Sequoia National Park Things to Do Tips by M0B1US

Moro Rock Moro Rock Review

Moro Rock stands like a silent sentinel keeping watch over the Kaweah River Valley far below, its foreboding presence fills your front windowscreen all the way up the many switchbacks and dizzying hairpin turns as the road into the park clings to the very sides of the surrounding cliffs.

Once you reach the top of the road, there is a turn off just before the Giant Forest Museum for the Moro Rock.

There is a parking area for Moro Rock from where you can take a steep 1/4 mile staircase that climbs over 300' (91.4 meters) to the summit of this massive granite dome.

From the top you will have spectacular views of the western half of Sequoia National Park and the Great Western Divide. This chain of mountains runs north/south through the center of Sequoia National Park, "dividing" the watersheds of the Kaweah River to the west and the Kern River to the east.

Also on the eastern side of the divide is Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. Unfortunately, because many of the snowcapped peaks in the Great Western Divide reach altitudes of 12,000' (3657 meters) or higher, it is impossible to see over them to view Mt. Whitney from Moro Rock. The summit of Alta Peak, a strenuous 7-mile hike from the Wolverton picnic area, is the closest place from which to see Mt. Whitney.

A little further along from Moro Rock is the famous 'Tunnel Log', where you can drive underneath a fallen Sequoia.

General Sherman General Sherman Tree Review

There are 34 groves of the giant sequoia tree - earth's largest species.

General Sherman is the largest, making it the largest living thing in the entire world! Named in 1879 by admirers of the Civil War General, standing by its huge girth it is impossible not to be overwhelmed by the fact that nothing else is as large anywhere and that you are truly standing before one of the living wonders of the world!

General Sherman is 275' (84 meters) tall, and 102.6' (31.3 meters) in circumference at its base. Amazingly enough, the tree is still growing at 0.4 inches (1cm) every 10 years and is according to the US Geological Survey, 2,100-2,200 years ago and therefore around for the birth of Christ.

There are taller trees in the world, the tallest trees in the world being the Coast Redwood, which averaging 300' - 350' (91.4 - 106.7 meters) in height, are significantly taller than the Giant Sequoias. These are found along the coasts of Northern California and Oregon.

In Mexico, a cypress near Oaxaca has a greater circumference at 162' (49.4 meters), however in sheer volume of wood, the General Sherman has no equal at 52,500 cubic feet (1486.6 cubic meters) of wood, thus earning its title.

The Oldest living things in the world are the Ancient Bristlecone Pines only a days drive away, "Methuselah" is the oldest at 4765 years old - more than double the age of General Sherman! Sadly the oldest known one was dated 4,900 years old after it had been cut down to find out its age - it's not often you find out you've killed the oldest living thing in the World!

Luckily Giant Sequoias are still with us, as in the 19th century, logging firms found their sheer size and toughness uneconomical for logging and they were left safe.

Another quirk is that Sequoia trees are resistant to fire, needing it to crack open their cones for saplings to germinate. Rangers were puzzled that no new trees were growing until a fire raged through the national park years ago.

Address: Sequoia National Park