Sequoia National Park - 2009

Think of the tallest tree that you've ever seen....I know for me it was the beautiful trees of Sequoia National Park! With the soft snow starting to fall around me, I couldn't help but become enchanted by this Muir/Shire paradise! Truly a geographer's playground! All I wanted to do is run around and explore this extraordinary place! What a beautiful sight! To this day it is still unreal to me the size of these trees. To put their size into perspective, the National Parks Service (2009) state that the tallest Sequoia trees are on average as tall as a 26-story building! Some of these trees are estimated to be as old as 1800-2700 years! Pictures just do not do justice to the majesty of these trees!

This park is also home to the largest tree (by volume) in the world: General Sherman. The National Parks Service publishes the statistics on this magnificent tree, but to summarize its height is over 80 meters, with a circumference of over 30 meters at the ground!

Though I only spent a short amount of time there, I fell in love with this place...the awe and majesty of the area is something everybody should experience! I for one cannot wait to go back! There are an number of different things one can do at this park from hiking to camping to rock climbing. Or, if you are in a hurry, you can just drive around and stop to be inspired by these beautiful sights! For more information, please visit the National Park Service's Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks homepage!