General Sherman Tree

The main trail starts at the Wolverton Road parking area and runs about half a mile downhill through giant sequoias. It is paved, with a few stairs and exhibits along the way. The walk back climbs uphill. In summer, you can continue downhill from the tree to the accessible Generals Highway lot and take the shuttle back to Wolverton, avoiding that climb.

For a shorter accessible visit, park at the Generals Highway lot. Its path to the tree is about 500 feet, gently sloped and paved for wheelchairs, strollers and walkers. Both parking areas have restrooms and water; the Wolverton lot also has food-storage lockers. Use them, since bears can visit the parking area.

The broad lower trunk is the best way to take in the tree's scale. From the fenced viewing path, include a person near the base in your picture; the contrast makes the trunk's width much easier to read. This is the classic photo stop, and visitors often gather around the tree and sign, so give the viewing area a little time.

General Sherman is not the tallest or widest tree. Its distinction is volume: the trunk holds an estimated 52,500 cubic feet of wood. It rises 274.9 feet above its base and measures 102.6 feet around at ground level. Those numbers describe the trunk alone, which is why standing close to the broad base tells the story better than the height does.

The Kaweah Colony, a utopian group based in Three Rivers that supported itself partly through logging, once called the tree the Karl Marx Tree. When Sequoia National Park was established, the colony's logging efforts were ruled illegal. In 1903, Buffalo Soldiers led by then-Captain Charles Young protected the park's groves; Young planned for their preservation and oversaw some of the first roads into the parks.

Giant sequoias can withstand moderate fire, helped by their thick insulating bark, but severe fires can reach old scars and cavities and kill even large trees. During the 2021 KNP Complex Fire, park staff wrapped General Sherman in reflective fire shelter material to protect it from fire entering vulnerable scars. That was an emergency measure for that fire, not a feature of the regular visitor experience.

The sequoias share more than a grove: their shallow roots spread widely and tangle with neighboring trees, helping stabilize one another. Look on the ground for chewed cone stems. Douglas squirrels climb into sequoias, cut cones from the tree, then eat the green, fleshy coating. The nearby Congress Trail is an easy way to keep walking among some of Giant Forest's notable trees.