Backcountry Cabins and Structures, NPS Individuals, Larry L. Norris on summit of Mount Whitney by Whitney Hut. Elevation 14,492.

Sequoia National Park is a national park located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. The park was established in 1890 and is named for the giant sequoia trees that grow in the park. The park covers an area of over 404,000 acres and is home to a number of different plant and animal species, including the giant sequoia trees, which are the largest trees in the world by volume. The park is known for its scenic beauty and offers a range of recreational activities, including hiking, camping, and fishing. The park is also home to several important historical and cultural sites, including the Giant Forest Museum and the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world. Giant Sequoia National Monument, created in 2000, encompasses 512 square miles (1,326 square km) of Sequoia National Forest, which is adjacent to the national parks. The monument’s two parts, separated by Sequoia National Park, preserve most of the remaining groves of big trees not already federally protected. Adjoining it to the north and northwest is Kings Canyon National Park, and on the eastern boundary is Mount Whitney, it is administered jointly with Kings Canyon National Park. The largest big tree in the park is known as the General Sherman Tree and is thought to be 2,300 to 2,700 years old. Although the General Sherman Tree, 274.9 feet (83.8 meters) high, is not as tall as some of the California coast redwoods, and its circumference at its base (102.6 feet, or 31.3 meters) is not as great as that of a cypress growing near Oaxaca, Mexico, it is, in terms of volume, the world’s largest living thing. It stands in a section of the park called the Giant Forest, an area of about 5 square miles (13 square km) with many groves of big trees. Besides the big trees, plants present in the park include such smaller trees as incense cedars, sugar pines, white firs, and ponderosa pines, as well as various shrubs and wildflowers in the meadows. Animal life includes black bears, mule deer, gray foxes, squirrels and other small mammals.

image_search Find relevant images and pages