General Sherman

General Sherman is a Giant Sequoia tree that has been determined to be the largest individual organism on earth. (Don't come at me quaking aspen people) For obvious reasons that makes this short hike very popular but the tree is truly incredible. I sat in awe for several minutes and this park has quickly become a personal favorite of mine. The tree is 275 feet tall with a 36 foot diameter at the base. It's MASSIVE! 60 feet up the trunk the diameter is still almost 18 feet! Its biggest branch has a diameter of 7 feet. It weighs approximately 2,472,000 pounds. It is 2200 years old. No matter how you shake it you're looking at something really amazing and unique! It is a short 0.9 mile hike one-way from the upper parking area to the tree. You can then hike back up to your car or ride the bus from the handicap entrance. If you have a handicap person with you and a parking sticker you can make the hike only a couple hundred feet each way. This is the crown jewel of the park meaning you can't plan on having any solitude here. We were greeted by a late May snow storm that actually did help the crowds a lot. The entire area is very well signed and you start right by the parking lot. You will hike downhill through pretty forest until you come to a first viewing platform that is about mid height on the tree. This was my first view ever of a really big sequoia and I couldn't get enough after that. It's impossible to do any justice with a photo. Look closely and you can see people at the base. The trail next goes right to the base of the tree where you get a real idea of the size. As you then hike toward the parking lot look back for one more great view of the entire tree. I loved all the lichens growing on the trees here. Right at the parking lot the trail passes through an old fallen sequoia which is pretty cool. From here you can return to your car the way you came or else ride the free shuttle bus back up to the parking lot. This is something everyone needs to see. It was a religious experience for me and something I will always remember!