Winter access
The tree stands beside Moro Rock / Crescent Meadow Road. In winter, visitors must hike, snowshoe, or ski into this area; check park road conditions before setting out.
Overview
About Buttress Tree
Why stop
- An immense exposed root plate makes this a different kind of sequoia stop.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Sequoia map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Winter access
8 active Sequoia alerts
- CautionStage 1 fire restrictionsStage 1 fire restrictions are in effect due to high fire danger and catastrophic-wildfire risk; the restrictions reduce the possibility of accidental human-caused fires that could threaten visitors…Official details
- ClosureGrant Grove trails and areas closed for prescribed burnSome trails and areas around Grant Grove and the General Grant Tree are closed for safety during a prescribed burn and until they are cleared of hazards.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sequoia Tour Guide
Your drive to Buttress Tree, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Sequoia National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Sequoia audio tourRecorded for this place
Parker Group and Buttress Tree0:00 / 0:30
“You're nearing the Parker Group, eight giant sequoias standing close together beside Crescent Meadow Road. This is a good brief stop to walk among the trunks and look at their fire scars.”
Plays as you drive up to Buttress Tree in the Parkwolf Sequoia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Hanging Rock
- Moro Rock
- Tunnel Log
- Auto Log and the Washington and Young Trees
- 71 audio storiesacross Sequoia’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Bobcat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 99 trails, 68 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…The kids and my husband and I all agree that the narration really added to our experience driving through the parks. We learned so much about the history and the flora & fauna.”
Guide
More about Buttress Tree
A fallen giant beside the roadAlong Moro Rock / Crescent Meadow Road in the Giant Forest area, the Buttress Tree is a fallen…
Along Moro Rock / Crescent Meadow Road in the Giant Forest area, the Buttress Tree is a fallen giant sequoia with a huge exposed root plate and long trunk. If you are already driving this road, stop to look at the roots from different sides; that is the unusual part of the visit.
Read the roots, then the signThe tree fell without warning on June 3, 1959.
The tree fell without warning on June 3, 1959. The on-site sign gives its length as 272 feet, base diameter as 20 feet, and estimated age as 2,300 years. Its roots show how a sequoia can be broad-rooted but shallow: they can extend up to 300 feet outward but rarely grow deeper than 12 feet. For a photo, frame the twisted root plate with the fallen trunk extending across the scene; a straight-on close-up hides the tree’s length.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Sequoia
691 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
17 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
18 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
24 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
15 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
20 sightingsSpotted OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Sequoia. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
