Packsaddle Grove is a medium-sized
sequoia grove
This is a list of giant sequoia grove (nature), 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 ...
on
Giant Sequoia National Monument
The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the southern Sierra Nevada in eastern central California. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Sequoia National Forest and includes 38 of the 3 ...
located in the South Creek of the Kern River watershed. It is a fairly wet grove as it straddles Packsaddle Creek and its tributaries.
This compact grove offers a rare look at a truly
old growth forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological feature ...
where
California condor
The California condor (''Gymnogyps californianus'') is a New World vulture and the largest North American land bird. It became extinct in the wild in 1987 when all remaining wild individuals were captured, but has since been reintroduced to nort ...
s have lived, and may once again do.
The main access to this grove is via dirt roads and cross-country hiking. The terrain is steep, so it's a difficult hike. You can only visit this grove in the summer when the roads are open. The main option for seeing the grove itself is to hike cross-country through it.
This grove was heavily impacted by the
Windy Fire in 2021, with over a third of the grove burning at high severity.
Noteworthy trees
* Packsaddle Giant, which was killed in the Windy Fire. It had a volume of approx. and the fourth-largest ground perimeter of any sequoia at , making it the largest giant sequoia south of
Stagg.
* Candelabra Tree, with a volume of , It has many large limbs that lead to a great crown of foliage.
* Ghost Tree (sometimes referred to as General Lee Tree, of which however exist several in different groves), a once much larger tree with a heavily broken top, but growing a new top shoot (leader). This tree has a volume of . It was heavily damaged in the Windy Fire.
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
{{Reflist
* http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/recreation/giant_sequoia_groves.html#packsaddle
Giant sequoia groves
Protected areas of Tulare County, California
Sequoia National Forest