The West abounds in superlatives and along with the Grand Canyon, Sequoia National Park is a great example. The giant Sequoia is the Earth’s largest living tree. Even Join Muir called it the Big Tree. It’s nearly conical trunk which remains thick high into the branches is why. At least one species of tree lives longer, one has greater diameter, three grow taller, but none is larger. For example, the General Sherman Tree is 275 feet tall and is estimated to be 2,200 years old; every year it grows enough new wood to produce a 60 foot tall tree of usual size.

Sequoia trees are only found naturally on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada between about 5,000 to 7,000 feet. There are 75 groves in all. In the 1880s loggers were prepared to harvest the Sequoia for wood needed to build housing for the rapidly developing Western communities, but local people urged Congress to protect the trees and in 1890 Sequoia National Park became the second national park. It rapidly grew with additional tracts added and is now combined with Kings Canyon National Park.

Seeing the park is a bit of a challenge, as the roads through the park to the various sites is one of the most convoluted and squiggly we’ve ever traveled. See our route below. The road with the most curves and switchback is the one we took. Fortunately it was slow going enough that we could really enjoy the the peace and other-worldliness of the park.