The Senate (Sequoia grove)
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The Giant Forest, famed for its giant sequoia trees, is within the United States' Sequoia National Park. This montane forest, situated at over above mean sea level in the western
Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
of California, covers an area of . The Giant Forest is the most accessible of all giant sequoia groves, as it has over of hiking trails. Five of the ten most massive trees on Earth are located within the Giant Forest. The largest of these, named General Sherman, measures across the base. The giant sequoia is the world's most massive species of tree and is one of the six species documented to grow to in height; the others are coast redwood, yellow meranti, '' Eucalyptus regnans'',
Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...
, and
Sitka spruce ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-larg ...
. It is also among the longest-lived of all trees in the world.


The area

Giant Forest is close to Crystal Cave, Moro Rock and
Crescent Meadow 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 western trailhead of the
High Sierra Trail The High Sierra Trail (HST) is a hiking trail in Sequoia National Park, California. The trail crosses the Sierra Nevada from west to east. According to the Yosemite Decimal System, the HST is a Class 1/Class 2 trail, which means simple scrambl ...
which crosses the Sierra Nevada to
Mount Whitney Mount Whitney (Paiute: Tumanguya; ''Too-man-i-goo-yah'') is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of . It is in East–Central California, on the boundary between California's Inyo and Tu ...
is at the Crescent Meadow parking area. Ponderosa, Jeffrey,
Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
, and Lodgepole pine trees are common here, as well as white and red fir. Visitors often see mule deer, Douglas squirrel, and
American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), also called simply a black bear or sometimes a baribal, is a medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. American black bear ...
. The National Park Service warns visitors not to leave any food in unattended vehicles because bears may break in to steal food. Giant Forest is unique among sequoia groves in that it contains large water-storing fen meadows such as Round Meadow, Crescent Meadow and Circle Meadow.


Giant Forest Village

The giant sequoia trees are first encountered on the approach from the south at Giant Forest Village—a small cluster of buildings that is dwarfed by the surrounding trees. Some of the sequoias have become unstable due to root damage caused by building development and hence visitor services in this area have been reduced, including transfer of lodging to Wuksachi Village, north. The sequoia forest extends mainly east of the village, and is accessed by a side road plus many interconnecting foot trails. These range from in length, leading to various named individual trees and clusters of particular importance. The area is generally quite sheltered and receives high rainfall, which is one reason why the sequoia attain such size, but these conditions are also ideal for mosquitoes, which are abundant in the forests most of the year. These provide the only real hazard—the paths are generally quite level and well shaded from the sun.


History

Once the home of nearly 300 buildings, the region now has four, with no commercial activity. It is a designated "day use" area. The Giant Forest Lodge Historic District was designated in 1978, encompassing the main area of development in the Giant Forest grove. The development was demolished between 1995 and 2000, with day use features moving to the nearby
Giant Forest Village–Camp Kaweah Historic District The Giant Forest Village–Camp Kaweah Historic District is located in Sequoia National Park. It is notable as one of two registered historic districts in the park that were largely demolished as part of National Park Service efforts to mitiga ...
, which was itself extensively altered, and overnight visitor services moving to Wuksachi Village. The area within the grove was restored to nearly natural conditions, allowing the use of fire for forest management and the germination of new sequoia seedlings.


Access

The forest can be reached from Fresno by
State Route 180 The following highways are numbered 180: Australia * Pyrenees Highway Canada * New Brunswick Route 180 * Prince Edward Island Route 180 * Winnipeg Route 180 Costa Rica * National Route 180 Ireland * R180 road (Ireland) Japan * Japan Na ...
or from Visalia by State Route 198. The Generals' Highway connects Giant Forest to Kings Canyon National Park and the
General Grant Grove General Grant Grove, a section of the greater Kings Canyon National Park, was established by the U.S. Congress in 1890 and is located in Fresno County, California. The primary attraction of General Grant Grove is the giant sequoia trees that popu ...
, home to the General Grant tree among other giant sequoias.


Noteworthy trees

Some of the trees found in the grove that are worthy of special note are: * General Sherman: In 1931 this tree was established to be the largest living thing in the world and, therefore, also the largest tree in the world. It has a volume of . The top of the Sherman is a dead limb that at one time served as a leader branch. Its largest limb is around in diameter. The second-largest tree in the world, the
General Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General of the United States ...
, is located about 27 miles away in Kings Canyon National Park. * President: Recent measurements by arborists who climbed up into the crown of the tree and rappelled down through the limbs have discovered that the President Tree is actually bigger than the General Grant tree and is even beginning to rival the General Sherman Tree as the world's largest. * ''Congress group'': a grove (), located between the
General Sherman Tree General Sherman is a giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') tree located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, California, Tulare County, in the U.S. state of California. By volume, it is the List of largest giant se ...
and the
Giant Forest Museum The Giant Forest Museum is a museum, dedicated to the main features of the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park, including its giant sequoias, meadows, and also the human history of the area. History The renovation of the market building ...
, and further divided into ''The House'' and ''The Senate''. The Congress Grove is near the President Tree. It was in 1922, that Colonel John R. White, the superintendent of Sequoia National Park, named the Senate trees to honor the United States Senate. On the Congress Trail, an easy hike of stroll takes you to The Senate. A short additional distance will add other prominent sequoias. * Chief Sequoyah: Just uphill from the President tree is the massive and very impressive Chief Sequoyah. This tree is one of the most strikingly rugged trees in the forest. * Lincoln: This is the fourth-largest tree at . *
Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
: Although it is the eighth-largest tree in the world, this tree has been largely ignored, perhaps because it is in such a massive grove with many other large specimens. This tree has a huge fire scar on one side and a very large diameter. * Monroe: The tenth-largest tree in the world. *
General Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the West ...
: The lower trunk is massive and the top is a tapering dead snag. * Column Tree: About from the General Pershing is another large sequoia. Its lack of taper makes it the fourteenth-largest giant sequoia. * Adams Tree: From about up, the trunk is very irregular with many limb buttresses and much foliage. The top is a maze of limbs. * Cleveland Tree: One of the 40 largest giant sequoias. * Hamilton: A large tree with a volume of . * Near Ed by Ned: Another tree with an impressive lower trunk, it was measured in 1997 at a volume of . The tree is located north of Ed by Ned, hence the name. * Ed by Ned: A pair of intertwined giant sequoia trees located at the southern end of Round Meadow; also known as the "Uncle Ned Tree". *
Hazelwood Tree The Hazelwood Tree is a giant sequoia in the Giant Forest, the sequoia grove where the largest living tree in the world, named General Sherman, grows. It is located on a hillside just west of the Hazelwood Nature Trail. The tree had a volume of ...
: A large tree that, although reduced by half due to lightning damage sustained in 2002, is still alive. * Washington tree: Once the second-largest tree in the world, a fire in 2003 and snowstorm in 2005 cost it most of its trunk and size, and it is no longer exceptional. * Unnamed Tree: A nameless but unusually tall tree, measured from two different angles to be tall. With a diameter of at breast height and a volume probably around , it is the largest-known sequoia to exceed .


Gallery

File:United States - California - Sequoia National Park - 09.jpg, The
Giant Forest Museum The Giant Forest Museum is a museum, dedicated to the main features of the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park, including its giant sequoias, meadows, and also the human history of the area. History The renovation of the market building ...
with the Sentinel Tree (far left) File:Sequoia N.P. - velký strom a mýtina - panoramio.jpg, Round Meadow with Ed by Ned (far left) File:TheHouseGroupGiantForest.JPG, The House Group File:17 23 399 tunnel.jpg,
Tunnel Log 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 ...
File:Tharp's log.jpg,
Tharp's Log Tharp's Log is a hollowed giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') log at Log Meadow in the Giant Forest grove of Sequoia National Park that was used as a shelter by early pioneers. The log is named after Hale D. Tharp, who was described as ...
File:Clara Barton Tree, Sequoia National Park - June 2022 01.jpg, Clara Barton Tree File:Sentinel Tree, Sequoia National Park - June 2022.jpg, Sentinel Tree File:McKinley Tree, Sequoia National Park - June 2022.jpg, McKinley Tree File:Large Sequoia Trees in Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park - June 2022.jpg, Sequoias trees located in Giant Forest


See also

* List of largest giant sequoias * List of giant sequoia groves *
List of individual trees The following is a list of notable trees. Trees listed here are regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context. The list includes actual trees located throughout the world, as well as ...
*
Washington (tree) The Washington tree is a giant sequoia in the Giant Forest Grove in Tulare County, California, within Sequoia National Park. It is named after George Washington, first President of the United States. Until it partially collapsed in January 2005, ...


References


External links


National Park Service: Giant Forest Restoration Overview



More on the Congress Trail



On The Senate

On the Congress Trail




* ttp://www.nrtdatabase.org/trailDetail.php?recordID=92 The Congress Trail {{Sequoia National Park, state=collapsed Giant sequoia groves Sequoia National Park Sequoiadendron Sequoiadendron Sequoiadendron