Packsaddle Grove
{{Short description|Giant sequoia grove in Tulare County, California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox forest
| name = Packsaddle Grove
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| map = California
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| coordinates = {{coord|35.923889|-118.592778|display=it|format=dms}}
| county = Tulare County
| region = California
| country = United States
| elevation = {{cvt|6760|ft|m}}
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| species = Sequoiadendron giganteum
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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.{{Cite web|last=Alonzo|first=Denise|date=November 3, 2021|title=Sequoia grove damage assessments continue|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD968175|website=U.S. Forest Service}}
Noteworthy trees
- Packsaddle Giant, which was killed in the Windy Fire. It had a volume of approx. {{convert|32156|cuft|m3}} and the fourth-largest ground perimeter of any sequoia at {{convert|107|ft|m}}, making it the largest giant sequoia south of Stagg.{{Cite web|title=Windy Fire Firsthand Report: Starvation Creek, Deer Creek, Packsaddle, Long Meadow|url=https://www.ilovetrees.net/windy-fire-starvation-deer-packsaddle-long-meadow/|access-date=2021-12-11|website=I Love Trees|language=en-US}}
- Candelabra Tree, with a volume of {{convert|26341|cuft|m3}}, 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 {{convert|25047|cuft|m3}}. It was heavily damaged in the Windy Fire.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
- http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/recreation/giant_sequoia_groves.html#packsaddle