Sequoias along the PCT?

[Colter]

Are there any of these giant trees within sight of the trail? If not, how far off the trail are they and where's the best point to reach them?

Thanks!

Colter

[emerald]

For a range map and other information provided by USFS, click on its binomial.

Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) Buchholtz

[Ender]

The really big ones are off the trail. Worth a day trip though.

But don't be fooled. There are still some pretty damn big trees on the trail itself. Not so much fat, but certainly tall.

[TwoForty]

Yes, there are some huge trees. I haven't even come close to hiking the entire trail, but I don't think it goes by any Giant Sequoias or Costal Redwoods. The biggest you will likely see are in the Glacier Peak Wilderness and they are pretty darn huge as you will see very very closely

You can take a trip to the western crest to see them if you'd like. Woods or Bubbs Creek into Roads End would be a good place. It's also a resupply possibility. A longer trip would be along the High Sierra Trail which takes you to the biggest tree there is. From Crabtree Meadows, plan about 3 days each way. It goes to a populated area as well, so you have resupply options there. Both side trips are sort of in the middle of a 10 day or so resupply stretch. They are also in incredibly beautiful areas. Well worth the trip.

[Sly]

Once you het to Tuoloumne Meadows you can either find a ride or take the shuttle to Mariposa Grove, but the biggest ones are in Giant Forest. You could hike the High Sierra Trail from the PCT at Wallace Creek (west 50 miles) to get there.

[Dogwood]

You are too far inland to see Coastal Redwoods(Sequoia sempervirens, the tallest living thing on the planet) on the PCT and the largest(30+ diam., most volumous living tree on the planet) Giant Redwoods(Sequoia giganteum, if I'm not mistaken) nearest the PCT proper and probably the most easiest to get to, via a less than 20 mile hitchhike, are probably found down the Tioga Pass Road towards Yosemite Valley from Tuolumne Meadows. Sorry, the name of the grove escapes me at this moment. Get a hitch at the Tuolomne Meadows PO/Cafe/General store. That's what 7 other PCTers and myself easily accomplished. The shuttle bus that leaves from the TM store down Tioga Pass Rd, that heads into Yosemite Valley, may also drop you off at the grove or within 1 mile of it. Inquire at www.nps.org. Yosemite NP

Aside, from the redwoods there are many other species of ancient large trees along the PCT. The ancient junipers, Foxtail, Sugar, Ponderosa, Jeffrey Pines and several others really impressed me.

[Shutterbug]

Are there any of these giant trees within sight of the trail? If not, how far off the trail are they and where's the best point to reach them?

Thanks!

Colter

In Washington, the PCT passes within a few mile of the Grove of the Patriarchs. The trees are not as large as the sequoias, but they are big. They are cedar, douglas fir and hemlocks. There are 20 western red cedars more than 25 feet in circumference. There are also ten Douglas firs over 25 feet in circumference. The largest is over 35 feet. Here is a link:

http://www.nps.gov/archive/mora/trail/grove.htm

[mudhead]

Shutterbug-Any idea how tall those trees are?

[emerald]

Sequoia giganteum

The two species are in different genera unless someone's lumped what was split years ago.

Sequoiadendron was split off in 1939 and is current. Click on Flora of North America for more information. See also the species treatments for additional details.

[Shutterbug]

Shutterbug-Any idea how tall those trees are?

Some of the Douglas Firs are close to 300 feet tall. Most of the big cedars have had the tops broken out by storms, but they are still over 200 feet tall. Many of the trees in the Grove are said to be over 1,000 years old.

[Meta]

To see sequoias of whichever variety, I recommend just hitching down to the Mariposa Grove from Tuolumne. you could also stop down in the Valley and check that out while on this side trip. This minimizes your time off trail, so you won't fall behind your friends who decide not to take the trip, but also lets you see the valley and perhaps hit the all-you-can-eat buffet that's in the lodge down there (Also ice cream shop!). The side-trail alternatives to get down to see sequoias are all multi-day events and while they could be interesting, I've always felt that the sierras are already super epic, so why split off from the people you're hiking with to see something you can easily see later?

But that's just my opinion. Good luck!

[emerald]

There are a few living things that may qualify as older depending upon one's criteria.

If sequoias qualify, then most would agree, so do bristlecone pines.

Some might also accept a certain box huckleberry plant in Pennsylvania.

[mudhead]

Some of the Douglas Firs are close to 300 feet tall. Most of the big cedars have had the tops broken out by storms, but they are still over 200 feet tall. Many of the trees in the Grove are said to be over 1,000 years old.

Whoppers. I may have to put an eyeball on them someday. Hard to see/appreciate something like that, without standing there. Thanks for the link.

Now for a sweet map for sequoia hunting.

[Miner]

The Sequoias grow on the Western slopes of the Sierra Neveda and the PCT stays to the eastern half so the trail doesn't go near them.

There are some smaller groves down near Kennedy Meadows if you hitch west aways. But to see some of the larger and much more famous ones, hike over to Roads End (hike west just south of the Rae Lakes Area) in Kings Canyon NP and hitch up the highway as the Hwy goes right by the big famous groves in Kings Canyon and Sequoia NP (though it is a long ride). Another place is Mariposa Grove south of Yosemite Valley (either take the shuttle bus down from Tuolumne Meadows or hike the JMT down to the Valley floor).

There are some really large trees along the PCT in a few places (I particularly remember a few 8ft diamter blowdowns past Glacier Peak on the original PCT route rather then the Glacier Peak detour), but nothing like a Giant Sequoia or a California Costal Redwood.

[Wise Old Owl]

[Jim Adams]

Don't remember the name of the trail but if you get off of the PCT at Crabtree Meadows, you can hike 51 miles to the General Sherman Tree and pass a nice hot springs near the mid point.

geek

[Dogwood]

I think you are correct Emerald. They are in different genera as you noted. I was going by some older reference materials that I learned from that still place them in the same genus.

I recently heard that a spruce in Norway was found to be much older than the Bristlecone Pine which used to be the oldest living thing.

The Grove of the Patriarchs, like Shutterbug mentions, is a stunning sight in itself. I recall some enormous cedars and Douglas Fir.

[emerald]

I recently heard that a spruce in Norway was found to be much older than the Bristlecone Pine which used to be the oldest living thing.

Thank you for calling these ancient Norway spruces in Scandinavia to my attention. Anyone desiring to learn more about them may wish to click on National Geographic.

[sbhikes]

The trees in the Glacier Peak area were amazing. Especially the ones laying down in the damaged area. It's hard to really notice when they are standing up and you're walking by. They're just more trees. But fallen over. Oh my goodness. They were HUGE!

Other interesting trees: The bristlecones. Kinda far from the PCT though, but if you ever get a chance, they really are worth a visit. They are so beautiful. You see a similar tree on Baden-Powell called the Limber Pine.

[atrerunner]

The book 'The Wild Trees', by Richard Preston is well worth a snow-shoe trip to the library.