The park's highlight is the General Sherman Tree - the world's largest living tree. It holds the title based on total size, measuring 52500 cubic feet (1487 cubic meters) and 1385 tons (1256 metric tons)! At its base, General Sherman has a diameter of 36.5 feet (11 metres) and a circumference of 103 feet (31 metres). This tree is 275 feet tall. | We entered Sequoia National Park quite early. Getting to and through the park requires negotiating many sharp curves, several of which have posted speed limits of just 10 miles per hour. This park is all about big trees and it did not disappoint. |
The General Grant Tree is the third largest tree by volume. It does have Sherman beat in one category; at 40 feet in diameter, it has the largest base of any known tree. It would take 20 people holding hands to encircle this massive tree. In 1926, President Coolidge declared it the Nation's Christmas Tree. Then, in 1956, President Eisenhower pronounced General Grant to be a living National Shrine to all those who have sacrificed their lives for America. After exploring the twin national parks, we drove back to Fresno for the night. Today's tour was 236 kilometres. | Sequoia National Park is connected to Kings Canyon National Park which was obviously our next destination. Again, the park's focus is on big trees. We decided to do the short "Big Stump" hiking trail. This name is telling as it is basically a tour of an old logging camp and mill founded in 1883. There are many big stumps left to tell their tale, but the most impressive is the Mark Twain Stump. This tree, with a base of 91 feet around, was selected to be logged for fame. It required 13 days of sawing and chopping to take the giant down. The American Museum of Natural History in New York wanted a cross-section of a giant sequoia for its display. Another slab was sent to the British Museum in London. The Mark Twain helped educate and promote the giant sequoias and encourage people to want to protect them. |