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Sequoia and King Canyon National Parks

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Julie Hood
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4 out of 5
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7
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Editor Pick

Is 'Crescent' Californian for Bear?

  • October 14, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by callen60 from Ozarks, Missouri
Is 'Crescent' Californian for Bear?

After descending from Moro Rock, we explored the southern end of Giant Forest. The Moro Rock-Crescent Meadow road runs east about 3 miles from here, a narrow, tight road that can’t accommodate RVs. The Auto Log, a famous relic from Sequoia’s past, can’t accommodate RVs or cars anymore, but you can climb on top of it. You’ll see pictures around the park of Model T's parked atop this fallen sequoia. I’m not sure when it was closed to cars, but I think I saw a picture somewhere of an early minivan that drove up the ramp.

A little further along is the Parker Group, an impressive, tightly clustered set of sequoias that lies right along the road. A little further along, we drove through the Tunnel Log, which fell across the road in 1937. It’s not the Tunnel Tree (a question the rangers must get a lot), which stood in the Mariposa Grove at Yosemite for years (and allowed cars to drive through a living sequoia). As we hiked in the area, I found a granite stone with marker barely visible about two yards off the trail. It proved to be a memorial to Stephen Mather, the early NPS director who built the system into a national jewel in its early years.

We had two main goals here: seeing Crescent Meadow, described by John Muir as ‘the Gem of the Sierras’, and hiking out along Log Meadow to Tharp’s Log, a hollowed out fallen sequoia that served as home for a cattleman who drove his herd to these meadows.

Pretty shortly, we came to the southern edge of Crescent Meadow. It is pretty, with beautiful open areas of green ringed by the large sequoias and some smaller, ordinary trees. You’re not allowed to walk into the meadow and damage the ground and the plants, but you can walk the trail around its edge and appreciate it. It was gorgeous under the clear blue skies.

These high meadows are slight depressions in the underlying bedrock, which collect rainwater from the surrounding area. You might think that such a rich source of moisture would be prime territory for sequoias, but the meadows actually hold too much water for the big trees. They do ring the meadows, though: sequoias prefer to grow on slopes, with plenty of water passing through, but not collecting.

There are several other meadows scattered throughout the Giant Forest areas, and the trails cut back and forth between them. We had a bit of a challenge finding the cutoff over to adjacent Log Meadow, and were finally walking up its west side towards Tharp’s Log when we encountered an agitated couple that clearly had something to tell us. In urgent but quiet voices (and a lot of pointing), they said "There’s a bear down there! In the middle of the meadow! He’s not moving or anything, and he’s not a problem, but we thought you should know!"

We agreed. They told us a little more about what he was up to (eating or lying down) and where he was (150 yards away in the middle of the meadow). We’d been walking a little quickly, but slowed our pace and kept our eyes glued off to the right as we moved up the trail.

All of a sudden my daughter grabbed my arm and pointed. "There!" she shouted/whispered. I was looking out to the center of the meadow, but that wasn’t where she was pointing. "Right by the trail!" she insisted. 60 yards straight ahead of us was the bear, pulling plants that grew on and around a decaying tree and contentedly munching. He wasn’t paying any attention to us, but we looked at him as long as we could stand it and then abandoned our hike around the meadow, stopping only to perform the public service of warning the next couple headed up the trail.

We returned to our car on in the lot just west of Crescent Meadow, after pausing one more time to look out over the Gem of the Sierras. As we left, we noticed a group of about 30 people just across the road, with a few cars parked on the shoulder, all looking in the direction we were heading. My daughter hopped out to ask what was attracting all the attention, and came back with the news that it was a bear.

Not just a bear: a mother and cubs, just a little more distant than the bear in Log Meadow. The longer we watched, the more we saw. There was a mom and one, two and then three cubs. We’d seen a ranger’s pickup down the road a bit, and we gradually picked up the presence of at least three NPS personnel slowly moving in from different directions, communicating by whispering into walkie talkies.

The mother realized that something was up, and stared shooing the cubs up the trees. Two of them climbed on tree on the right just as we saw a ranger on that side raise a rifle. There was a sharp crack, and the mother stood up, and then started to run directly away from us, collapsing from as she tried to scale the trunk of a fallen sequoia.

Bears in this region, as we were rapidly learning, are a constant presence. They become inured to human presence, seek food in trash cans, cars, lockers, and anywhere their keen noses can detect it. Rangers have tried a variety of ways of coping: they constantly educate visitors about bear safety, in every publication, every sign, and every interaction. Bear lockers line the edge of every parking lot at Seqouia, along with reminders never to leave food in your car. Plenty of photos show you the risk of doing so.

At Lodgepole the next day, my daughter turned in her junior ranger pamphlet and received her badge from a very friendly ranger who spent about half an hour with us. We wanted to know what was likely to become of the bear we’d seen tranquilized the previous day (and were hoping for some assurance that it was a tranquilizer gun that we’d heard). The ranger explained that they had support for a new program to tag mother bears with GPS devices, and track them to see what they were teaching their cubs about food. We’d guessed that maybe they were relocating this bear into the wilderness, but she told us that such approaches had been shown not to work with bears that learned to eat human food. If the bears completely turn to foraging in cars and trash, they have to be destroyed: there’s no rehabilitation in the wild.

Meanwhile, we hopped back in our Dodge Caliber and headed for the heart of the Giant Forest, excited to have seen four bears already, and just a little more anxious about the trails to come.

From journal Trees, Bears and Rocks: Two Days in Sequoia

Editor Pick

Great Stop on the Way to Kings Canyon

  • October 11, 2008
  • Rated 4 of 5 by callen60 from Ozarks, Missouri
Great Stop on the Way to Kings Canyon

Caves were an unexpected bonus of our trip into the Sierras. I’d read about Boyden Cavern in AAA’s California TourBook as we planned our trip. A subterranean exploration sounded good to my daughter, so as we drove up Kings Canyon, we pulled off into a parking area that barely fit between the river and the mountains.

This cavern lies in Sequoia National Forest, between the two sections of Kings Canyon National Park. To get there from Sequoia NP, you exit out the northwest corner, and then make a giant U-turn on Highway 180, which eventually dead ends in the middle of Kings Canyon NP. It’s almost 15 miles from ‘the Wye’ intersection just south of Grant Grove in the section of Kings Canyon that protrudes off Sequoia’s NW corner like a horn (part of this piece was originally General Grant NP). You can only get to Boyden this way, so if you haven’t paid the $20 entrance fee to Sequoia/Kings Canyon, you’ll have to do so on your way through the park.

The cavern itself is a concession within the National Forest, and a relic from another era. The entire area is a huge change from Yosemite’s crowds and the lesser but still substantial throngs in Sequoia. Few people make the drive into Kings Canyon, and we found only a handful of cars in the lot. We shopped in the gift store for a while, waiting for the next tour to begin, which reminded me of the souvenir stores of the sixties and seventies I visited as a kid.

Our group was six: the two of us, a young couple, a guide-in-training, and a vet who was observing him. The cave’s entrance is up the mountainside from the parking lot, a five to ten minute climb up a paved path. The nearly round, 10-foot wide entrance is closed with a padlocked gate that guides unlock. It’s a recent addition, added to protect against vandalism (a theme I’ve heard at far too many other caves, especially in my native, cave-riddled Ozarks).

Boyden is part of a 5-mile-long network, but your tour won’t take you quite that far. We went back about 800 feet, more than enough to awaken my usually dormant claustrophobia (which I was able to subdue). The passageway is fairly broad, with the exception of one neck that isn’t too tight of a squeeze.

The geology here is marble, and the formations in the cave range from ordinary to nearly spectacular. Curtains descend from the ceiling, layer cakes rise up from the floor, and drip castles are everywhere. It’s impressive to see what erosion can carve out of marble: I was surprised to learn that this cave is just one of many that riddle the mountains either side of Kings Canyon, and dot Sequoia as well, which holds over 200 caves.

Like most caves, it’s a comfortable 55 degrees or so, making a fleece a nice option to have along. The walkway is paved, and there’s a handrail wherever one is necessary. The lighting is adequate, but not overbearing. At the back of the cave, our guide asked everyone’s assent before dousing the lights for a while to experience the cave’s natural darkness. That was a neat experience, but I was glad to have the bulbs come back on again.

This cavern was carved by a ‘river’ that runs down into the rock, and drains out through the cave’s entrance. On the way back, the guides offered us the option of hiking back along the largely dry riverbed, which all four of us did. This required a little more ducking and care about placing your foot, but nothing serious.

All in all, Boyden seems like a reasonable substitute for Crystal Cave, the highly popular attraction in Sequoia NP, for which tickets must be acquired in advance at one of the park visitor centers. You can just roll up to Boyden, and even if you’re just coming for the cave tour, the drive will be worth it.

From journal California Bold Rush

Editor Pick

Auto Log & Tunnel Log

  • October 11, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by applejacks from Irvine, California
Auto Log & Tunnel Log

Auto Log and Tunnel Log are two nostalgic pieces of Sequoia National Park's history. They are located near each other in an easily accessible part of the park and take only a few minutes a piece to view and photograph. Highly recommended when you consider the value-to-time spent ratio... and kids will get a kick out of Tunnel Log!

Auto Log is a fallen Giant Sequoia that visitors used to drive their cars onto and take pictures. People have been doing this since the 1920s! However, Auto Log is rotting and can no longer support the weight of the cars, making taking the famous picture strictly verboten. But you can climb on top of the log and take a picture of yourself. Still fun, but I guess it's not quite the same experience. I've also seen people take pictures of their cars in front of the Auto Log. The last time I was there, I saw someone taking a picture of their bright-yellow Hummer... Two things I despise: Hummers and yellow cars.

Tunnel Log is also a fallen Sequoia. It fell over a road and was tunneled through. It's the only Sequoia that you can drive through in the park. But if your car is too big or you're just scared that the log will collapse, there is a small bypass road.

You can reach both of these sights via Moro Rock-Crescent Meadow Road. If you are traveling north along the General's Highway, make a right before the Giant Forest Museum and then follow the signs for about 2 miles. You can't miss them!

From journal Fall Weekends in Sequoia National Park

Big Trees Trail

  • October 7, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by applejacks from Irvine, California
Big Trees Trail

The Big Trees Trail is a 1.2 mile loop trail that is paved and handicap accessible. It circles Round Meadow in the Giant Forest section of Sequoia National Forest. The trail can be reached by parking at the Giant Forest Museum and following the signs. There is also a small parking lot for cars with handicap plackards closer to the trail. Both of these parking lots are on the General's Highway, the main road running through the park, and the small handicap lot is on the left side after the Museum if you're heading north.

The Big Trees Trail provides a nice introduction to the Giant Forest Sequoia Grove if you've never been to the park. There are informative panels all over the trail to enhance your understanding of the Giant Sequoias. Topics include the shallow root systems of the Sequoias, the difference between Sequoias and Redwoods, and the structure and function of the Sequoias' thick bark. There are also some interesting trees along this trail. Ned and Ed are two Sequoias that are extremely close together and almost appear to be growing from the same base. There is also a Sequoia that has incorporated a giant rock into it's trunk. It's also interesting to notice that Sequoias don't grown in Round Meadow. Although I have never visited this trail in the spring, I have read that there are lovely wildflowers in the meadow during the springtime.

Walking along the path, reading the educational panels, and taking some pictures will probably take about an hour. If you're looking for a quick and educational introduction to the Giant Sequoias or you have small children who would be unhappy on a longer walk, the Big Trees Trail is for you.

From journal Fall Weekends in Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park

  • December 1, 2004
  • Rated 5 of 5 by elellilrah from Temecula, California
Camping in Sequoia in the winter is a wonderful experience. The first night, the campground had about 30 people total there, and they were quite spread out. It was quite cold (15 degrees), so there wasn't too much noise from people running around. Once it snows, however, people leave, and you'll be there virtually by yourself.

The trick is to set up your camp, eat, then go to Waksatchi Lodge and warm up until about 10pm so you can go to bed and not wake up at 4am, waiting for the sun to come up while you're freezing.

From journal Winter backpacking in Sequoia

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