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In the realm of the red giants - up close and personal with the giant redwoods in Sequoia National Park
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Giant sequoia in Sequoia National ParkPhoto: boivinnicolas, Adobe Stock
In the USA, everything is simply one size bigger: from take-away coffee to the 7.5-tonne truck that many Americans affectionately refer to as a "small car". The same goes for the country's vegetation. The impressive General Sherman Tree is between 1900 and 2500 years old, has a height of over 83 m and a diameter of 11 m, making it the largest living creature in the world by volume. It stands together with its peers in the "Giant Forest", a woodland in California's Sequoia National Park.
Sequoia National Park, together with the neighbouring Kings Canyon National Park, is located in California's Sierra Nevada.
Due to the extremely different altitudes between 400 and 4000 m, the national parks have a great variety of landscapes. More than 1200 different plants have their natural habitat there; these alone account for more than 20 % of the species found in California.
The main reason to visit the parks are the inhabitants of the "Giant Forest": huge and ancient mammoth trees, all named after famous people in American history.
A visit to the Civil War General
The destination of our walk is the famous "General Sherman Tree". The red giant was named after the famous General William Tecumseh Sherman, who fought on the side of the Northern States in the American Civil War.
On the well-maintained hiking trail, which was specially built for the General Sherman Tree, we are slowly led to the actual size of the tree. Set in the mood by the giant sequoias at the entrance to the national park, we hike slowly but steadily downhill through the forest. After a few hundred metres, an information board announces that we are just at the same level as the treetop of the General Sherman Tree.
So we have to continue downhill – and slowly we approach the red giant, who knows how to hide himself quite well among his fellow species. Only on the last few metres does the gigantic tree reveal itself piece by piece. With a trunk height of 83.8 m, a diameter of up to 11.1 m and a total volume of 1486.6 cubic metres, the General Sherman Tree is the largest tree in the world.
However, it should not be forgotten that size is not synonymous with height. The tallest tree in the world grows in the Redwood National Park, beating the General Sherman Tree by 115.55 metres.
Places of interest in the Giant Forest
Besides the General Sherman Tree, there are numerous other destinations in the Giant Forest that we do not want to miss. They are connected by a well-developed network of hiking trails. We plan a little time to walk through this extraordinary forest – and it is worth it!
On our way, we not only meet the members of the US Congress, but also get close to the "President", the "Chief Sequoyah", as well as some of the trees named after former US Presidents such as "Lincoln", "Franklin", and "Washington".
We particularly enjoyed the walk around Crescent Meadow – where we even spotted a mother black bear with two cubs. If you are looking for places with good views, you should definitely not miss Moro Rock and Sunset Rock.
A relatively short hike in Sequoia National Park, leading through a wooded area to a Sequoia tree known as the "General Sherman Tree," considered ...
On this walk, we hike up to the huge rock "Moro Rock," which offers a magnificent view of one of the valleys in California's Sequoia National Park.
We especially like the fact that Sequoia National Park has adapted to the needs of all travellers. Not only does the General Sherman Tree have a barrier-free access route, but the Big Trees Trail can also be mastered by people with reduced mobility and families with prams.
Ambitious hikers, on the other hand, will find longer and more challenging trails away from the centre, where they can really immerse themselves in the national park.
And so we stand on Sunset Rock at the end of the day, enjoying the last warm rays of sunshine and looking forward to the adventures we will have in the next few days.
Easy loop trail that runs through a forest of giant trees in Sequoia National Park.
A relatively easy, short, flat trail leading to a panoramic view of one of the valleys of Sequoia National Park
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On this walk, we hike up to the huge rock "Moro Rock," which offers a magnificent view of one of the valleys in California's Sequoia National Park.
Two groups of giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park
Crescent Meadow is located at Giant Forest, an area at Sequoia National Park. Impressive sequoia ...
Moro Rock is a prominent granite outcrop in Sequoia National Park from whose summit you can enjoy a ...
From Sunset Rock, you have a beautiful view over the Sequoia National Park. As the name suggests, a ...
Easy loop trail that runs through a forest of giant trees in Sequoia National Park.
A relatively easy, short, flat trail leading to a panoramic view of one of the valleys of Sequoia National Park
The General Sherman Tree is the largest giant sequoia in the world. It is located in the "Giant ...
A relatively short hike in Sequoia National Park, leading through a wooded area to a Sequoia tree known as the "General Sherman Tree," considered ...
- 9 Related content
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