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The Monument is named for the native Giant Sequoia tree, Sequoiadendron giganteum, the world's largest tree. Sequoias can tower more than 300 feet high and reach diameters of 40 feet. Out of approximately 67 groves in the Sierra, the Monument contains 38. The landscape is as spectacular as its 38 groves of giant sequoia. Elevation climbs from around 1,000 to 9,700 feet over a distance of only a few miles, capturing an extraordinary array of habitats within a relatively small area. Majestic granite monoliths, glacier-torn canyons, roaring whitewater, and lush meadows await your discovery just a short drive above the valley floor. If the land could speak, it would tell a history of Native American villages, settlers' cabins, mining towns, cattle ranches, gold prospecting, lumber camps, logging, early day resorts, mineral springs, and much more. National Forest lands in the area are managed for multiple use, such as recreation, forest health, fire and fuels management, hydropower production, apiary sites, electronic sites, municipal water supplies, and other permitted activities including livestock grazing, outfitter guide pack stations, organization camps, commercial river rafting, personal use fuel wood collection, and cone and bough collection under permit. Recreation opportunities in the Monument include developed campgrounds and associated facilities. Four of these campgrounds are within giant sequoia grove boundaries. There are single-family and group campgrounds, first-come, first-served sites, and sites that can be reserved. A concessionaire, under a special use permit, operates most of the campgrounds and day use areas. The camping season is generally from late-May through mid-October, weather permitting. Some campgrounds are open year-round. For campground reservations, call the National Forest Reservation Center at 1-877-444-6777. Visitors with Internet access can find out about campsite availability on the World Wide Web at: www.recreation.gov. In addition, almost all National Forest System land is available for you to choose your own camping spot and this is called dispersed camping. Remember to obtain a campfire permit if you plan to make your own camp and pack out all your trash. Several refurbished historic cabins can be rented for overnight visits: Big Meadows Guard Station near Hume Lake, Poso Station near Sugarloaf and Glenville, Frog Meadow Guard Station near Tobias Peak, and Mountain Home Guard Station near Balch Park and Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest. Please contact the Districts for more information or to make reservations. Approximately 550 miles of recreational trails are within the Monument boundary providing both summer and winter opportunities for hikers, stock users, mountain bike riders, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers. Motorized vehicle use is limited to designated roads in the Monument. With the cooperation of the State of California and off-highway vehicle (OHV) funds, the Forest Service maintains roads for OHV and over-snow use. All state vehicle code regulations apply. All public land in the Monument is open to hunting and fishing under state regulations. Appropriate state licenses are required. Visitors may use firearms if they carry them in compliance with current regulations. Discharging firearms is prohibited within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area, across or on a forest development road, body of water, or in a manner where any person or property is exposed to injury or damage. The opportunity of fishing in the lakes, streams and rivers is offered to everyone. If you are 16 or older, you need a California state fishing license. You can fish for resident trout and many reservoirs and rivers are planted seasonally by the California Department of Fish and Game.
Points of Interest - Hume Lake Ranger District
The Kings River forms one of the deepest canyons in North America, with elevations ranging from less than 1,000 feet to over 11,000 feet at Hogback Peak. Highway 180, the primary access route into the northern portion of the Monument, is designated a Scenic Byway. Hume Lake Dam, constructed in 1909 with unique multiple arch shapes, provided water for the longest lumber flume in history. Lumber was floated by flume through the Kings Canyon to Sanger, a distance of 73 miles. A sawmill fire stopped operations in 1917. The Dam is now a National Historic Landmark and the 87 acre lake is a popular recreation area. In the 1800s, a huge giant sequoia known as the General Noble Tree was cut, and sections were reassembled at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Visitors can view the remaining 20-foot "Chicago Stump" in the Converse Basin Grove. Boyden Cavern is located along the Kings River on Highway 180 near the entrance to Kings Canyon National Park. A 45-minute tour (a fee is charged) through the cavern features stalactites, draperies, and stalagmites. At an elevation of 8,500 feet, Buck Rock Lookout sits perched atop a granite dome and offers breathtaking views of the Great Western Divide and other spectacular peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Access to this 1920s era fire lookout is via a series of stair flights suspended from the side of the rock. Still currently active as a location for the detection of wildfires, Buck Rock is frequently open to the public unless a fire is in progress, and is located near Big Meadows.
Points of Interest - Western Divide Ranger District
The Trail of a Hundred Giants is adjacent to Redwood Meadow Campground on the Western Divide Highway. This universally accessible interpretive trail is about 1.3 miles long and it meanders through 125 giant sequoias in the Long Meadow Grove. President Clinton signed a proclamation here in 2000 which established the Giant Sequoia National Monument. The Freeman Grove is the easternmost grove of giant sequoias and is site of the President George Bush Tree. In 1992, President Bush signed a proclamation here, providing management direction for all National Forest sequoia groves. The Deer Creek Grove, southern-most grove of giant sequoias, is accessible during the summer season by road from California Hot Springs. The Needles are a series of massive granite rock formations popular with rock climbers. With a fire lookout atop at an elevation of 8,245 feet, the Needles offers majestic views of the Golden Trout Wilderness and Kern River Canyon. A 2.5-mile long, moderately difficult hike leads to the lookout, which includes a steep, long staircase leading into the tower. The tower is frequently open to the public unless a fire is in progress. To get to the trailhead take the Needles Road, 21S05, near Quaking Aspen Campground. Dome Rock is a massive granite monolith located along the Western Divide Highway, and forms a natural vista point overlooking the Kern River Canyon. Other scenic spots along the Western Divide Highway include several mountain meadows, including Quaking Aspen, Long, Redwood, and Holey meadows. |
On April 15, 2000, President William J. Clinton, by proclamation, created
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