Sequoia National Park, California

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This website is a collection of photos of parts of Sequoia National Park. The Giant Sequoia groves are the target of most travellers interest who come to Sequoia National Park, and rightly so. They are beyond impressive. However, the geologic story of the park is also amazing.

Unfortuately, this website does not include pictures in the high back-country lakes region, the Crystal Cave area, or the Mineral King regions of the park. These areas were closed at the time of this visit, partly because of weathern and partly to closures to restore road and infrastructure damage from the massive fires that burned through large portions of the park in 2019.

Hopefully, we will be able to add these areas in the near future, along with imagery from Kings Canyon National Park.

For more information visit the Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks website: https://www.nps.gov/seki.

Learn more about the park plants, animals, and ecology.

Regional map of Sequoia National Park in California

Generalized geeologic map of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the Sierra Nevada Range of California.

(Click on map and images for a larger view.)

Learn more about the park geology (NPS.gov)

Selected Views of Sequoia National Park

The image gallery below partly illustrate the experience of visiting Sequoia National Park (be sure to click on images for a larger view).

The park is perhaps most famous for it's namesake: the Giant Sequoia trees. But it also is host to a variety of ecozones ranging from raparian forests along the lower stream valleys, grassy meadows and mixed oak forests, spruce and pine forests in the upland moutainous region, and barren tundra habitats in the high mountain peaks region above timberline. Most visitors only go to locations that are easily accessible along the park roads, but much of the park is back-country wilderness, accessible by trails, some leading up to the high peaks of the crest of Sierra Nevada Range along the park's eastern boundary.
Figure 1 View along a trail amongst the giant sequoias in the Giant Forest area.
Figure 2 View of Ash Peak on south side of Kaweah River canyon from Potwisha Campground.
Figure 3 View of the high peaks along the southern Sierra Nevada Range as viewed from the top of Moro Rock.
Figure 4 NPS display along Moro Rock Trail showing the names of the high peaks of the high crest of the Sierra Nevada range.

Fig. 1. Trail in sequoia forest

View of a relatively barren mountain peak of gray granite with grasslands and oak forest in th foreground.

Fig. 1. Ash Peak near VC.

View from Moro Rock of the high show covered peaks and rocky ridgeline of the crest of the Sierra nevada beyond a deep, frested canyon.

Fig. 3. Sierra Crest.

Picture of a park display sign that has a picture of the high Sierra crest with the mountain peaks labeled.

Fig. 4. High peaks named.

Giant Forest Trails, General Sherman Tree, Congress Loop Trail

The images below illustrate the scenery along the trails in the Giant Forest area (including the General Sherman Tree and the Congress Loop Trail). It is somewhat difficult to get a whole Giant Sequoia in a photograph. Figures 5 to 30 views along trails throughout the Giant Forest area. In many locations large trees are clusted close together as "groves" and have been assigned names, such as "The House" and "The Senate" along the Congress Loop Trail.

A picture in a sequoia grove showing tree trunds and yellow plant cover on the ground.

Fig. 5. Giant sequoia forest

Picture showing the lower tree trunks of a grove of sequoia trees.

Fig. 6. Giant sequoia grove

Picture showing the lower tree trunks of a grove of sequoia trees. The grove is called The House on a small sign.

Fig. 7. The House grove

Fig. 8. The Senate Grove

Sequoia root spreading like a foot on a granite outcrop.

Fig. 9. Root foot on rock

Two close sequoias displaying charring by fire.

Fig. 10. Fire damaged trees

Fire-scarred lower trunk of a living sequoia with a granite outcrop in foreground.

Fig. 11. Fire damaged tree

Tangled roots of an old, fallen sequoia tree.

Fig. 12. Fallen sequoia roots

Trailhead for the Congress Trail and the General Sherman Tree. A wooden shelter at the trailhead has displays about the area.

Fig. 13. General Sherman Trail

A park display discribling the size and characteristics of the General Sherman Tree.

Fig. 14. General Sherman Tree

Young sequoias visible through a fog cloud.

Fig. 15. Young trees in fog.

An old fallen sequoia that has been cut with a tunnel for a paved trail of the Congress Loop Trail.

Fig. 16. Trail cut through tree

Fig. 17. General Sherman trail	Fig. 18. Giant Sequoias	Fig. 19. General Sherman tree	Fig. 20. Giant Sequoias
Fig. 21. Congress Loop Trail	Fig. 22. Giant Sequoia	Fig. 23. General Sherman tree	Fig. 24. General Sherman tree
Fig. 25. The House Grove	Fig. 26. Looking up	Fig. 27. The House Grove	Fig. 28. The Senate Grove
Fig. 29. Giant Sequoia in fog.	Fig. 30. Giant Sequoia in fog.	Fig. 31. Crescent Meadow.	Fig. 32. Crescent Meadow.

Crescent Meadow and Moro Rock Area

Crescent Meadow is a scenic open grassy meadow within the Giant Forest area (Figures 31-32 [above] and 33-36 [below]). Crescent Meadow was among the favorite spots that John Muir like to visit as he worked to help establish Sequoia National Park in 1890.

Moro Rock is a scenic hiking destination in the Giant Grove area (access may be difficult during the crowded summer season and closed in the winter).
Figure 37 is a view looking up at Moro Rock from below along the Park Road. Figure 38 is a view of Moro Rock from nearby Hanging Rock (Figures 39-40). Both rocks are remnants of Cretaceous age plutons of the greater Sierra Nevada Batholith.

Figure 41 is a view looking up a burned-out sequoia along the path to Hanging Rock (located near Moro Rock).
Figures 42-44 are views of the stairs trail leading up to the overlook on top of Moro Rock. Note there are 350 steps along the narrow path to the top, but the views are worth it.
Figure 45 is a view of the Sierra Crest region from the top of Moro Rock.
Figure 46 is looking across the Middle Fork Kaweah River valley to Castle Rocks (another remnant of Cretaceous age plutons of the Sierra Nevada Batholith).
Figures 47 and 48 are views looking west down the Kaweah River canyon where it eventually drains into California's Central Valley.

Giant sequoia trees in the Crescent Meadow Trail area of the Giant Forest.

Fig. 33. Sequoia grove

View looking acros the Crescent Meadow to the giant sequoia forest on the other side.

Fig. 34. Crescent Meadow

Fall colors of red and yellow (aspen?) in the Crescent Meadow Trail area.

Fig. 35. Meadow fall folliage

Fig. 36. Meadow fall folliage

Fig. 37. Moro Rock

Fig. 38 Moro Rock

Fig. 39. Hanging Rock

Fig. 40. Hanging Rock View

Fig. 41. Hollow sequoia trunk

Fig. 42. Moro Rock stairs up

Fig. 43. Moro Rock stairs up

Fig. 44. Moro Rock stairs

Fig. 45. Sierra Crest view

Fig. 46. Castle Rocks

Fig. 47. Moro Rock view

Fig. 48. Hanging Rock view

Destinations in the Lower Valley (canyons) of the Kaweah River

Figure 49 to 52 show views in the vicinity of Swinging Bridge on Kaweah River near Potwisha Campground.
Figure 51 shows indian mortar holes on a large outcrop along the river near the bridge. If you look up in the vicinity of the mortar holes you might see this indian pictograph preserved on a granite outcrop (Figure 52).
Figures 53 to 56 shows waterfalls and pools along lower Marble Fork of Kaweah River near Potwisha Campground.

Figure 57 shows a ridge of metamorphic rock cropping out on hillside along Marble Fork near Potwisha Campground.

Hospital Rock is located near the entrance to Buckeye Flats campground road, now a hiking trail (Figures 58 to 60). (The "Hospital" is a large overhang beneath what was possibly a great glacial erattic. In the vicinity are an abundance of mortar holes in granite (Figure 59), and a pictograph panel on the side of a massive boulder adjacent to Hospital Rock (Figure 60).

Fig. 49. Kaweah River.

Fig. 50. Swinging Bridge

Fig. 51. Indian mortar holes

Fig. 52. Indian pictograph

Fig. 53. Marble Fork

Fig. 54. Pool on Marble Fork

Fig. 55. Falls on Marble Fork

Fig. 56. Falls on Marble Fork

Fig. 57. Metamorphic ridge

Fig. 58. Hospital Rock

Fig. 59. Mortars at Hospital R.

Fig. 60. Pictographs at H.R.

Rocks of the Sierra Nevada Batholith

Granodiorite, gabbro, and xenoliths (of gabbro) imbedded in granitic plutonic rocks are common throughout the park (Figures 61 to 64). A xenolith (meaning"foreign rock") is a rock fragment derived from older surrounding country rock) that becomes enveloped in a larger igneous rock body during the latter's development and solidification. These all formed as part of the plutonic intrusion phase that formed throughout the the Sierra Nevada volcanic arc (and associatiated underlying batholith) during Late Cretaceous time.

Rocks along the Buckeye Flats/Paradise Creek Trails

Older metamorphic rocks that predate the Sierra Nevada batholith crop out in many places throughout the park region. Perhaps the easiest and best places to see them area along the Buckey Flats/Paradise Creek Trails. Paradise Creek is a fork of the Kaweah River (Figure 65). Along the "closed road" (now hiking trail) to Buckeye Flats Campground are outcrops of metamorphic rocks (schist and gneiss). Thee rocks probably represent ancient marine sediments deposited in offshore basins in late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic time, but were metamorphosed in the early stages of moutain building that led to the formation of the Cordilleran Ranges along western North America. This occurred prior to the formation of the Sierra Nevada volcanic arc and batholith. Large blocks of "pre-batholith" metamorphic rocks imbedded in the granite are call "roof pendants." Note that the uplift and erosional formation of the modern Sierra Range occurred much later beginning in Miocene time.

Figures 66 and 67 show layered metamorphic rocks (schist and gniess) exposed along the closed road to the Buckeye Flats Campground.
Figure 68 shows a large augen (eye-shaped crystal pattern) preserved in the layered beds of schist and gneiss.

Figure 69 shows a bridge over Paradise Creek along the Paradise Creek Trail. The Paradise Creek Trail starts at the Buckeye Flats Campground.
Figures 70 to 74 show views of the gneiss/schist outcrops along the stream near the bridge. Figures 73 and 74 show small granitic bodies that intruded or formed within the older gneiss/schist.

Figures 75 and 76 show the canyon, cataracks and falls near the Buckeye Flats Campground.

Fig. 61. Granodiorite

Fig. 62. Gabbro

Fig. 63. Xenoliths

Fig. 64. Xenoliths

Fig. 65. Paradise Creek

Fig. 66. Schist & sneisss

Fig. 67. Schist

Fig. 68. Augen in schist

Fig. 69. Paradise Creek bridge

Fig. 70. Schist & gneiss

Fig. 71. Schist & gneiss

Fig. 72. Waterfall near trail

Fig. 73. Granite in schist

Fig. 74. Granite in schist

Fig. 75. Paradise Creek

Fig. 76. Falls near campground

Other Park Features

This website is incomplete. It really should include the geologic features, including the landscape features associated with Pleistocene glaciation periods. It should also include a section about the Crystal Cave and Mineral King areas (they were unaccessible at the time this website's photography was compiled.
Part of the story is the devestation caused by the wildfires that have burned throughout the park. Figure 77 shows a view of the park entrance sign at the north end of the park road. Recent fire-burn areas are scatter throughout the park, but fortunately large areas have not burned. Figure 78 shows one of the views of the forested upland landscape from along the park road between Dorst Creek and Wuksachi Village.

Figure 79 shows Tunnel Rock near the south park entrance. This view show the historic park road that used to pass under the rock. Figure 80 illustrates why that short section of the road was abandoned.

Fig. 77. Burn near park sign

Fig. 78. Park road view.

Fig. 79. Tunnel Rock

Fig. 80. Tunnel Rock display

This page is <https://gotbooks.miracosta.edu/gonp/seki/>
Last modified 12/5/2024.