Sherman, Grant, and a Snow Hike

Currently In:  Three Rivers, CA (near Sequoia National Park)
Next Up: Hollister, CA; Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Redding, CA
Up to Oregon and Washington

Our RV park is six miles from the entrance to Sequoia National Park.  And our RV park is where the three rivers (North, Middle and South forks of the Kaweah River) come together - one of them is right in front of our site!

Before we could even enter the National Park, we had to address the issue of tire chains.  We just came from the desert and landed in an unusual Sierra Nevada April snow!  If there is snow on the roads in the Park, California law requires tire chains.  A bunch of places rent them, but only for 24 hours and they are crazy expensive.  Plus, you don't really know if you need them or not until you get to the Park entrance.

We took our chances and waited until it hadn't snowed for a few days and was warm.  It was worth it!

I always look for the Park entrance sign.  Sequoia's is being repaired.  Too bad because it is unusual and has historical value.

Our first day in the park we took a couple of short hikes and got to watch winter's melting snow run down the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

This rock reminded us of Natural Bridge in Death Valley.

Eventually, we drove the long and very windy Generals Highway.  We met this guy along the way - about 3 feet from our car.  He was with a friend.

Our first look at snow on the ground this season - in the Giant Forest.  Look at the Giant Trees!

First we took at look at the Sentinel Tree.  It is an example of an average sequoia - 700 tons.

We took a hike on the Giant Trees Trail.  Johnny is a self proclaimed "tree guy", so he loved it!

This is what happens when a sequoia dies - many times they fall over because their roots are not very deep and when they get so tall they get heavy.

On to the General Sherman Tree!

The largest tree in the world.  It is 2200 years old and a beauty!

The General Sherman footprint - backyard patio?

Near Sherman - gives you a perspective on size!

We continued on Generals Highway and stopped several times along the way to admire the breathtaking views.  I know an iPhone camera can't capture it all; you just have to be there.

Not sure the names of these mountain peaks, but beautiful

We get to the next Park!  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are right next to each other and are connected by the highway.

Grant's Grove has a lot to look at including this hollowed out log.  People used to camp here in the early 1900's and use the log for shelter.

This old cabin used to be a ranger station, among other things.

We also saw the Centennial Stump - what's left of a sequoia that was cut down for the Philadelphia  Centennial Exposition of 1876.  The people out East who saw the big tree thought it was a California hoax!  It was covered in snow the day we were there, so no photo.

We finally get to see the tree named after the famous general.  It is 1700 years old and not as big as Sherman.  Still impressive.

Many of the other roads in both Sequoia and Kings Canyon are closed until the summer.  There are lots of cool hikes and great views from these other roads.  But we are happy with what we were able to see so far in the Spring weather because it gets really hot in Three Rivers during those summer months.