequoia Tree in Sequoia National Park (close up) July 2023.jpg, Washington Tree

References

External links

National Park Service: Giant Forest Restoration Overview

More on the Congress Trail

On The Senate

On the Congress Trail

* ttp://www.nrtdatabase.org/trailDetail.php?recordID=92 The Congress Trail {{Sequoia National Park, state=collapsed Giant sequoia groves Sequoia National Park

Sequoiadendron ''Sequoiadendron'' is a genus of evergreen trees, with three species, only one of which survives to the present: * ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'', extant species, extant, commonly known as wellingtonia, giant redwood and giant sequoia, growing nat ...