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Jerry Pillarelli | profile | all galleries >> Travel and Nature >> US Travel; by Trip, by State >> California >> Giant Sequoia National Monument – California >> Giant Sequoia National Monument – South – California tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Giant Sequoia National Monument – South – California

Images of Giant Sequoia National Monument, Southern section – Central California, taken in May 2019.

Giant Sequoia National Monument (run by the US Forest Service) has two sections, the North which sits on the northern border of Sequoia National Park and fills the area between the two sections of Kings Canyon National Park; and the southern section to the north-west of Bakersfield. In the northern section it is tough to find full grown Sequoias because the area was clear-cut in the late 1800s and early 1900s; however the canyon views along the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway are worth the trip. That is not an issue in this southern section; there are no less than 33 Sequoia groves within the boundaries of the park, the most popular being the Long Meadow Grove where the Trail of 100 Giants is located.

I was here several years ago and could hardly get close to the Trail of 100 Giants...so many people and no place to park. This time it was damp and overcast, I even got snowed on, and there were very few people...it was beautiful! Besides the obvious magnificence of these giants there is one place on the trail that truly drives home the size of these trees; it’s where two Sequoias fell across the trail in April of 2011, smashing a trail walking bridge to oblivion. It’s the one must see area of the park but the drive along main park road, Parker Pass Road, is also very scenic although full of twists and curves that might be tough on any passengers.

Oh and one more tidbit, Sequoia is the only word in the English language that contains all 5 vowels…who says you can’t learn anything by following a guy that lives full time in an RV!
The Sequoia canopy as seen from Parker Pass Road in Giant Sequoia NM - South
The Sequoia canopy as seen from Parker Pass Road in Giant Sequoia NM - South
The Proclamation Tree, where President Clinton created the park in April of 2000, in Giant Sequoia NM - South
The Proclamation Tree, where President Clinton created the park in April of 2000, in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Colorful leaves on a bush in the Long Meadow Grove in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Colorful leaves on a bush in the Long Meadow Grove in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Base of the Proclamation Tree, about 2000 years old, along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Base of the Proclamation Tree, about 2000 years old, along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Sequoias in the fog along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Sequoias in the fog along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Trees on the edge of Long Meadow along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Trees on the edge of Long Meadow along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Large Sequoia, 70 feet in circumference, next to Long Meadow in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Large Sequoia, 70 feet in circumference, next to Long Meadow in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Long Meadow along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Long Meadow along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Fallen tree channels water in Long Meadow in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Fallen tree channels water in Long Meadow in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Younger Sequoia next to a meadow along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Younger Sequoia next to a meadow along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Root system of a fallen Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Root system of a fallen Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Closed section along the Trail of 100 Giants where two trees fell in 2011 in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Closed section along the Trail of 100 Giants where two trees fell in 2011 in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Fungus growing on a tree in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Fungus growing on a tree in Giant Sequoia NM - South
The Sentinels stand over a fallen Sequoia which destroyed a foot bridge in Giant Sequoia NM – South
The Sentinels stand over a fallen Sequoia which destroyed a foot bridge in Giant Sequoia NM – South
Fallen Sequoias closed a section of the Trail of 100 Giants in 2011 in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Fallen Sequoias closed a section of the Trail of 100 Giants in 2011 in Giant Sequoia NM - South
The Sentinels (left) stand tall over two fallen Sequoias in Giant Sequoia NM - South
The Sentinels (left) stand tall over two fallen Sequoias in Giant Sequoia NM - South
View of the midsection of a fallen Giant Sequoia in Giant Sequoia NM - South
View of the midsection of a fallen Giant Sequoia in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Corn Lilly in a shallow stream in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Corn Lilly in a shallow stream in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Trunk of a fallen Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Trunk of a fallen Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Arm of a fallen Giant Sequoia detached from the trunk in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Arm of a fallen Giant Sequoia detached from the trunk in Giant Sequoia NM - South
The base of a Sequoia with a tree in the fog in the distance along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
The base of a Sequoia with a tree in the fog in the distance along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Sequoia tree bark in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Sequoia tree bark in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Looking up at a Giant Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Looking up at a Giant Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Young Sequoias in the fog along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Young Sequoias in the fog along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
A singed tree and fallen fragments along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
A singed tree and fallen fragments along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
A large Giant Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
A large Giant Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Remnants of an older fallen Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Remnants of an older fallen Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Fog shrouds the tops of Sequoia trees along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Fog shrouds the tops of Sequoia trees along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Burl growth on the base of a Sequoia in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Burl growth on the base of a Sequoia in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Sequoia with top sheared off along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Sequoia with top sheared off along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Bases of old and young Giant Sequoias along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Bases of old and young Giant Sequoias along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Ancient fallen Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Ancient fallen Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Sequoia forest in the fog along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Sequoia forest in the fog along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Snow collecting on the bark of a Giant Sequoia in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Snow collecting on the bark of a Giant Sequoia in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Base of a Giant Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM – South
Base of a Giant Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM – South
Incense Cedar (left) and Giant Sequoia (right) grow in a symbiotic relationship in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Incense Cedar (left) and Giant Sequoia (right) grow in a symbiotic relationship in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Impaled (15 feet deep) top of a Giant Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM – South
Impaled (15 feet deep) top of a Giant Sequoia along the Trail of 100 Giants in Giant Sequoia NM – South
Plant growing in the crevasse between rocks in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Plant growing in the crevasse between rocks in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Spruce tree in the fog in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Spruce tree in the fog in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Bench like burl formation at the base of a Giant Sequoia in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Bench like burl formation at the base of a Giant Sequoia in Giant Sequoia NM - South
View of the granite Dome Rock from Parker Pass Road in Giant Sequoia NM - South
View of the granite Dome Rock from Parker Pass Road in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Dead tree near the top of Dome Rock in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Dead tree near the top of Dome Rock in Giant Sequoia NM - South
View of the valley from Dome Rock in Giant Sequoia NM - South
View of the valley from Dome Rock in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Trees growing on Dome Rock in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Trees growing on Dome Rock in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Snow-covered mountaintops around Dome Rock in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Snow-covered mountaintops around Dome Rock in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Granite sentinel Needle Rock in the clouds as seen from Dome Rock in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Granite sentinel Needle Rock in the clouds as seen from Dome Rock in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Rocky wall along Parker Pass Road in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Rocky wall along Parker Pass Road in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Waterfall raging in the fog next to CA 190 in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Waterfall raging in the fog next to CA 190 in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Rugged mountains and valley in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Rugged mountains and valley in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Fog drifts around a mountaintop in Giant Sequoia NM - South
Fog drifts around a mountaintop in Giant Sequoia NM - South