Sequoia

Lore & Background

The park is south of and contiguous with Kings Canyon National Park; both are administered together as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The park is notable for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on Earth by volume, which grows in the Giant Forest. The Giant Forest contains five of the ten largest trees in the world and is connected by the Generals Highway to Kings Canyon National Park's General Grant Grove. The area was the ancestral homeland of the Monache (Western Mono), Tubatulabal, Owens Valley Paiute, Yokuts, and Shoshone (Newe) tribes prior to Euro-American settlement.

Reader's Guide

Sequoia National Park preserves a landscape that was the ancestral homelands of several Native American tribes, including the Monache, Tubatulabal, Owens Valley Paiute, Yokuts, and Shoshone. The park's front country includes the only National Park Service-protected California Foothills ecosystem, while 84 percent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is designated wilderness accessible only by foot or horseback. The park is notable for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on Earth by volume.

Did You Know?

• The General Sherman Tree, located in the Giant Forest, is the largest tree on Earth by volume.

Common Misconceptions (Editorial)

Some people mistakenly believe that the General Sherman Tree is the tallest tree on Earth, but it is actually the largest by volume. Another common error is thinking Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are completely separate entities, when in fact they are administered together as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Finally, it is sometimes assumed that the area had no significant human history before Euro-American settlement, when in reality it was the ancestral homeland of several tribes, including the Monache, Tubatulabal, and Yokuts.

Why It Matters (Editorial)

Sequoia National Park matters not only as a sanctuary for the world’s most massive living organisms, but as a testament to the value of preservation itself. Its enduring appeal lies in the humbling experience of standing beneath trees that have thrived for millennia, reminding us of our place in a much larger natural world.