Sequoia National Park, CA
A 2.8-mile walk through sequoias to General Sherman Tree.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sequoia Tour Guide
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 area
Lodgepole and Tokopah Falls“Lodgepole is coming up, where the trail to Tokopah Falls follows the river into a glacier-carved granite canyon.”
Plays on the road 0.2 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Sequoia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…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.”
Trail guide
The Lodgepole–Sherman Tree Trail is a 2.8-mile point-to-point walk from Lodgepole Campground to General Sherman Tree. It passes from white fir forest into the Giant Forest sequoia grove, then joins the main Sherman Tree Trail about halfway down. Allow 2 to 5 hours. If the tree is your only goal, the short trail from the Wolverton Road parking area is a much more direct choice. Pets aren't allowed on park trails.
The tread is unpaved dirt, uneven and rocky. This isn't a steady downhill stroll: the route climbs to a little over 7,100 feet, drops, then climbs again toward the tree. Its sampled profile gains roughly 600 feet and finishes about 250 feet above the Lodgepole start, so expect some work at around 7,000 feet.
General Sherman is about 275 feet tall and more than 36 feet across at the base. It's the world's largest tree, and it makes a memorable finish after the forest walk. The route reaches it from the Lodgepole side; the other well-known approach starts at the main lot off Wolverton Road.
Start at the large paved overflow lot just beyond the Lodgepole Campground entrance kiosk, or walk over from a campsite. The park shuttle usually connects the tree and Lodgepole in summer, with occasional winter-holiday service; check the current schedule before counting on a ride. Without a shuttle or another pickup, walking back makes the outing 5.6 miles. Lodgepole Market is next to the campground and operates seasonally, May through October. The nearby Grill serves burgers, sandwiches, salads, and snacks; both are separate from the walk.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ChallengingDeadman Canyon Loop49 mi · 1.3 days · 0.2 mi awayA six-day traverse from Lodgepole to Deadman Canyon’s granite headwall
ChallengingSilliman Pass Trail15.4 mi · 10 hr · 0.2 mi awayA long, strenuous hike to Twin Lakes and a wooded Sierra pass.
ModerateTokopah Falls Trail3.8 mi · 2.3 hr · 0.2 mi awayFollow the Marble Fork to a 1,200-foot granite cascade
ChallengingTwin Lakes Trail13.6 mi · 8 hr · 0.2 mi awayWorth the long pine climb for two quiet high Sierra lakes.
ChallengingAlta Winter Trail6.2 mi · 7 hr · 0.7 mi awayA winter ridge drops into Giant Forest's giant sequoias.
ModerateLong Meadow Loop2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayA quiet loop around a wet meadow where wildlife is the point.
ChallengingAlta Meadow Trail13.1 mi · 7.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayA hard climb ends in a meadow beneath the Great Western Divide.
ChallengingLakes Trail to Pear Lake12.8 mi · 7.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayFrom forest switchbacks to the glacial bowl around Pear Lake.
Campground · 0.1 mi awayLodgepole CampgroundCamp beside the Marble Fork, with a shuttle to Giant Forest.
Store · 0.3 mi awayLodgepole Market CenterA high-country supply stop with groceries, a grill, showers, and laundry.
Visitor center · 0.3 mi awayLodgepole Visitor CenterGet oriented before the big trees, with exhibits that travel by sound.
Picnic area · 0.5 mi awayLodgepole Picnic AreaA shaded riverside picnic with Lodgepole's village services close by.
Picnic area · 0.7 mi awayWolverton Picnic and Snowplay AreaA meadow picnic spot with winter snowplay when conditions allow.
Lodging · 1.5 mi awayWuksachi LodgeA wooded, in-park base with meals and starry skies.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayThe Watchtower ViewpointA long climb pays off with Tokopah Falls far below.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayTokopah FallsA granite canyon walk ends at a 1,200-foot waterfall.Parkwolf’s Sequoia ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
