Any one know of a back country hike that has giant sequoias

[overheadx2]

Thanks for the help. She will be coming with my brother and I on our annual week trip next year. She did a three day 20 miler with us last year and did great. I had her lead the way on some XC parts of our trip (with supervision) so that she could begin using the topos, and start to paying attention to landmarks if she ever got lost. I was excited at her excitement of backpacking and route finding. More importantly, she is already begging to come on our week long trip next year and is helping my brother find a 40 to 50 mile loop. She asked if Sequoias would be possible, so I asked. I think a day in Sequoia to see redwoods and acclimate is how we are going to do it, but camping in the sequoias sounded like fun.

[Herm]

Hiking from Atwell Mill Campground to Hockett Meadow would allow for some brief exposure to the big trees. The trail starts in a grove that was harvested, but there are still some trees standing. There are a few places along the trail where one can stand in their midst, but mostly the trail traverses above the groves. Here is a picture as proof


Looking down on these trees reminds me of broccoli, so I affectionately refer to them as broccoli tops.

This trail leads to some interesting areas, and could be done as a 30+ mile loop, returning over Farewell Gap into the Mineral King Valley.

Hope this helps.

[lambertiana]

If you want a grove with good trees and few people, the Garfield Grove is a good one. You could combine it in a trip up to Hockett or farther. I did a dayhike a few years ago to find the Floyd Otter tree, trip report here:

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There is a lot of poison oak low, and a good uphill to the grove. But you can camp under the trees. The best campsites are on the saddle on the east side of Snowslide Canyon, but you have to bring your water there, or go another mile or so to the creek to get water, assuming it is flowing in a dry year.

I have done the Redwood Canyon loop as an overnight, and it makes a really nice overnight trip. Not too strenuous, lots of good trees, and not many people.

[balance]

overheadx2

Your decision to see the Sequoia groves while acclimating the first day, then taking the hiking trip afterwards makes sense. You'll enjoy the best of both that way.

Congratulations on having a niece with a sense of adventure and love for the outdoors. Many kids nowadays would be content with looking at a few pictures of Giant Sequoia trees on their cell phone, and leave it at that.

[hurricaniac]

The So. Fork Grove out of the So. Fork Kaweah river trailhead is a particularly sweet grove. Very unique in its setting and not too high elevation on the way up to Hockett Mdw. You could loop up to Hocket and then return thru the Garfield Grove which is quite majestic.

[zoedmetzger]

If you want to drive farther:

In 1932 the CCC planted a grove of Giant Sequoia south of the SW corner of Lassen Volcanic NP. A trail starts at north of Mineral, off forest road 30N16, heads north, just cuts across the SW corner of LAVO and goes to Heart Lake, and connects to forest road 17. The trail to Brokeoff Mountain connects with it, and following the Brokeoff Trail east to hwy 89 can connect you with the rest of LAVO trail system where you can put together any number of multi day trips.

The Sequoia Grove is just a 1/3 mile or so from the Glassburner trailhead and along the trail. You would be amazed at how large those trees have grown in just 80 years. They are not old growth, at 80 years they are still youngsters, but large in girth.

This trail is little known and little used except by locals.

Per your recommendation, two of us just went and hiked out the trail to find some sequoias, and were sadly disappointed when there weren’t any... and we can’t find anything on the internet regarding this grove either. Is your distancing correct? Is it directly off the trail? We need answers. And would like to see some sequoias.

[wildhiker]

I really like Redwood Canyon. It is a wild sequoia grove, unlike the main Giant Forest that is mobbed with visitors. You can walk right up to the giant trees and camp right next to them.

[balzaccom]

Always staying off the delicate roots, of course!

[torpified]

for the dayhiking then backpacking model, http://www.redwoodhikes.com/SequoiaNP/SEKI.html has a lot of information about Sequoia day hikes where you can feel more like you're encountering the trees in their natural habitat than in some sort of arbor zoo. I liked both the Wolverton Cutoff and the Muir Grove loops (both filed under Giant Forest) a lot.

[kursavwilage]

The South Fork of the Kaweahs has a trail head I think is called South Fork trail head, there is a trail there that goes through Garfield Grove (Giant Sequoias) and then to Hockett Meadows.... I'm sure that it would not be a crowded trail. That was actually my first ever backpacking trip back in 1978 that hooked me for the rest of my life..... From what I remember there were quite a few Giant Sequoias.