Just like when we walk through the city and the shadows of skyscrapers leave us in awe, something forces us to crane our necks toward the rooftops until we’re staring straight into the sun. Something similar happens just a few hours from L.A. But instead of towering concrete giants, it’s nature’s creations rising hundreds of feet above our heads.
In Sequoia National Park, established in 1890, ancient forests stretch across 404,064 acres of mountainous terrain. Here, the air is crisp, the silence profound, and the trees stand like living monuments. Among them, the General Sherman Tree reigns supreme: at 275 feet tall and over 2,000 years old, it is the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth.
With a diameter of 25 feet and an estimated bole volume of 52,513 cubic feet, the General Sherman Tree is among the tallest, widest, and longest-lived trees on Earth, with an estimated weight of four million pounds. This is why it holds the record as the largest tree by volume, but not by height… That title belongs to Hyperion, another giant tree in California!
According to the National Park Service website, General Sherman is also a true relic of time. Recent studies estimate its age to be at least 2,200 years old, making it older than the Roman Empire itself or Ancient Greece, which makes it even more fascinating.
To visit General Sherman, NPS explains that you need to go to The Main Trail’s parking lot located off Wolverton Road (between the Sherman Tree and Lodgepole). This paved trail is about half a mile long and includes a few stairs as it gently descends to the tree. Along the way, you’ll enter the Giant Forest sequoia grove, where informative exhibits detail the natural history of these giant trees.
If you or someone in your group has a disability, you can park in a small lot along Generals Highway reserved for vehicles with disability permits. From there, a wheelchair-accessible trail leads a short and easy way to the tree.
If you don’t have a disability permit but find the Main Trail too difficult, you can take the park’s shuttle during the operating season (May through September). All shuttles are wheelchair accessible, and some lower down to make boarding easier. The shuttle will take you to the accessible trail.
📍 Location: Three Rivers, CA 93262