Trail of the Sequoias

Overview

Aside from the Big Trees, the most striking features in Giant Forest are the meadows. In various locations, a natural barrier near a relatively flat bit of land causes a stream or several streams to  meander sluggishly, creating a marsh that is too soft and unstable to support tree growth. This creates large, open spaces with to the high concentration of moisture that support a rich mixture of plant life, including a bewildering array of flowers. With a rich mixture of plant life comes a rich mixture of wildlife, and these combinations create some of the most beautiful, lush, and serene places in the Giant Forest area. Crescent Meadow at dusk The land surrounding the meadows is often prime sequoia habitat, which means that Giant Forest’s meadows are ringed by towering trees. Occasionally, sequoia trees will extend too far into the soft, wet ground, causing the sequoia to destabilize and eventually topple into the meadow. There are often sequoia logs, which decay exceptionally slowly, criss-crossing the meadows, allowing hikers to walk along the logs into the very heart of the meadow. It should be noted that walking directly on the meadow is forbidden for humans, although it is quite common to see bears and marmots nosing around in the rich growth for tasty tidbits. Along the Trail of the Sequoias The Trail of the Sequoias as presented here visits four of the major meadows in Giant Forest: Crescent, Log, Circle, and Huckleberry Meadows. Each meadow follows the pattern outlined above while maintaining both a specific individual character and a universally stunning beauty. In addition to visiting these meadows, the Trail of the Sequoias visits some of the less-traveled portions of Giant Forest far from the crowds that congregate around the Sherman Tree. Giant Forest This trip begins at the Crescent Meadow parking lot and trailhead, which is also the trailhead for the High Sierra Trail. After parking and ensuring that you haven’t left any scented items in your car to tempt the numerous bears that frequent the area,

Trail Stats

Photos

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Trail photo

No caption provided.

Tags