0 min
Overview
Diminutive Grant Grove features the third largest and one of the oldest of the sequoia trees, the eponymous General Grant Tree, as well as numerous historical relics and sequoia-related curiosities. What this hike lacks in size and scale, it more than makes up for with exceptional sequoias and both local and national historical sites. Base of the General Grant Tree From the moment of discovery, sequoia trees were always a target for the logging industry due to their enormous size and potential yield of useful timber. As European settlers began to move into the western Sierra, many loggers set their sites on sequoia groves and began to log them with startling efficiency. The nearby Big Stump, Cherry Gap, and Converse Basin groves were extensively logged during the latter half of the 19th century, and Grant Grove escaped the saw due to the Federal government setting aside 4 acres around the trees for protection. Sadly, sequoia timber is hard and brittle, and the trees generally shatter on impact. The average amount of recoverable wood from a downed tree was around 25%, and the timber was usually good for little else than shingles, fence posts, and toothpicks. Fallen Monarch Through the writing of John Muir and the efforts of local conservationists, General Grant Grove was set aside for protected status under the nascent National Park banner along with nearby Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Over the years, private interests, including the city of Los Angeles’ drive to create hydroelectric dams in the Kings and Kaweah watersheds, clashed with the stated goals of the National Parks. Fortunately, the National Parks have consistently won. This has done much to protect what is essentially a fairly pristine grove, although later visitors could not resist the temptation to vandalize trees. As a result, the larger trees of the grove, including General Grant, are fenced off. Lincoln Tree Grant Grove remained its own National Park for some time until 1940, when the much larger Kings Canyon region was designated for nat
Trail Stats
1.1 km
30 m
1973 m
1908 m
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