Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks guide · 2 min read
Giant Sequoias: General Sherman and General Grant
The General Sherman Tree is the world's largest tree by volume, and it grows in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park.
At 275 feet, it stands nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty, and it has been growing for somewhere between 2,300 and 2,700 years. Because it is the largest living sequoia in its grove, it pulls in a crowd, so expect to share the view.
The General Grant Tree is the other famous sequoia of the two parks, and it grows in the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park. Drivers heading south from Grant Grove take the Generals Highway, a road with scenic views that links the two parks. The national forest land beside that road falls under a different agency, and the rules there can differ from those in the parks.
Giant Forest sits on a rolling plateau between the Marble and Middle Forks of the Kaweah River. It is the biggest of the unlogged giant sequoia groves, and no other grove holds more exceptionally large sequoias. A good first stop is the Giant Forest Museum, and from there visitors can go on foot, by shuttle bus, or by car.
The grove also shows how fire shapes the forest. Decades of prescribed burning have left the forest open in places and produced clusters of young sequoia seedlings that come up after fires. Old structures from the years when cattle grazed here add a layer of cultural history to the walk.
Hiking among the trees is the most direct way to get close to these giants. The General Sherman Trail is a brief route winding among the trunks. For a longer outing, the Congress Loop is a 2-mile circuit that goes deeper into the grove. Crescent Meadow, a highlight of Sequoia National Park, rounds out the list of places worth a visit.
