Parking
Use the small roadside parking area on Generals Highway about two miles north of Giant Forest Museum, at the Rimrock Trailhead end. The route finishes at an Alta Trail junction; arrange a return or use a mapped connection.
Overview
About Rimrock Trail
Why go
- A short route past fallen giants and the distinctive Lincoln Tree
Heads up
- Generals Highway stays close; the mapped segment is point-to-point
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Sequoia map
Full mapElevation6,428–6,908 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active Sequoia alerts
- InfoGenerals Highway weekday hazard-tree removal delaysMentions Generals Highway, referenced in this guideExpect weekday delays of up to 30 minutes total on Generals Highway between Highway 180 and Giant Forest, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., while crews remove hazard trees; the highway remains open.Official details
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sequoia Tour Guide
Your drive to Rimrock Trail, 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 area
Pinewood Picnic Area0:00 / 0:18
“Pinewood Picnic Area is coming up, a shaded lunch stop between Giant Forest and Lodgepole, with drinking water and tables under the trees. Bring a meal if you'd like a proper break between sightseeing stops.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Sequoia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Giant Forest Museum and Round Meadow
- General Sherman Tree and Congress Trail
- Crescent Meadow and Tharp’s Log
- Tunnel Log
- 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Rimrock Trail
What the route isRimrock Trail is a 1.
Rimrock Trail is a 1.24-mile, one-way dirt singletrack in Giant Forest, running from Rimrock Trailhead on Generals Highway southwest to an Alta Trail junction. It follows a wooded hillside beside the highway and crosses a burned section with fallen giant sequoias. Allow about 45–60 minutes one way. It is a short walk for seeing the grove’s fire effects, though traffic stays close and the trail ends at a junction rather than a loop.
Choose your directionFrom Rimrock Trailhead the route trends downhill about 465 feet overall, mostly on a gentle…
From Rimrock Trailhead the route trends downhill about 465 feet overall, mostly on a gentle grade; walk it the other way for an uphill outing. The trail is narrow, so watch for the Alta junction and decide how you will return before setting out. From Giant Forest Museum, the Alta Trail connector reaches the lower Rimrock junction after a little over a tenth of a mile; that connector is outside the 1.24-mile figure, and the turn onto Rimrock can be easy to miss.
Fire in the forestThe path passes through burned forest and by several fallen giant sequoias, with other large…
The path passes through burned forest and by several fallen giant sequoias, with other large trees still standing. The contrast makes the fire’s footprint visible along this short hillside walk. There is no summit or broad overlook at the end; the route joins Alta Trail.
Lincoln TreeLincoln Tree stands at the Rimrock Trailhead end, just off the mapped path.
Lincoln Tree stands at the Rimrock Trailhead end, just off the mapped path. For a phone photo, include the whole trunk and some neighboring conifers so the tree’s scale reads in the frame.
Access and rulesThe northeast access is beside Generals Highway; NPS identifies a small parking area about two…
The northeast access is beside Generals Highway; NPS identifies a small parking area about two miles north of Giant Forest Museum. The southwest end meets Alta Trail near the museum area, so use a map to choose a return connection or retrace Rimrock. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
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.
