Packsaddle Grove Explained

Packsaddle Grove
Map:	California
Coordinates:	35.9239°N -118.5928°W
County:	Tulare County
Region:	California
Country:	United States
Species:	Sequoiadendron giganteum

Packsaddle Grove is a medium-sized sequoia grove on Giant Sequoia National Monument located in the South Creek of the Kern River watershed. It is a fairly wet grove as it straddles Packsaddle Creek and its tributaries.

This compact grove offers a rare look at a truly old growth forest where California condors have lived, and may once again do. The main access to this grove is via dirt roads and cross-country hiking. The terrain is steep, so it's a difficult hike. You can only visit this grove in the summer when the roads are open. The main option for seeing the grove itself is to hike cross-country through it.

This grove was heavily impacted by the Windy Fire in 2021, with over a third of the grove burning at high severity.^[1]

Noteworthy trees

• Packsaddle Giant, which was killed in the Windy Fire. It had a volume of approx. 32156cuft and the fourth-largest ground perimeter of any sequoia at 107feet, making it the largest giant sequoia south of Stagg.^[2]
• Candelabra Tree, with a volume of 26341cuft, It has many large limbs that lead to a great crown of foliage.
• Ghost Tree (sometimes referred to as General Lee Tree, of which however exist several in different groves), a once much larger tree with a heavily broken top, but growing a new top shoot (leader). This tree has a volume of 25047cuft. It was heavily damaged in the Windy Fire.

See also

• List of giant sequoia groves

References

• http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/recreation/giant_sequoia_groves.html#packsaddle

Notes and References

1. Web site: Alonzo. Denise. November 3, 2021. Sequoia grove damage assessments continue. U.S. Forest Service.
2. Web site: Windy Fire Firsthand Report: Starvation Creek, Deer Creek, Packsaddle, Long Meadow. 2021-12-11. I Love Trees. en-US.