Sequoia National Park: The must-see sights
If you are going to visit Sequoia National Park, make sure to add these sites to your itinerary. The giant sequoias in the park take on unreal proportions and will leave you in awe. This National Park is directly adjacent to Kings Canyon National Park, so these parks make sense to visit together. On this trip, I spent one full day in Sequoia National Park and saw so many amazing sites. These are my recommendations for sites you should not miss.
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Grant Grove
Grant Grove is actually located within the boundary of Kings Canyon National Park, but it makes sense to include in your visit to Sequoia National Park so you can see the many impressive sequoias on the same day. This grove is located one mile away from the Kings Canyon Visitor Center. Grant Grove was initially established as General Grant National Park in 1890. In 1940, this grove became part of the newly established Kings Canyon National Park. If you visit Grant Grove, you can easily see the main highlights of the grove on an easy 1/3-mile paved trail known as the General Grant Tree Trail.
This trail passes the world-famous General Grant Tree, which is the second largest tree in the world. It is so impressively large that President Coolidge made it the national Christmas tree in 1926. Photographs really cannot capture the immensity of this tree, so you really should see it for yourself. The General Grant Tree Trail also loops by Fallen Monarch and the historic Gamlin Cabin. Fallen Monarch is also well worth checking out. This fallen tree was hollowed out by fire so you can walk through this trunk of the tree. The accessible interior of the tree has enabled people to utilize it for multiple purposes. It has been used as a shelter, hotel/tavern, and even as a US cavalry stable. Today, visitors can walk through the tunnel like interior of the tree.
Even the sequoias surrounding the Grant Grove parking lot are incredible 
Standing at one of the entrances into the Fallen Monarch Tree 
Inside the tunnel like interior of Fallen Monarch 
The historic Gamlin Cabin which was built by early timber cutters and eventually became the quarters of the first park ranger stationed in General Grant National Park 
Gazing up at the massive General Grant Tree
Mark Twain Tree Stump
The Mark Twain Tree Stump is also technically located in Kings Canyon National Park, but I also think it makes sense to tour this area on a visit to Sequioa National Park. The Mark Twain Tree has a bit of a sordid history. After the creation of Sequoia National Park and General Grant National Park, people living on the East Coast did not believe the rumors of trees 300 feet tall and over 1,000 years old existing on the West Coast. In order to dispel these doubts, the army chopped down the Mark Twain Tree in order to send cross sections to the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Natural History Museum in London. This 1,300+ year old tree was cut down simply to appease skeptics that could not fathom such large trees existing.
Despite the atrocity of felling such a magnificent tree, the loss of the Mark Twain Tree may have been for the best interests of the National Park. Spectators seeing the immense cross sections of the Mark Twain Tree became a catalyst for further protections of the giant sequoias in California. To visit the Mark Twain Stump, you will hike the Big Stump Trail in Kings Canyon National Park. This two-mile hike leads you past the Mark Twain Stump as well as several other immense stumps that highlight the logging that took place of these majestic sequoias prior to federal protections. There is a small staircase that you can climb to stand atop the Mark Twain Stump. Standing atop the stump really highlights how massive this 16-foot diameter tree must have been.
Standing in front of one of the other trees that was logged prior to the area being protected by the National Park Service
My dad and I atop the Mark Twain Tree Stump
Looking across the expanse of the Mark Twain Tree Stump
General Sherman Tree
The General Sherman Tree is the largest tree by volume in the entire world. The tree contains enough lumber that you could construct 120 average-sized houses. With that potential for lumber, it is amazing that we had predecessors with enough foresight to halt lumber operations in these forests and preserve them for the enjoyment of future generations. “The trunk of General Sherman alone weighs nearly 1,400 tons. That is roughly equivalent to 15 adult blue whales, 10 diesel-electric train locomotives, or 25 military battle tanks! In just one year, an average mature giant sequoia tree adds enough wood to make a sixty-foot tall, three-foot diameter oak tree!” (National Park Service). The tree stands 275 feet tall, which is nearly twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty.
These trees are so marvelous. I am so glad that past conservationists and presidents realized how special they are and protected them from further logging operations. From the main parking lot, the General Sherman Tree is half-mile downhill hike on a well-maintained trail. This trail takes you into Giant Forest Sequioa Grove where there are many interpretive signs along the way that explain the history and significance of the giant sequoias.
Sentinel Tree
As you travel through Sequioa National Park, you shoud stop at the Giant Forest Museum to learn more about giant sequioas. The Sentinel Tree is located just outside of this museum. Sentinel Tree is the 43rd largest giant sequioa in the world and is believed to be approximately 2,000 years old. This tree has a 25-foot base diameter and stands 257 feet tall. Since it is located right outside of the museum, there is no hiking required to see this majestic sequoia. Given the easy access to this tree, it is often used for National Park Service interpretive talks and is one of the most photographed trees in Sequioa National Park.
Moro Rock Viewpoint
After visiting Sentinel Tree, I recommend hiking out to the Moro Rock Viewpoint. This viewpoint provides some amazing 360 views of the surrounding area. The hike consists of 350 steps to reach to overlook. Do remember that you are at altitude and that the stairs are quite narrow in spots. Take your time as you climb and descent. You will also likely have to wait in certain areas where the stairs are too narrow to let people traverse in both directions. The views of the San Joaquin Valley to your west and Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks makes this viewpoint well worth the climb. You can read more about this viewpoint as well as other granite dome overlooks on the National Park Service website here.
Views from the trail leading to the Moro Rock Viewpoint
Standing atop the Moro Rock Viewpoint
Tunnel Log
Tunnel log does not take long to visit, but it is worth checking out. After the Moro Rock/Crescent Meadow Road was completed in Sequoia National Park, one of the giant sequoias fell across the road. Since the tree was too large to move, a tunnel was carved through that permits vehicles to drive through the tree. This is a really neat feature, and it is awesome that the workers who cut the tunnel had the foresight to make a really cool landscape feature instead of just removing that entire section of the tree.
Auto Log
This site is in close proximity to Moro Rock and Tunnel Log, so you can see all of these park highlights within minutes of each other. Auto log is a fallen sequoia that fell in 1917. The tree fell in such a way that people used to be able to drive vehicles onto the tree trunk to take photographs. The tree has too much rot nowadays to permit vehicle traffic, but you can still walk out onto Auto Log and imagine what it would be like to have driven a vintage car out onto the trunk. You can also run a quick internet search and find some neat vintage photographs of old cars up on Auto Log.
If you go to Sequoia National Park:
If you visit Sequioa National Park, I recommend vising here on the same trip as a visit to Kings Canyon National Park. I would recommend visiting Kings Canyon National Park first and staying within the boundaries of the park. Once you finish your visit and stay at Kings Canyon, you leave Kings Canyon earlier in the morning and head directly to Sequoia National Park. This will give you a full day to visit the best sites in Sequoia National Park. If you follow these suggestions, you can stay within Kings Canyon at the Cedar Grove Lodge.
I definitely recommend staying here. It is central to many of the Kings Canyon highlights and just an hour to an hour and a half away from Grant Grove in Sequioa National Park. The lodge also has a convenience store, restaurant, and lounge chairs overlooking the South Fork Kings River so you can relax after a day of hiking. The property is also very dark at night, making for great opportunities to practice some night photography. You can check on rates and room availability for Cedar Grove Lodge here. You can also read more about my stay at this lodge here.
