Giant Sequoia National Monument
Trail of a Hundred Giants

Information & Maps provided by US Forest Service / Department of Agriculture

| About Giant Sequoias | Giant Sequoia National Monument | 100 Giants Grove | Trail Info | Location & Map |

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Giant Sequoias

Visitors to the Sequoia National Forest frequently ask about the "big trees," the giant sequoias. This page is designed to guide you to the Southern Gateway to the Giant Sequoia National Monument & Trail of a Hundred Giants, Kern River Valley, and to encourage you to visit and learn more about the largest beings that inhabit the Earth.

DISTRIBUTION

Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) grow only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California. The groves are scattered over a narrow 260-mile belt no more than about 15 miles wide at any point. They range in elevations mainly between 5,000-7,500 feet. Closely related is the coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) which occupies two million acres of fog belt along the northern California coast.

Giant sequoias are slightly shorter than the coastal redwoods, more massive and considered to be the largest tree in the world in terms of volume. The largest giant sequoia and the most massive living organism on the planet is the famous General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park. It stretches 275 feet high and has a diameter of 36.5 feet.

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Giant Sequoia National Monument

On April 15, 2000, President Clinton signed a Presidential Proclamation designating 327,769 acres of the Sequoia National Forest as the Giant Sequoia National Monument. This was done under section 2 of the Antiquities Act of 1906, which authorizes the President of the United States to establish as national monuments "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands obtained or controlled by the Government of the United States."

The giant sequoia trees and other natural resources of the monument provide the public with extraordinary opportunities and values such as recreation, scientific study, and heritage resources. The Forest Service's goal is to ensure that these values are protected, sustained, and properly managed for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Motorized and Mechanized Recreation Activities

Beginning January 1, 2002, all highways, improved and unimproved roads, as displayed on Forest Service maps, are designated open for motorized vehicles and bicycles unless closed by a Forest Order. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on trails or cross-country, except for emergency or authorized administrative purposes, or to provide access for persons with disabilities. Unlicensed vehicles that are registered under the Green Sticker program (Off-Highway Vehicles a.k.a. OHV) are allowed on roads signed for their use. All trails outside wilderness areas are designated open for bicycles unless closed by a Forest Order.

Recreation use, beyond the use of motorized or non-motorized mechanized vehicles, is not affected by Monument designation. This includes hunting, fishing, hiking boating, and camping. Personal use fuel wood collection continues. Enjoy the national monument without changing or damaging it.

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A GROVE OF GIANTS

Trail of a Hundred Giants is located within the Long Meadow Giant Sequoia Grove, the second most southern grove where giant sequoias are found. The Grove contains 125 giant sequoias over 10 feet in diameter and 143 sequoias under 10 feet in diameter. The largest tree in the grove has a diameter of 20 feet and is 220 feet in height. The grove encompasses 355 acres. It is estimated the age of the trees in the grove are between 500 to 1,500 years old.

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ABOUT THE TRAIL

Trail of a Hundred Giants is one of the most popular hiking trails on the Sequoia National Forest. It provides a cool, easy walk and makes for an ideal hiking trail of short duration.

The trail is a self-guided interpretive trail about one-half mile long. There are 13 interpretive stations along the way which provide information about the trail, the grove and management activities on the Sequoia National Forest. The signs emphasize ecology of giant sequoias including the necessary environment for growth of the trees, related species associated with the sequoias, the approximate size and age of the trees found in the grove and the role of fire.

Construction of the trail was primarily through volunteer labor. Mary Hart, a student at Dartmouth College designed the artwork on the interpretive signs. Allan Landon, a school teacher from Tulare, California built the foot bridges. Dave Hefner and members of the Kern Valley Wildlife Association were responsible for trail construction along with Forest Service personnel. The interpretive signs were paid for by Three Forests Interpretive Association (3FIA).

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HOW TO GET THERE

The Giant Sequoia National Monument trail is located about 45 miles northwest of the Gateway, Kernville, in the Kern River Valley on the Hot Springs Ranger District. From Kernville, take State Mtn. 99 north to Johnsondale. Continue west on Mtn. 50 to the Western Divide Hwy. turn-off. Go two miles to the Redwood Meadow Campground. The trail is located across the road from the campground. Travel time from Kernville is about 1½ hours.

From Hwy. 65, turn east at the Ducor exit and continue through California Hot Springs. From the Hot Springs area travel on towards the Western Divide Hwy. turnoff. Go for two miles until you reach the Trail of Hundred Giants parking area and the Redwood Meadow Campground.

Location MAP

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