General Sherman Tree - Sequoia National Park

Our March 2018 visit to Sequoia National Park continued with a visit to the General Sherman tree in the Giant Forest. At 275 feet high and 103 feet in circumference at the base, is neither the tallest nor the widest sequoia tree. However, the combination makes it the most massive tree in the world by trunk volume at over 52,000 cubic feet. Its maximum diameter at the base is over 36 feet. The first large branch is 130 feet in the air and the largest branch has a diameter of 6.8 feet.

During the summer, visitors to the General Sherman tree are directed off of Generals Highway onto Wolverton Road and then into a paved parking area with spaces for approximately 200 passenger vehicles, six handicap placarded vehicles, and ten RVs. From the parking area, a steep ½-mile paved trail leads to the tree. During the winter, the trail has been deemed unsafe as the 7% grade is often icy and slick. Instead, visitors are allowed to park in the handicap parking area beside Generals Highway. Designated parking is available for about a dozen passenger vehicles, but unofficial parallel parking increases that to about twenty vehicles. A loop trail provides access to the tree in about 750 feet if you walk the loop in a clockwise direction.

The handicap or winter parking area is at MP 18.6 on the Generals Highway. The Wolverton Road intersection is at MP 19.2. The access road to the parking area is on the right 0.6 miles up Wolverton Road. The access road is 0.5 miles to the first parking area, but the farthest from the trailhead.

Due to the amount of snow and ice on the trails, we wore our traction cleats over our hiking boots and used our walking sticks. We had no issues with the packed snow and ice. Even the fresh snow didn't pose a problem.

Twin trees across the highway from the handicap parking area

Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) at the trailhead

Trailhead

Sequoia tunnel

A fire damaged sequoia along the trail

Top of the fire damaged tree

An opening in the forest provides a view of the entire General Sherman tree

The upper 2/3 of the General Sherman tree

General Sherman tree from its base

Sequoias seem to stand guard as icicles hang off the vault toilets at the trailhead

Entrance to Sequoia and/or Kings Canyon National Parks requires an entry fee of $30 per passenger vehicle for a 7-day pass. Any of the America the Beautiful passes may be used instead.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/seki.