Sequoia National Park, CA
A shaded forest connector with a steep spur to Bobcat Point.
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
Crescent Meadow and Tharp’s Log“Crescent Meadow is coming up, an open wetland ringed by giant sequoias, with picnic tables near the trailhead. Stop here if you'd like a gentler outing with room to see the red trunks against the meadow grass.”
Plays near this 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
Sugar Pine Trail is a 1.5-mile one-way walk between Crescent Meadow and the Moro Rock access in Giant Forest. It works best as a link between the two stops: you get a more varied forest walk, with a shaded ravine and sunnier pine slopes along the way. Allow about an hour one way; walking back on the same corridor makes it roughly 3 miles before side trips.
From Crescent Meadow, the route leaves the open meadow and dips through shaded ravines. About a quarter mile in, a small stream and a pocket of giant sequoias make the best pause. It’s a short walk with one notable sequoia grove, not a big-tree tour. After another drainage, the trees open into sunnier slopes with sugar pine, Jeffrey pine, cedar, manzanita and granite outcrops. The trail rises and falls rather than staying flat.
A short, steep spur climbs to Bobcat Point’s rocky outcrop. From there, look across Kaweah Canyon toward Moro Rock and Castle Rocks; Lake Kaweah may show on a clear day. Return to the Sugar Pine junction before continuing toward Moro Rock. The connector ends near the Moro Rock access, not at the summit; the famous stairway is a separate climb.
Start at the Sugar Pine Trailhead at Crescent Meadow if you want the route to finish near Moro Rock. Parking is available at both ends, but a one-way walk needs a pickup at the far end or the NPS shuttle when it’s operating. The shuttle is seasonal, so check its current service before relying on it. Pets aren’t allowed on park trails.
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
ModerateWolverton Cutoff Loop9.6 mi · 6 hr · At the trailheadViews from a rocky outcrop lead into a quieter sequoia loop.
ChallengingSevenmile Loop14.9 mi · 10 hr · At the trailheadA 14.9-mile loop from Sierra Crest views into the Giant Forest.
ChallengingHigh Sierra Trail48.9 mi · 1.7 days · At the trailheadA 49-mile wilderness crossing from Giant Forest to the John Muir Trail.
ModerateTrail of the Sequoias3.3 mi · 2.3 hr · At the trailheadQuiet sequoia traverse from Crescent Meadow to the Congress Trail.
ChallengingHamilton Lakes Trail30.2 mi · 18 hr · At the trailheadA high granite lake, reached by an exposed Sierra traverse.
ModerateCircle Meadow Loop4.3 mi · 2.5 hr · At the trailheadA meadow circuit through Giant Forest's wildflowers and sequoias.
ChallengingBearpaw Meadow via High Sierra Trail22.8 mi · 16 hr · At the trailheadA long Sierra traverse opens to Kaweah canyon and Bearpaw Camp.
ChallengingTamarack Lake Trail31.8 mi · 16 hr · At the trailheadA 32-mile out-and-back to a lake at 9,215 feet.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayCrescent MeadowAn open meadow framed by giant sequoias, with two memorable tree stops.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayChimney TreeStep inside the hollow left by a 1914 fire.
Sight · 0.4 mi awaySquatters CabinA tiny log cabin anchors a larger Kaweah Colony story.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayTharp's LogA 70-foot sequoia log became a summer cabin.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayEagle ViewA short climb to a long look across the high Sierra.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayTunnel LogDrive through a fallen giant sequoia on Crescent Meadow Road.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayParker GroupEight sequoias, close enough to study their fire scars.
Sight · 1 mi awayButtress TreeA fallen giant sequoia with an astonishingly broad root plate.Parkwolf’s Sequoia ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
