The Giant Forest Area
Sequoia National Park
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The Giant Forest Museum
The Giant Forest is the centerpiece of Sequoia National Park. Home to the world’s biggest tree (by volume) it’s the best sequoia grove, by far, for hiking. It has the most singletrack trails of any sequoia grove, it has one of the best collections of really big trees, and it hasn’t been logged. The forest is very open but still has, in many places, an attractively lush groundcover, and it has some especially scenic meadows to add variety.
Next to the Giant Forest are the Lodgepole and Wolverton trailheads, which are the starting point for three excellent high-country day hikes: the easy Tokopah Falls Trail, the challenging Lakes Trail, and the very challenging Alta Peak Trail. If you have enough time I think a great itinerary would be one sequoia hike and one high country hike. However, keep in mind that ascending is noticably more difficult than at sea level.
Sequoia hikes
★★★★
Wolverton Cutoff
Length 9.6 miles · Climbing 1380 feet
A great introduction to Sequoia National park, this superb hike combines the alpine views of the High Sierra Trail with a pass through the best part of the Giant Forest.
★★★★
Round Meadow
Length 1.9 miles · Climbing 150 feet
A short walk through some of the park’s most scenic sequoia stands. Avoids the worst of the crowds.
★★★★
Muir Grove
Length 4.2 miles · Climbing 530 feet
A trail from Dorst Campground leads to the superb Muir Grove. The trail ends at the edge of the grove, but there’s about a half-mile of unofficial trails within the grove.
★★★★
Congress Trail
Length 2.9 miles · Climbing 470 feet
A popular trail with the most impressive trees of any sequoia hike. It starts at the General Sherman Tree, the largest in the world, and leads to a collection of large sequoias a mile away.
★★★
Sevenmile Loop
Length 14.9 miles · Climbing 2580 feet
A longer version of the Wolverton Cutoff loop, this loop climbs into the high country before returning to the Giant Forest.
★★★
Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow
Length 7.3 miles · Climbing 1360 feet
A fun route that connects two of the park’s best-known attractions and also includes plenty of sequoias.
★★
Lost Grove
Length 0.3 miles · Climbing 110 feet
This small old-growth sequoia grove on the Generals’ Highway is a popular stopping point since its biggest trees are right by the side of the road.
Bear’s Bathtub Trail, Giant Forest
High country hikes
★★★★★
Bearpaw High Sierra Camp
Length 13.2 miles · Climbing 2000 feet
A full-service tent camp at the edge of the high country, with hot meals and showers. There are optional day hikes to the spectacular Hamilton Lake and to the Redwood Meadow Grove of giant sequoias.
★★★★
Alta Peak
Length 13.7 miles · Climbing 3920 feet
A very challenging hike to a Sierra summit that can be done in a day, this trail offers superb views and intriguing alpine scenery.
★★★
Pear Lake
Length 12.0 miles · Climbing 3000 feet
A challenging trail that climbs above the treeline to a series of very scenic glacially-formed lakes.
★★★
Tokopah Falls
Length 4.1 miles · Climbing 530 feet
One of the most popular trails in the park, this hike through a typical Sierra canyon leads to a large cascade.
★★
Twin Lakes
Length 14.1 miles · Climbing 2800 feet
A somewhat monotonous climb to a pair of glacially-formed lakes. Not as scenic as the Lakes Trail, this route is mainly used by backpackers to access the miles of backcountry trails beyond the Twin Lakes.
Aster Lake, on the Pear Lake hike
Foothill hikes
★★
The Middle Fork Trail
Length 9.8 miles · Climbing 2260 feet
A low-elevation hike through chaparral- and hardwood-covered foothills.
The Middle Fork Trail
© 2011, 2012, 2018 David Baselt