That's a Big Tree

08 Feb 2025

It was quite the trek down around the Sierra Mountains and then up the windy road up the mountain to get to the Sierra Foothills. At first, it was all desert, salt mines, and RV parks. But eventually we found signs of life. That life was all oranges and grapes, but it was life nonetheless!

Welcome to Sequoia National Park!

We arrived with just a few minutes until the park closed and light failed us, so we popped into the visitor center and the rangers there were very helpful, recommending a quick hike to help stretch our legs after a long day's travel. It culminated in a swinging bridge!

We had a big day planned for Sequoia National Park so we got an early start. First, we stopped by the Tunnel Rock, and then we were heading up to the Giant Forest.

On our way up the mountain, we spotted a black bear with a cub!

Then, we had a herd of deer cross the road.

The fog started rolling in.

And the deer didn't stop rolling in!

Our way up the mountain continued without incident, though some of the turns got really foggy.

The forecast Sara read expected 20 inches of snow or more up in the forest, but we found out at the visitor center that none of it materialized, just a decent amount of rain. Because of that, all the springs were flowing strongly.

After about an hour of driving up the mountain, we reached over 6000 feet elevation, perfect Giant Sequoia climate. And they were everywhere. And big. Like, really big. Our catch phrase for the day was "That's a big tree". We made it a point to call out every one we saw.

We visited General Sherman and then went on the Congress Trail Loop hike to visit the rest of the elected Sequoias

There were also some medium-sized sugar pines, standing at a mere 100 feet tall compared to the 300 feet or more of the giant sequoias. Sara was overawed by the massive pinecones of the sugar pines.

We completed Congress Trail with a few more giants to add to the collection.

As we neared the end of the trail, we spied a raven flying away. Little did we know, that raven was an omen.

We headed down to the Giant's Forest Museum and saw the Sentinel Giant Sequoia before starting the trail to Moro Rock.

Moro Rock Trail continued with the beautiful weather at first, but soon, some clouds rolled in, creating a beautiful vista.

Unfortunately, the fog became utterly impenetrable near the cliff edge, so we abandoned Moro Rock and went inland toward the Tunnel Log and Parker Group.

By the time we made it back to the car and started heading down the mountain, this was our view over the mountain-side.

There was a break in the fog just long enough for us to find some more deer though!

Having walked 7 miles that day, we decided we'd earned something more than a snack. Pupusas and craft brews did us well. It was especially nice to appreciate them with a lovely view of the river.

In the morning we headed northward to Kings Canyon. The path we took was rather rustic, leading us past hundreds of ranches on the windy mountain roads. There were only 4 for sale that Sara looked up. Unfortunately for her, they're well outside of our price range.

At King's Canyon we visited General Grant first.

Oops, Cory forgot to tell Sara they were taking a selfie. There we go!

From there, since the Canyon road was closed, we headed to Lake Hume for a picnic and got as much of the Canyon overlooks as we could in the winter.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park was a huge departure from the stark beauty of Death Valley and the sparse vegetation we were used to from Palo Duro, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Red Rock Canyon, and Death Valley. It was vibrant and lush, even in the dead of winter. But one thing will stick with us more than anything else about these parks: Those were some big trees.