Sequoia National Forest

3,400 year old trees that are also, the LARGEST trees in the world.

There’s really no way to wrap your arms around the size of a 275 ft tall tree that’s 25 ft in diameter.

Sequoia National Park is every bit of stunning forestry that you could imagine. I remember the initial drive up to the park at night, it’s a long winding road way up into the central California mountains. Camping overnight in September was cold, but the crystal clear view of the night sky was a marvel. It was the first time I saw the galaxy.

I was lucky enough to quietly sit in the Jeep as a mother and baby bear crossed the street. Almost instantly a brigade of park ranger SUVs protected the area shuffling out anyone attempting to stop.

National Park Rangers take wildlife seriously. Well, at least now they do.

I attended a campfire chat at the amphitheater and was surprised to learn that people once thought it was a good idea to hang with bears like they were dogs. There were funny photos of people next to bears like it’s errayday. Even more interesting, park rangers would dump trash to…LURE the bears out for visitors to see. Can you take a guess how that worked out?

“Yeah, we don’t do that anymore.”
- Park Ranger

All I wanted was to see a bear, although, it’s important to not feed or get too close. Bears get two strikes, first interaction with a human they are tagged. Second, they are put down. So it’s no wonder park rangers police people away like madmen. Once bears taste human food that’s it, it’s all they want to eat. You get one warning if your items are not in the bear box in camp.

I didn’t grow up camping, so it was a surprise to me, how many families make annual trips to the national parks. Sequoia seemed to have a special following. There were many stories of generation after generation of visitor.

It was a treat to catch the sunset after a short hike up from the campground.

It was honestly difficult driving around. The scenery was immense and for a plant nerd, like myself, of course I was distracted.

Two of the most iconic sights in Sequoia are the Tunnel Log that you can drive though and the Sherman Trail which is home to the largest sequoia in the world - General Sherman.

Kings Canyon National Park

The canyon is immense, and from the views atop the peak. Smoke filled the valleys from a billowing forest fire across the park.