Sequoia National Forest

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Trail of a Hundred Giants

Distribution
Giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) grow only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California. The groves are scattered over a narrow 260 mile belt no more than about 15 miles wide at any point. They range in elevations mainly between 5,000-7,500 feet. The coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) are closely related and occupy two million acres of fog belt along the northern California coast. Giant sequoias are slightly shorter than the coastal redwoods, more massive and considered to be the largest tree in the world in terms of volume. The largest giant sequoia and the most massive living organism on the planet is the famous General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park It stretches 275 feet high and has a diameter of 36.5 feet.

A Grove of Giants
Trail of a Hundred Giants is located within the Long Meadow Giant Sequoia Grove, the second most southern grove where giant sequoias are found. The Grove contains 125 giant sequoias over 10 feet in diameter and 143 sequoias under 10 feet in diameter. The largest tree in the grove has a diameter of 20 feet and is 220 feet in height. The grove encompasses 355 acres. It is estimated the age of the trees in the grove are between 500 to 1,500 years old.

About The Trail
Trail of a Hundred Giants is one of the most popular hiking trails on the Sequoia National Forest. It provides a cool, easy walk and makes for an ideal hiking trail of short duration. The trail is a self-guided interpretive trail about one-half mile long. There are 13 interpretive stations along the way which provide information about the trail, the grove and management activities on the Sequoia National Forest. The signs emphasize ecology of giant sequoias including the necessary environment for growth of the trees, related species associated with the sequoias, the approximate size and age of the trees found in the grove and the role of fire.

Construction of the trail was performed through volunteer labor. Mary Hart, a student at Dartmouth College, designed the artwork on the interpretive signs. Allan Landon, a school teacher from Tulare, California, built the foot bridges. Dave Hefner and members of the Kern Valley Wildlife Association were responsible for trail construction along with Forest Service personnel. The interpretive signs were paid for by Three Forests Interpretive Association (3FIA).

How To Get There
The trail is located about 45 miles northwest of Kernville on the Hot Springs Ranger District. From Kernville, take State Mtn. 99 north to Johnsondale. Continue west on Mtn. 50 to the Western Divide Hwy. turn-off, go two miles to the Redwood Meadow Campground. The trail is located across the road from the campground. Travel time from Kernville is about 1.5 hours.

From Hwy. 65, turn east at the Ducor exit and continue through California Hot Springs. From the Hot Springs area, travel on towards the Western Divide Hwy. turnoff. Go for two miles until you reach the Trail of Hundred Giants parking area and the Redwood Meadow Campground.