The highlight of visiting the Sequoia National Park is seeing the largest tree in the world, the General Sherman tree, and then continuing on to hike the Congress Trail.
This is an easy, paved loop. It’s a 2 mile stroll through some of the world’s largest sequoia groves. The scenery is spectacular.
Come, take a walk with me.
It is amazing how sequoias can be damanaged by fire … and be healthy. This see-though Sequoia will probably live hundreds of years.
People gather at the base of this giant.
This composite image gives you a sense of scale … how large the fire scar is, and how healthy the tree is in spite of it.
I don’t know that this rock did to this tree, but the mighy sequoia is definitely keeping the rock in its place now.
I believe this is a Panther Lily, Lilium pardalinum.
Sequoia burl.
Fires seldom kill sequoias. Their wood does not burn easily due to the high tanin content … so the fires typically burn themselves out, leaving a scarred tree behind.
Sequoias have relatively shallow roots….
… but when a giant falls, you get to see how big of an area is rooted to anchor these giants.
Logging of sequoias proved to be unprofitable … because the giant trees shatter when they fall. The trees grow to massive size, but cannot be harvested effectively. The trees win!
The mighty sequoia grows from a cone about the size of a chicken egg.
This sequoia nursery is where the old parking lot was located, east of the General Sherman tree. Parking is now 1/2 mile to the west of General Sherman, and you can either hike in or ride the shuttle bus.