Giant Sequoia National Monument

Sept. 24, 2024

It is hard to differentiate between The Giant Sequoia National Monument (USFS), Sequoia National Park (NPS) and Kings Canyon National Park (NPS) as they are all snuggled together in pieces like a puzzle. I drove an hour and a half on crazy winding mountain roads to get to the Trail of 100 Giants. Sadly, I did not know that the Forest Service did not honor the America the Beautiful pass here and wanted cash or check for a parking fee. I had to over pay as I did not have exact change. Who carries a checkbook with them now? The trail is a loop but the back portion is closed for fire damage, so I had to back track both directions. Tall trees everywhere but it was surprising the mixture of sequoias, fir, cedar, pine and oak. This trail led through one of the most beautiful forests I have ever been to. A huge yellow pine had fallen recently and broken apart on landing across the trail in several spots. It was dusk when I left and the wildlife came out with rabbits hoping and a strange lone owl standing in the middle of the road. I drove through this monument several times over the next couple days but did not do any more hiking.