Points of Interest in Sequoia National Forest

An Overview of Sequoia National Forest

Home to the largest trees on Earth, the Sequoia National Forest is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The park contains the greatest concentration of giant sequoia groves in the world, solidly standing along mountain ridges. The National Forest is filled with gorgeous landscapes, and it remains a glorious place to enjoy fishing, hiking, wildlife and sightseeing.

Points of Interest in Sequoia National Forest

Giant Forest

This site is the location of a network of hiking trails which wanders through a surreal and amazing sequoia grove on a plateau.

Kings Canyon Scenic Byway

Defined by enormous canyons, rapid waters, supreme overlooks and views of the largest living organisms on earth, the giant sequoias, this is one of the best driving routes in California.

General Sherman Tree

This is the largest known single-stem tree alive on the planet. The massive organism is estimated to be between 2,200 and 2,700 years old. The tree can only be accessed by boardwalk, as the roots of sequoia trees spread close to the soil’s surface and excessive foot traffic can damage the underground network.

Crystal Cave

This is a beautiful marble karst cave within the national park. It’s one of the 240 known caves throughout Sequoia National Forest, located between the Great Forest and Ash Mountain.

Hume Lake

This is a large lake reservoir in the Sierra Nevada which is popular for lakeside walks, swimming, fishing, hiking and biking.

Trail of 100 Giants Trailhead

This trail wanders through Long Meadow Grove, otherwise called the Redwood Meadow Grove. The route wanders through a magical giant sequoia grove within the Sequoia National Forest.

Isabella Lake

Easily accessible from Bakersfield, this lake is a reservoir and popular swimming area in the Kern River Valley.

Boyden Cavern

Found beneath Kings Canyon, this long cavern sits beside the walls of the famous Kings Gate. The cavern itself is home to stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone and a unique cave bear rock formation.

Balch Park

Beautiful at roughly 6,000 feet of elevation, this park is unique for its combination of lakes, mountains, sequoias and woods of mixed oak and conifer.

The Big Stump Grove

This giant sequoia grove has trails leading to the famous stump, the final remains of the Mark Twain tree which was chopped down to be displayed for the American Museum of Natural History. The trail is an easy 2-mile hike.

Silver City Ghost Town

Located to the south of Isabella lake, the Silver City Ghost Town was a gold-mining boom town which was quickly abandoned as gold veins in the area dried up. The ghost town is filled with various preserved buildings, many of which are historical or host small museums.

Seven Teacups

Often abbreviated as 7TC, this route follows a short section of Dry Meadow Creek. The 4.2-mile out-and-back trail is moderately challenging and leads to a series of waterfalls and rock pools which create the “7 teacup” formations.

Fallen Monarch

This is a giant redwood log which is entirely hollow due to a fire. The tree fell more than 300 years ago.

Glowing Millapedes

One of the most unique creatures in Sequoia National Forest are the bioluminescent glowing millipedes found crawling across the forest floor. The crawling creatures are somewhat bright, and are therefore easy to spot. As millipedes don’t have eyes, these glugs don’t glow to communicate with one another. Rather, the glow is a warning sign against predators, as the millipedes are able to secrete a surprising amount of cyanide. While the doses aren’t fatal to humans, it’s not healthy either.

Tharp’s Log

This is a unique cabin which uses the hollowed-out log of a fallen sequoia tree to make a shelter. It’s found within Crescent Meadow Trail in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest.

Tunnel Log

The Tunnel Log in Sequoia National Park is created from a fallen tree, slightly elevated above the road.

Read more about points of interest in Sequoia National Forest by checking out the Leftfade Trails Blog

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