This is a list of giant sequoia groves. All naturally occurring giant sequoia groves are located in the moist, unglaciated ridges and valleys of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range in California, United States. They can be found at elevations between .
While many groves are within national park boundaries, such as Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park, most of the giant sequoia groves are under the care of the United States Forest Service, placing them outside the legislative mandate that excludes commercial timber harvest. Logging of non-sequoia timber continued as recently as the 1980, especially old-growth ponderosa and sugar pine, which have been logged almost to extinction amongst the groves.[1]
Groves in the northern half of the range (north of the Kings River) are widely scattered and host smaller collections of giant sequoias than groves found within and south of the Kings River watershed. The total area of all the groves combined is approximately . The groves are listed from north to south in the list below.
This list is based on five different sources, with slightly varying views on what constitutes a discrete grove; the differing interpretations are noted in italics. The lists of groves were compiled by Rundel (1972; recognizing 75 groves), Flint (1987; recognizing 65 groves), Willard (1994; recognizing 65 groves), the Giant Sequoia National Monument Visitor's Guide (2003), and the Draft Giant Sequoia National Monument Plan 2010. Currently, the U.S. National Park Service cites Rundel's total of 75 groves in its visitor publications. The updated lists from Willard and Flint are now known to be more accurate, therefore some of Rundel's 75 groves have been removed from this list. Below compiles a list of 81 giant sequoia groves.[2]
The 7 groves north of the Kings River watershed are in Tahoe National Forest, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Yosemite National Park, or Sierra National Forest (listed north to south):
| width=150 | Name | width=225 | Location | width=100 | Coordinates | Elevation | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (m) | (ft) | |||||||
| Placer County Big Trees Grove | Tahoe National Forest Placer County | 1700m (5,600feet) | The northernmost grove, with only six trees, the largest being 3.66m (12.01feet) in diameter. The grove is also the furthest removed from all other giant sequoia groves. Part of the American River watershed. | |||||
| North Calaveras Grove | Calaveras Big Trees State Park Calaveras County | 1425- | The first giant sequoia grove to be visited by Europeans (1833), as well as the first to be documented (1852). Part of the Calaveras River watershed. | |||||
| South Calaveras Grove | Calaveras Big Trees State Park Tuolumne County | 1390- | The lowest average elevation of any giant sequoia grove. Includes the Louis Agassiz tree, one of the largest giant sequoias in the world. Part of the Stanislaus River watershed. | |||||
| Tuolumne Grove | Yosemite National Park Tuolumne County | 1700- | The grove features about six visible giant sequoias amongst a dense understory of dogwood. Includes the "Dead Giant", a fallen giant sequoia with a stagecoach-sized tunnel cut through it. Part of the Tuolumne River watershed. | |||||
| Merced Grove | Yosemite National Park Mariposa County | 1700- | The grove features about 20 large trees. Part of the Merced River watershed. | |||||
| Mariposa Grove | Yosemite National Park Mariposa County | 1750- | Includes the 'Grizzly Giant' and many other famous trees. Part of the Merced River watershed. | |||||
| Nelder Grove | Sierra National Forest Madera County | 1600- | Three units, partially logged; site of the Shadow of the Giants National Recreation Trail. This grove was heavily impacted by the Railroad Fire in 2017. Part of the Fresno River watershed. | |||||
The 18 groves in the Kings River watershed are in Kings Canyon National Park, the northern section of Giant Sequoia National Monument, or Sequoia National Forest, in southern Fresno County and northern Tulare County (listed north to south):
| width=150 | Name | width=225 | Location | width=100 | Coordinates | Elevation | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (m) | (ft) | |||||||
| McKinley Grove | Sierra National Forest Fresno County | 1900- | The grove features between 150 and 200 large trees. | |||||
| Converse Basin Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1800- | The grove was the second-largest giant sequoia grove before being heavily logged in the 1890s. Despite this, nearly 100 widely scattered old-growth trees remain and has experienced significant regrowth. The grove is also the home of Boole, the 6th largest giant sequoia in the world. It is also the home of the Chicago Stump, the remnant of what was once the General Noble tree which was the second largest tree in the grove. This grove was significantly impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. | |||||
| Indian Basin Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1800- | A mid-size grove that was logged between 1901 and 1907. The grove contains many young sequoias approaching diameters of up to 3.05m (10.01feet).[3] | |||||
| Lockwood Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1700- | Part of the Evans Complex. The grove was heavily impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015, which killed 14 trees with diameters of at least 1.22m (04feet).[4] [5] | |||||
| Monarch Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1600- | Immediately north of the Agnew Grove, near Monarch Wilderness boundary. On Forest Service GSNM map. Despite its close proximity to Agnew Grove, this grove was not significantly impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. | |||||
| Agnew Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1950- | This grove was heavily impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. | |||||
| Deer Meadow Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1950- | This grove was heavily impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. | |||||
| Cherry Gap Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 2070m (6,790feet) | Logged. Located between Converse Basin Grove and General Grant Grove, near McGee Overlook. This grove was significantly impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. | |||||
| Evans Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 2050- | Heavily logged before 1920. Part of Evans Grove Complex. This grove was heavily impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. | |||||
| Abbott Creek Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1900m (6,200feet) | Listed by Rundel and Flint; very small (largely logged); too few trees to qualify as a grove according to Willard. | |||||
| Kennedy Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Kings Canyon National Park Sequoia National Forest | 2050- | Home of 'Ishi Giant'. Part of Evans Complex. This grove was heavily impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. | |||||
| Little Boulder Creek Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 2000m (7,000feet) | This grove features about 20 large trees scattered along an old logging road.[6] Part of Evans Complex. This grove was heavily impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. | |||||
| Bearskin Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1850- | The grove was the first to be affected by the clearcutting of giant sequoia groves by U.S. Forest Service in the 1980s.[7] Features many large giant sequoias along road 13S98A, which runs through the heart of the grove.[8] | |||||
| Boulder Creek Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 2050m (6,730feet) | Part of Evans Complex. This grove was heavily impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. | |||||
| General Grant Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Kings Canyon National Park Sequoia National Forest | 1750- | Includes 'General Grant'. This grove was significantly impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. | |||||
| Landslide Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 2050- | ||||||
| Sequoia Creek Grove | Kings Canyon National Park | 1850m (6,070feet) | ||||||
| Big Stump Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Kings Canyon National Park Sequoia National Forest | 1850m (6,070feet) | Includes the Burnt Monarch, the remains of which are larger than any living tree. | |||||
The 31 groves in the Kaweah River watershed are all in Sequoia National Park or in mixed BLM and private ownership, except the northernmost in Sequoia National Forest & Kings Canyon National Park (listed north to south):
| width=150 | Name | width=225 | Location | width=100 | Coordinates | Elevation | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (m) | (ft) | |||||||
| Redwood Mountain Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Kings Canyon National Park Sequoia National Forest | 1960m (6,430feet) | The largest grove, 1240 hectares (3100 acres), with 15,800 sequoias 30.5cm (12inches) or more in diameter at the base. Home of 'Roosevelt' and 'Hart', the 22nd and 25th largest giant sequoias in the world, respectively. This grove was heavily impacted by the KNP Complex Fire in 2021.[9] | |||||
| Big Baldy South Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 36.661°N -118.9013°W | 1722m (5,650feet) | |||||
| Lost Grove | Sequoia National Park | 2030m (6,660feet) | Contains no exceptionally large trees, but one giant sequoia has a ground perimeter of 31.88m (104.59feet), one of the largest of any giant sequoia. | |||||
| Muir Grove | Sequoia National Park | 1918m (6,293feet) | A dense collection of giant sequoias at the end of a 3.1km (01.9miles) trail. Home of 'Dalton', the 36th largest giant sequoia in the world. | |||||
| Skagway Grove | Sequoia National Park | 1820m (5,970feet) | ||||||
| Pine Ridge Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.6199°N -118.8614°W | 1523m (4,997feet) | |||||
| Suwanee Grove | Sequoia National Park | 1880m (6,170feet) | A 28.3 hectare (70 acre) grove. This grove was heavily impacted by the KNP Complex Fire in 2021. | |||||
| Giant Forest | Sequoia National Park | 2130m (6,990feet) | This grove contains half of the ten largest trees by volume, including the largest, 'General Sherman', and 8,400 others at least 0.3m (01feet) in diameter. | |||||
| Granite Creek Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.5384°N -118.6275°W | 1921m (6,302feet) | An exceptionally small grove located along Granite Creek. | ||||
| Redwood Meadow Grove | Sequoia National Park | 1690m (5,550feet) | ||||||
| Little Redwood Meadow Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.5126°N -118.6143°W | 2369m (7,772feet) | Located southeast of Redwood Meadow Grove. | ||||
| Castle Creek Grove | Sequoia National Park | 1610m (5,280feet) | A 345-acre grove of widely scattered sequoias. | |||||
| Douglass Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.4783°N -118.7227°W | 1967m (6,453feet) | An exceptionally small grove west of Paradise Peak and north of Oriole Lake Grove. | ||||
| Atwell Mill Grove | Sequoia National Park | 2100m (6,900feet) | The grove reaches the highest elevation of any sequoia grove, 2560m (8,400feet), and contains four trees that are among the largest giant sequoias in the world: Diamond, AD, Dean and Arm.[10] | |||||
| East Fork Grove | Sequoia National Park | 1646- | A large, unlogged giant sequoia grove home to many widely dispersed giant sequoias. Located immediately southeast of Atwell Mill Grove and Atwell Mill Campground, along the northern slopes of Hengst Peak.[11] [12] | |||||
| Oriole Lake Grove | Sequoia National Park | 2030m (6,660feet) | Located northeast of Oriole Lake. | |||||
| New Oriole Lake Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.4511°N -118.7362°W | 1743m (5,719feet) | Located south of Oriole Lake. This grove was heavily impacted by the KNP Complex Fire in 2021. | ||||
| Eden Creek Grove | Sequoia National Park | 1720m (5,640feet) | A 350 hectare (865 acre) grove with many large, widely scattered trees. | |||||
| Lower Horse Creek Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.4194°N -118.7049°W | 1644m (5,394feet) | A small grove located downstream of both Horse Creek and Cahoon Creek groves. | ||||
| Horse Creek Grove | Sequoia National Park | 1840m (6,040feet) | A (36.4 hectare (90 acre) grove containing approximately 70 trees more than 3m (10feet) in diameter. | |||||
| Cahoon Creek Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.411°N -118.7022°W | 1834m (6,017feet) | |||||
| Case Mountain Grove | Near Three Rivers, California | 1750m (5,740feet) | Located in a bowl-shaped valley southeast of Case Mountain. The land is administered by the Bureau of Land Management.[13] | |||||
| Coffeepot Canyon Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.3992°N -118.7502°W | 1762m (5,781feet) | Located west of Eden Creek Grove. | ||||
| Surprise Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.3772°N -118.7658°W | 1697m (5,568feet) | |||||
| Homers Nose Grove | Sequoia National Park | 2330m (7,640feet) | This grove was heavily impacted by the Castle Fire in 2020.[14] | |||||
| Board Camp Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.3688°N -118.7141°W | 2022m (6,634feet) | Located northeast of Cedar Flat Grove, southeast of Homers Nose Grove, and north of South Fork Grove. This grove was heavily impacted by the Castle Fire in 2020.[15] | ||||
| Cedar Flat Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.3578°N -118.7326°W | 1504m (4,934feet) | A small grove located at the northern end of Ladybug Trail. | ||||
| South Fork Grove | Sequoia National Park | 1630m (5,350feet) | ||||||
| Garfield Grove | Sequoia National Park | 2030m (6,660feet) | A 549 hectare (1,356 acre) grove with many large specimens. The lowest elevation at which the giant sequoia is known to grow naturally, 884m (2,900feet), is located beside the river below this grove. Home of 'King Arthur', formerly the 9th largest giant sequoia in the world. King Arthur died in the Castle Fire in 2020, although the grove itself was not heavily impacted. Now also includes the Dillonwood Grove. | |||||
| Forgotten Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.3328°N -118.7653°W | 1916m (6,286feet) | A "grove" consisting of only two sequoias, the medium-sized 'Upper' sequoia and the larger 'Lower' sequoia. Discovered in the 1990s, although the existence of a rough trail indicates that previous park officials knew of them. This grove was heavily impacted by the Castle Fire in 2020, and the 'Upper' sequoia may be either dead or moribund.[16] | ||||
| Devil's Canyon Grove | Sequoia National Park | 36.3201°N -118.768°W | 2004m (6,575feet) | Located north of Dennison Grove and west of Dennison Mountain in the southwestern corner of Sequoia National Park. | ||||
The 25 groves in the Tule River, Kern River, and Deer Creek watersheds are mostly in Giant Sequoia National Monument, with some areas in Sequoia National Park, Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest, and Tule River Reservation; all are in southern Tulare County (listed north to south):
| width=150 | Name | width=225 | Location | width=100 | Coordinates | Elevation | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (m) | (ft) | |||||||
| Dennison Grove | Sequoia National Park | 1966m (6,450feet) | Located on the southwestern slope of Dennison Mountain in southeastern Sequoia National Park. | |||||
| Dillonwood Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest Sequoia National Park | 36.3036°N -118.7097°W | 1837m (6,027feet) | Located at the southernmost point of Sequoia National Park. This grove was heavily impacted by the Castle Fire in 2020.[17] | ||||
| Upper Tule Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 36.2766°N -118.6742°W | 2400m (7,900feet) | The highest average elevation of any giant sequoia grove, located immediately east of Moses Mountain. Included on Forest Service GSNM map. | ||||
| Middle Tule Grove | Sequoia National Forest Sequoia National Forest | 36.2686°N -118.6627°W | 2062m (6,765feet) | |||||
| Maggie Mountain Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 36.2613°N -118.6404°W | 2234m (7,329feet) | A small, inaccessible grove located in a ravine just west of Maggie Mountain. | ||||
| Silver Creek Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1650m (5,410feet) | ||||||
| Balch County Park Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1970m (6,460feet) | Home of the 'Genesis', the 7th largest giant sequoia in the world. This grove also contains the smaller Middle Tule Grove in the Sequoia National Forest. This grove was heavily impacted by the Pier Fire in 2017 and the Castle Fire in 2020. | ||||||
| Burro Creek Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1550m (5,090feet) | ||||||
| Wishon Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 36.2177°N -118.6491°W | 1393m (4,570feet) | Located south of Silver Creek Grove. Included on Forest Service GSNM map. | ||||
| Alder Creek Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest Private land | 2120m (6,960feet) | Also known as Hossack, Pixley, or Ross Creek Grove. Home of 'Stagg', the 5th largest giant sequoia in the world. Also home to the now-deceased Waterfall tree, which had the largest ground perimeter of any sequoia. This grove was heavily impacted by the Castle Fire in 2020, leading to Waterfall's death. | |||||
| Freeman Creek Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1890m (6,200feet) | The easternmost giant sequoia grove. Home of 'Great Goshawk' and 'Bannister', the 29th and 48th largest giant sequoias, respectively. Part of the Kern River watershed. This grove was heavily impacted by the Castle Fire in 2020. | |||||
| McIntyre Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1720m (5,640feet) | Part of Belknap Complex. This grove was heavily impacted by the Castle Fire in 2020. | |||||
| Carr Wilson Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 36.1255°N -118.6105°W | 1512m (4,961feet) | Also known as Bear Creek Grove. Part of Belknap Complex. | ||||
| Wheel Meadow Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 36.1112°N -118.565°W | 2012m (6,601feet) | Part of Belknap Complex. This grove was heavily impacted by the Castle Fire in 2020. | ||||
| Black Mountain Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest Tule River Reservation Private land | 1950m (6,400feet) | Heavily logged in 1984, though no mature sequoias were cut. This grove was heavily impacted by the Pier Fire in 2017. | |||||
| Red Hill Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest Private land | 1960m (6,430feet) | This grove was heavily impacted by the Windy Fire in 2021.[18] | |||||
| Peyrone Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest Tule River Reservation | 1880m (6,170feet) | Medium-sized grove containing more than 100 scattered specimens.[19] This grove was significantly impacted by the Windy Fire in 2021. | |||||
| South Peyrone Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 36.0255°N -118.6215°W | 1851m (6,073feet) | New discovery by Willard in 1992. Located west of Onion Meadow Peak. This grove was significantly impacted by the Windy Fire in 2021. | ||||
| Parker Peak Grove | Tule River Reservation | 1980m (6,500feet) | Medium-sized grove containing more than 100 scattered specimens. | |||||
| Long Meadow Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 2040m (6,690feet) | Site of the "Trail of 100 Giants", a popular loop trail that winds through the heart of the grove. Home of 'Red Chief', the 40th largest giant sequoia in the world. Part of the Kern River watershed. This grove was heavily impacted by the Windy Fire in 2021. | |||||
| Cunningham Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1870m (6,140feet) | Part of the Kern River watershed. | |||||
| Starvation Creek Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1730m (5,680feet) | A small, inaccessible giant sequoia grove. Part of the Starvation Creek Complex and the Deer Creek watershed. This grove was heavily impacted by the Windy Fire in 2021, and only four out of an estimated 122 trees survived. | |||||
| Powderhorn Grove | Sequoia National Forest Giant Sequoia National Monument | 35.9315°N -118.6038°W | 2022m (6,634feet) | A small giant sequoia grove. Part of the Starvation Creek Complex and the Kern River watershed. This grove was heavily impacted by the Windy Fire in 2021. | ||||
| Packsaddle Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 2060m (6,760feet) | A grove of about 300 large but scattered trees, including the now-deceased 'Packsaddle Giant', formerly the 33rd largest giant sequoia measuring over 6.7m (22feet) in diameter and 85.34m (279.99feet) tall. Part of the Kern River watershed. This grove was heavily impacted by the Windy Fire in 2021. | |||||
| Deer Creek Grove | Giant Sequoia National Monument Sequoia National Forest | 1800m (5,900feet) | The grove is southernmost giant sequoia grove and is home to a small collection of 31 widely dispersed giant sequoias. Part of the Deer Creek watershed. This grove was heavily impacted by the Windy Fire in 2021. | |||||