Muir Grove is a
giant sequoia
''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus ''Sequoiade ...
grove in
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and today protects of forested mountainous terrain. Encompassing a vertical relief ...
of the
Tulare County
Tulare County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 473,117. The county seat is Visalia. The county is named for Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes. ...
, which covers about . The grove, located in the northwest corner of the park, is accessed by the Muir Grove Trail which begins from the Dorst Creek Campground. Because of its relatively remote location in the park, it is significantly less visited than the more popular groves of large sequoia trees in the park. The isolated atmosphere helps keep Muir Grove untouched and preserved.
History and Origin
Muir Grove was named after the Scottish-American naturalist and author
John Muir
John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist ...
. His advocacy for the preservation of wilderness in the United States made him well known among environmentalists and politicians. His writing about nature and conservation efforts helped sway many public and political opinions. His attempts lead to the creation of Sequoia and
General Grant National Parks.
Vegetation
Muir Grove has a total of 629 coniferous trees that scatter the terrain. The giant sequoia reproduction is relatively slim compared to other groves in the California National Parks. The high relative density of mature trees compensates for the lack of young trees. There is an increased reduction of trees between one and five feet in diameter compared to other mature groves.
''
Abies concolor
''Abies concolor'', the white fir, is a coniferous tree in the pine family Pinaceae. This tree is native to the mountains of western North America, including the Cascade Range and southern Rocky Mountains, and into the isolated mountain ranges ...
'' dominates the grove, with 523 trees (83% of the total). The next most important species in the moderate-elevation grove is ''
Pinus lambertiana
''Pinus lambertiana'' (commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine) is the tallest and most massive pine tree, and has the longest cones of any conifer. The species name ''lambertiana'' was given by the Scottish botanist David Douglas, ...
'', with 71 trees (11% of the total). There are 33 specimens of the well-known ''
Sequoiadendron giganteum
''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus '' Sequoiad ...
'' (5% of the total). There also are ''
Libocedrus decurrens'' (0.3% of the total), which grow on dry or rocky surfaces.
There are 56 different species present in the ground-covered vegetation. It's relatively moist, creating
mesic conditions. There is only 16% land without vegetation in Muir Grove. Ground cover includes ''
Chrysolepis sempervirens
''Chrysolepis'' is a small genus of plants in the family Fagaceae, endemic to the western United States. Its two species have the common name chinquapin. The genus occurs from western Washington south to the Transverse Ranges in Southern Califo ...
'' (covering 2.7% of the ground area), ''
Corylus cornuta
''Corylus cornuta'', the beaked hazelnut (or just ''beaked hazel''), is a deciduous shrubby hazel with two subspecies found throughout most of North America.
Description
The beaked hazelnut can reach tall with stems thick with smooth gray b ...
'' var. ''californica'' (2.4% of ground area), and ''
Cornus nuttallii
''Cornus nuttallii'', the Pacific dogwood, western dogwood, or mountain dogwood, is a species of dogwood tree native to western North America.
Description
It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree, reaching tall, often with a canopy spre ...
'' (0.2% of ground area).
Muir Grove Trail
Muir Grove Trail is about a 4.2 mi hike, climbing 530 feet. Beginning from the Dorst Creek Campground, hikers can travel west for 1.9 miles, which leads to the edge of the old-growth sequoia grove. Few travelers take the time to walk this trail to witness the mammoth sequoias. Along the trail itself, there are almost no sequoias, but it has Sierra woodland scenery which people admire. There are two creeks, pinewoods, and other large trees that encompass the scenery. As hikers finally reach Muir Grove, the trail stops and the grove becomes a shallow saddle around the outskirts. There are abundant sequoias that scatter the grove making it an isolated domain.
See also
*
List of giant sequoia groves
This is a list of giant sequoia groves. All naturally occurring giant sequoia groves are located in the moist, unglaciated ridges and valleys of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range in California, United States. They can be found at el ...
References
{{Registered Historic Places
Giant sequoia groves
Sequoia National Park
Sequoiadendron
''Sequoiadendron'' is a genus of evergreen trees, with two species, only one of which survives to the present:
* ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'', extant, commonly known as wellingtonia, giant redwood and giant sequoia, growing naturally in the Sierr ...
Sequoiadendron
''Sequoiadendron'' is a genus of evergreen trees, with two species, only one of which survives to the present:
* ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'', extant, commonly known as wellingtonia, giant redwood and giant sequoia, growing naturally in the Sierr ...
Protected areas of Tulare County, California