Sequoia National Park

{{Infobox protected area

| name = Sequoia National Park

| iucn_category = II

| iucn_ref = {{Cite web |url=https://www.protectedplanet.net/1111192 |title=Sequoia-Kings Canyon |publisher=Protected Planet |website=protectedplanet.net |access-date=2020-05-29 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530003310/https://www.protectedplanet.net/1111192 |url-status=live }}

| photo = General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park - June 2022.jpg

| photo_caption = The General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world (measured by volume), in 2022

| photo_width = 224

| map = California#USA

| relief = 1

| map_width = 224

| map_caption = Location in California##Location in the United States

| location = Tulare County, California, United States

| nearest_city = Visalia, California

| coordinates = {{Coord|36|33|53|N|118|46|22|W|type:forest_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}

| established = {{start date and age|1890|09|25}}

| area_acre = 404,064

| area_ref = {{NPS area|year=2012|access-date=2013-09-22}}

| visitation_num = 1,153,198

| visitation_year = 2022

| visitation_ref = {{cite web |title=Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visits in: 2022 |url=https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/National%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Ranking%20Report%20(1979%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year) |website=nps.gov |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=July 23, 2023 |archive-date=July 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713070837/https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/National%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Ranking%20Report%20%281979%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year%29 |url-status=live }}

| governing_body = National Park Service

| website = {{URL|https://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm}}

}}

Sequoia National Park is a national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and today protects {{convert|404,064|acre|sqmi ha km2|0}} of forested mountainous terrain. Encompassing a vertical relief of nearly {{convert|13000|ft|sigfig=2}}, the park contains the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, at {{convert|14505|ft|m|0}} above sea level.{{Cite web |title=DATASHEETS |url=https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=GT1811 |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=www.ngs.noaa.gov}} The park is south of, and contiguous with, Kings Canyon National Park; both parks are administered by the National Park Service together as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. UNESCO designated the areas as Sequoia-Kings Canyon Biosphere Reserve in 1976.{{Cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?code=USA+22&mode=all |title=UNESCO – MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-date=February 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224225522/http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?code=USA%2B22&mode=all |url-status=live }}

The park is notable for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on Earth by volume. The General Sherman Tree grows in the Giant Forest, which contains five of the ten largest trees in the world. The Giant Forest is connected by the Generals Highway to Kings Canyon National Park's General Grant Grove, home of the General Grant tree among other giant sequoias. The park's giant sequoia forests are part of {{convert|202430|acre|sqmi ha km2|0}} of old-growth forests shared by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.{{cite report |last1=Bolsinger |first1=CL |last2=Waddell |first2=KL |year=1993 |title=Area of old-growth forests in California, Oregon, and Washington |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_rb197.pdf |publisher=United States Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station |id=Resource Bulletin PNW-RB-197 |access-date=2012-03-07 |archive-date=October 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023223431/https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_rb197.pdf |url-status=live }} The parks preserve a landscape that was first cultivated by the Monache tribe, the southern Sierra Nevada before Euro-American settlement.{{cite report |first1=Jerry, F |last1=Franklin |first2=Jo Ann |last2=Fites-Kaufmann |volume=Assessment of Late-Successional Forests of the Sierra Nevada |title=Status of the Sierra Nevada |year=1996 |pages=627–671 |publisher=Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project. Final Report to Congress |url=http://ceres.ca.gov/snep/pubs/v2s3.html |edition=III: Biological and Physical Elements of the Sierra Nevada |access-date=2012-03-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212072324/http://ceres.ca.gov/snep/pubs/v2s3.html |archive-date=2012-12-12}}{{not in citation given|date=September 2023}}

Front country

Many park visitors enter Sequoia National Park through its southern entrance near the town of Three Rivers at Ash Mountain at {{cvt|1700|ft|sigfig=2}} elevation. The lower elevations around Ash Mountain contain the only National Park Service-protected California Foothills ecosystem, consisting of blue oak woodlands, foothills chaparral, grasslands, yucca plants, and steep, mild river valleys. Seasonal weather results in a changing landscape throughout the foothills with hot summer yielding an arid landscape while spring and winter rains result in blossoming wildflowers and lush greens.Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks [https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/upload/Text_Side_SEKI12139F01_updated.pdf Pamphlet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026200325/https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/upload/Text_Side_SEKI12139F01_updated.pdf |date=October 26, 2016 }} The region is also home to abundant wildlife: bobcats, foxes, ground squirrels, rattlesnakes, and mule deer are commonly seen in this area, and more rarely, reclusive mountain lions and the Pacific fisher are seen as well. The last California grizzly was killed in this park in 1922 (at Horse Corral Meadow).{{cite book |last1=Grinnell |first1=Joseph |title=Fur Bearing mammals of California |date=1937}}{{page?|date=September 2024}} The California Black Oak is a key transition species between the chaparral and higher elevation conifer forest.{{cite web |first=C. Michael |last=Hogan |year=2008 |url=http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=82385 |title=California Black Oak: Quercus kelloggii |publisher=GlobalTwitcher.com |editor-first=Nicklas |editor-last=Stromberg |access-date=2012-03-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218215957/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=82385 |archive-date=2012-02-18}}

At higher elevations in the front country, between {{convert|5500|and|9000|ft|m|sigfig=2}} in elevation, the landscape becomes montane forest-dominated coniferous belt. Found here are Ponderosa, Jeffrey, sugar, and lodgepole pine trees, as well as abundant white and red fir. Found here too are the giant sequoia trees, the most massive living single-stem trees on Earth. Between the trees, spring and summer snowmelts sometimes fan out to form lush, though delicate, meadows. In this region, visitors often see mule deer, Douglas squirrels, and American black bears, which sometimes break into unattended cars to eat food left by careless visitors. There are plans to reintroduce the bighorn sheep to this park.{{cite web |last1=US NPS |title=Mammals |url=https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/mammals.htm |access-date=March 18, 2015 |archive-date=March 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307053645/http://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/mammals.htm |url-status=live }}

Back country

The vast majority of the park is road-less wilderness; no road crosses the Sierra Nevada within the park's boundaries. 84 percent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is designated wilderness{{cite web |url=http://sierranevadawild.gov/wild/sequoiakings-canyon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012150907/http://sierranevadawild.gov/wild/sequoiakings-canyon |archive-date=2008-10-12 |title=Sequoia and Kings Canyon Wilderness |publisher=Sierra Nevada Wilderness Education Project |access-date=2012-03-07}} and is accessible only by foot or by horseback. The majority was designated Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness in 1984{{Cite web |url=https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/default.php |title=Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness |website=wilderness.net |language=en |access-date=2019-08-31 |archive-date=December 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205210555/https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/default.php |url-status=live }} and the southwest portion was protected as John Krebs Wilderness in 2009.{{Cite web |url=https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/default.php |title=John Krebs Wilderness |website=wilderness.net |language=en |access-date=2019-08-31 |archive-date=December 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205210555/https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/default.php |url-status=live }}

History

The area which now is Sequoia National Park shows evidence of Native American settlement as early as AD 1000.{{Cite journal |last=Vankat |first=John L. |date=March 1977 |title=Fire snd Man in Sequoia National Park |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8306.1977.tb01117.x |journal=Annals of the Association of American Geographers |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=17–27 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-8306.1977.tb01117.x |issn=0004-5608 |access-date=April 15, 2022 |archive-date=September 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925052852/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8306.1977.tb01117.x |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} The area was first home to "Monachee" (Western Mono) Native Americans, who resided mainly in the Kaweah River drainage in the Foothills region of what is now the park, though evidence of seasonal habitation exists as high as the Giant Forest. Members of this tribe were permanent residents of the park, with a population estimate of around 2,000. In the summertime the Tubatulabal Native Americans used the eastern part of the area (the Kern River drainage) as their summer hunting grounds.{{Cite book |author=Steward, Julian Haynes |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/58907982 |title=Indian tribes of Sequoia National Park region |date=1993 |publisher=California Indian Library Collections [distributor] |oclc=58907982}} During this time, the Western Mono tribe would travel over the high mountain passes to trade with tribes to the East. To this day, pictographs can be found at several sites within the park, notably at Hospital Rock and Potwisha, as well as bedrock mortars used to process acorns, a staple food for the Monachee people.

File:Tharp's log.jpg log]]

The first European settler to homestead in the area was Hale Tharp, who famously built a home out of a hollowed-out fallen giant sequoia log in the Giant Forest next to Log Meadow. Tharp arrived in 1858 to the region and encountered several groups of Native Americans, the largest being around 600 with several other smaller groups found at higher elevations. After becoming friendly with the Western Mono tribe, Tharp was shown the Giant Forest Sequoia Grove. After his settlement, more settlers came around 1860. Shortly thereafter - between 1860 and 1863, epidemics of smallpox, measles, and scarlet fever killed the majority of the Native Americans living in the area. After this, the rest of the Native Americans left with the largest campsite (Hospital Rock) abandoned by 1865. During their time in the area, the Monachee used periodic fire burning to aid in hunting and agriculture. This technique played an important role in the ecology of the region and allowed for a "natural" vegetation cover development. After they left, Tharp and other settlers allowed sheep and cattle to graze the meadow, while at the same time maintaining a respect for the grandeur of the forest and led early battles against logging in the area. From time to time, Tharp received visits from John Muir, who would stay at Tharp's log cabin. Tharp's Log can still be visited today in its original location in the Giant Forest.

{{Infobox U.S. legislation

| shorttitle =

| othershorttitles =

| longtitle = An Act to set apart a certain tract of land in the State of California as a public park.

| colloquialacronym =

| nickname =

| enacted by = 51st

| announced in =

| effective date = September 25, 1890

| public law url =

| cite public law = {{uspl|51|926}}

| cite statutes at large = {{usstat|26|478}}

| acts amended =

| acts repealed =

| title amended = Title 16—Conservation

| sections created = {{usc|16|41}}
{{usc|16|43}}

| leghisturl =

| introducedin = House

| introducedbill = H.R. 11570

| introducedby = William Vandever (R–CA)

| introduceddate = July 28, 1890

| committees = House Public Lands

| passedbody1 = House

| passeddate1 = August 23, 1890

| passedvote1 = unanimous consent

| passedbody2 = Senate

| passeddate2 = September 8, 1890

| passedvote2 = unanimous consent

| signedpresident = Benjamin Harrison

| signeddate = September 25, 1890

}}

Tharp's attempts to conserve the giant sequoias were at first met with only limited success. In the 1880s, white settlers seeking to create a utopian society founded the Kaweah Colony, which sought economic success in trading Sequoia timber. Giant Sequoia trees, unlike their coast redwood relatives, were later discovered to splinter easily and therefore were ill-suited to timber harvesting, though thousands of trees were felled before logging operations finally ceased. President Benjamin Harrison ultimately signed legislation that established the Sequoia National Park on 25 September 1890, becoming the second national park ever established in the United States, and ending logging in the area.[https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/historyculture/index.htm History & Culture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602083244/https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/historyculture/index.htm |date=June 2, 2023 }}, accessed 3 September 2023{{Cite web |last=Rivers |first=Mailing Address: 47050 Generals Highway Three |last2=Us |first2=CA 93271 Phone: 559 565-3341 Contact |title=History & Culture - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/historyculture/index.htm |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}

Another consequence of the Giant Forest becoming Sequoia National Park was the shift in park employment. Prior to the incorporation by the National Park Service, the park was managed by US army troops of the 24th Regiment of Infantry and the 9th Regiment of Cavalry, better known as the Buffalo Soldiers.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Shelton |date=February 15, 2022 |title=Invisible Men: Buffalo Soldiers of the Sierra Nevada |url=http://npshistory.com/publications/seki/invisiblemen.pdf |access-date=February 15, 2022 |website=NPS History |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313040150/http://npshistory.com/publications/seki/invisiblemen.pdf |url-status=live }} These segregated troops, founded in 1866, were African-American men from the South, an invaluable demographic to the military with the lowest rates of desertion. The Buffalo Soldiers completed park infrastructure projects as well as park management duties, helping to shape the role of the modern-day park ranger. The Buffalo Soldiers rose to this position due to a lack of funding for the park which led to an inability to hire civilians.{{Cite journal |last=Mason |first=Kathy S. |date=2019-03-01 |title=Buffalo Soldiers as Guardians of the Parks: African-American Troops in the California National Parks in the Early Twentieth Century |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/hisn.13064 |journal=The Historian |volume=81 |issue=1 |pages=84–98 |doi=10.1111/hisn.13064 |s2cid=151217879 |issn=0018-2370|url-access=subscription }} The third African American West Point graduate, Captain Charles Young led the cavalries of Buffalo Soldiers in the Sequoia and General Grant Parks. Young landed this post as a result of the segregation rampant throughout the Army: as a black man, he was not permitted to head any combat units.{{Citation |title=First Posting to Fort Robinson |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1dfnsb0.9 |work=Black Officer in a Buffalo Soldier Regiment |pages=9–30 |publisher=UNP – Bison Original |doi=10.2307/j.ctt1dfnsb0.9 |access-date=2022-03-22|url-access=subscription }} He did demonstrate his leadership capability through his initiatives in the National Park delegating park infrastructure projects, hosting tourists and politicians, and setting a standard of a strong work ethic into his men. Young was also a prominent figure regarding the early conservation of Sequoia National Park. He greenlighted the dedication of trees in honor of prominent figures as a means of promoting their preservation. One such example is the Redwood dedicated to the escaped slave and activist, Booker T Washington. Young also argued to the Secretary of the Interior that the lack of enforcement of forest protection laws allowed the detrimental practices of logging and the popular tourist hobby of carving names into the redwoods to continue.

File:Boulder dedicated to Young (7d403e83-93c8-4753-8bf5-4cd63630a4c7).jpg

An expansions occurred in 1978, when grassroots efforts, spearheaded by the Sierra Club, fought off attempts by the Walt Disney Company to purchase a high-alpine former mining site south of the park for use as a ski resort.{{Cite web |last=Masters |first=Nathan |date=2018-02-21 |title=Disney's Lost Plans to Build a Ski Resort in Sequoia National Park |url=https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/disneys-lost-plans-to-build-a-ski-resort-in-sequoia-national-park |access-date=2024-05-19 |website=PBS SoCal |language=en}} This site known as Mineral King was annexed to the park.{{Cite news |last=Dowd |first=Katie |date=November 22, 2021 |title=Disney's failed attempt to build a massive ski resort in the California wilderness |url=https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/mineral-king-ski-resort-disney-failed-project-15662462.php |access-date=2024-05-19 |work=SFGate |language=en}} Its name dates back to early 1873 when the miners in the area formed the Mineral King Mining District.{{cite book |last1=Jackson |first1=Louise A. |title=Beulah: A Biography of the Mineral King Valley of California |date=1988 |publisher=Westernlore Press |location=Tucson, Arizona |isbn=0-87026-065-0 |oclc=17830966 |page=18}} Mineral King is the highest-elevation developed site within the park and a popular destination for backpackers.

The national park was partially closed in September 2020 due to the SQF Complex Fire,{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Brian |last2=Staff |first2=ABC30 Com |date=14 September 2020 |title=SQF Complex Fire: 90,845 acres burned, evacuation orders issued for Three Rivers area |language=en |work=ABC30 Fresno |url=https://abc30.com/sqf-fire-tulare-county-evacs/6422420/ |access-date=15 September 2020 |archive-date=September 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925052858/https://abc30.com/sqf-fire-tulare-county-evacs/6429050/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Romero |first1=Joe Jacquez and Sheyanne N. |title=SQF Complex Fire grows, portions of Three Rivers under mandatory evacuations. What we know. |work=VisaliaTimesDelta.com |url=https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2020/09/14/sqf-complex-sequoia-castle-fire-update-map-closures-evacuations-three-rivers/5788830002/ |access-date=15 September 2020 |archive-date=September 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916024807/https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2020/09/14/sqf-complex-sequoia-castle-fire-update-map-closures-evacuations-three-rivers/5788830002/ |url-status=live }} and fully closed in mid-September through mid-December 2021 due to the KNP Complex Fire.{{cite web |last1=Paterson |first1=Rebecca |date=December 8, 2021 |title=Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park to Reopen on Select Days Beginning December 11, 2021 |url=https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/news/giant-forest-in-sequoia-national-park-to-reopen-on-select-days-beginning-december-11-2021.htm#:~:text=December%208%2C%202021%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Giant,beginning%20on%20Saturday%2C%20December%2011. |access-date=10 July 2022 |website=NPS.gov |publisher=National Park Service |quote=Sequoia snd Kings Canyon National Parks, Calif. December 8, 2021 – The Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park will reopen to the public on a limited schedule beginning on Saturday, December 11. This area has been closed to public access since mid-September due to the KNP Complex Fire, which has burned more than 88,000 acres, mostly within Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. |archive-date=July 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710145923/https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/news/giant-forest-in-sequoia-national-park-to-reopen-on-select-days-beginning-december-11-2021.htm#:~:text=December%208%2C%202021%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Giant,beginning%20on%20Saturday%2C%20December%2011. |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Yeager |first1=Joshua |date=December 19, 2021 |title=After four months and thousands of slain sequoia, KNP Complex Fire reaches full containment |work=Visalia Times-Delta |url=https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2021/12/19/knp-complex-fire-reaches-full-containment/8947518002/ |access-date=10 July 2022 |archive-date=December 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207200611/https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2021/12/19/knp-complex-fire-reaches-full-containment/8947518002/ |url-status=live }}

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Sequoia National Park encompasses five climate types listed here from highest to lowest elevation; Tundra (ET), Mediterranean-influenced Subarctic climate (Dsc), Mediterranean-influenced warm-summer Humid continental climate (Dsb), Warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb), and Hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa). Precipitation also decreases with elevation. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Plant Hardiness zone at Giant Forest Visitor Center ({{cvt|6444|ft}}) is 8a with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of {{cvt|12.0|F}}.{{cite web |url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |access-date=2019-07-18 |title=USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704214427/https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/phzmweb/interactivemap.aspx |url-status=dead }}

{{Weather box|width=auto

|location = Lodgepole, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1968–2021, elev: {{cvt|6735|ft|m}}

|single line = Y

|collapsed = Y

|Jan record high F = 65

|Feb record high F = 65

|Mar record high F = 66

|Apr record high F = 73

|May record high F = 85

|Jun record high F = 89

|Jul record high F = 92

|Aug record high F = 89

|Sep record high F = 91

|Oct record high F = 81

|Nov record high F = 67

|Dec record high F = 60

|year record high F = 92

|Jan avg record high F = 50.1

|Feb avg record high F = 53.8

|Mar avg record high F = 58.7

|Apr avg record high F = 66.1

|May avg record high F = 73.5

|Jun avg record high F = 80.9

|Jul avg record high F = 85.4

|Aug avg record high F = 84.5

|Sep avg record high F = 81.0

|Oct avg record high F = 72.3

|Nov avg record high F = 60.6

|Dec avg record high F = 50.9

|year avg record high F = 86.9

|Jan high F = 39.2

|Feb high F = 41.0

|Mar high F = 45.3

|Apr high F = 50.0

|May high F = 58.4

|Jun high F = 68.4

|Jul high F = 76.1

|Aug high F = 75.9

|Sep high F = 70.0

|Oct high F = 58.9

|Nov high F = 46.6

|Dec high F = 37.3

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 28.3

|Feb mean F = 29.7

|Mar mean F = 33.6

|Apr mean F = 37.8

|May mean F = 45.7

|Jun mean F = 54.0

|Jul mean F = 61.0

|Aug mean F = 60.0

|Sep mean F = 54.6

|Oct mean F = 45.0

|Nov mean F = 35.0

|Dec mean F = 27.3

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 17.4

|Feb low F = 18.4

|Mar low F = 21.8

|Apr low F = 25.7

|May low F = 33.1

|Jun low F = 39.5

|Jul low F = 45.9

|Aug low F = 44.1

|Sep low F = 39.2

|Oct low F = 31.1

|Nov low F = 23.4

|Dec low F = 17.2

|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = 3.5

|Feb avg record low F = 5.5

|Mar avg record low F = 7.8

|Apr avg record low F = 13.2

|May avg record low F = 23.1

|Jun avg record low F = 29.6

|Jul avg record low F = 37.8

|Aug avg record low F = 36.3

|Sep avg record low F = 29.9

|Oct avg record low F = 21.8

|Nov avg record low F = 11.8

|Dec avg record low F = 4.2

|year avg record low F = -0.8

|Jan record low F = -10

|Feb record low F = -12

|Mar record low F = -2

|Apr record low F = -1

|May record low F = 9

|Jun record low F = 23

|Jul record low F = 28

|Aug record low F = 28

|Sep record low F = 19

|Oct record low F = 1

|Nov record low F = -3

|Dec record low F = -16

|year record low F = -16

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 8.72

|Feb precipitation inch = 7.87

|Mar precipitation inch = 6.42

|Apr precipitation inch = 3.24

|May precipitation inch = 2.05

|Jun precipitation inch = 0.69

|Jul precipitation inch = 0.61

|Aug precipitation inch = 0.15

|Sep precipitation inch = 0.65

|Oct precipitation inch = 2.27

|Nov precipitation inch = 3.65

|Dec precipitation inch = 6.87

|year precipitation inch =

|Jan snow inch = 42.4

|Feb snow inch = 61.5

|Mar snow inch = 37.1

|Apr snow inch = 22.2

|May snow inch = 6.0

|Jun snow inch = 1.1

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.0

|Oct snow inch = 3.4

|Nov snow inch = 11.7

|Dec snow inch = 35.0

|year snow inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 8.8

|Feb precipitation days = 10.0

|Mar precipitation days = 9.5

|Apr precipitation days = 7.7

|May precipitation days = 5.7

|Jun precipitation days = 2.4

|Jul precipitation days = 2.1

|Aug precipitation days = 1.5

|Sep precipitation days = 2.2

|Oct precipitation days = 3.9

|Nov precipitation days = 5.6

|Dec precipitation days = 8.2

|year precipitation days =

|unit snow days = 0.01 in

|Jan snow days = 7.7

|Feb snow days = 8.4

|Mar snow days = 7.4

|Apr snow days = 4.6

|May snow days = 2.0

|Jun snow days = 0.3

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.9

|Nov snow days = 3.7

|Dec snow days = 6.6

|year snow days =

|Jan snow depth inch = 49.9

|Feb snow depth inch = 66.9

|Mar snow depth inch = 73.6

|Apr snow depth inch = 53.1

|May snow depth inch = 15.3

|Jun snow depth inch = 1.7

|Jul snow depth inch = 0.0

|Aug snow depth inch = 0.0

|Sep snow depth inch = 0.0

|Oct snow depth inch = 2.4

|Nov snow depth inch = 10.3

|Dec snow depth inch = 30.3

|year snow depth inch = 79.9

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00045026&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Lodgepole, CA |access-date=March 24, 2023 |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325032410/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00045026&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |url-status=live }}

|source 2 = National Weather Service{{cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=hnx |publisher=National Weather Service |title=NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Hanford |access-date=March 24, 2023 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603185714/https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=hnx |url-status=live }}

}}

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| single line = Y

|collapsed = Y

| location = Giant Forest Visitor Center, Sequoia National Park. Elev: {{cvt|5646|ft|m}}

| Jan high F = 47.2

| Feb high F = 47.7

| Mar high F = 50.5

| Apr high F = 55.0

| May high F = 63.8

| Jun high F = 72.4

| Jul high F = 80.1

| Aug high F = 80.3

| Sep high F = 74.5

| Oct high F = 64.3

| Nov high F = 53.0

| Dec high F = 45.9

| year high F = 61.3

| Jan mean F = 38.0

| Feb mean F = 38.2

| Mar mean F = 40.7

| Apr mean F = 44.6

| May mean F = 52.5

| Jun mean F = 60.6

| Jul mean F = 68.4

| Aug mean F = 67.7

| Sep mean F = 62.3

| Oct mean F = 53.5

| Nov mean F = 43.8

| Dec mean F = 37.9

| year mean F = 50.8

| Jan low F = 28.9

| Feb low F = 28.8

| Mar low F = 31.0

| Apr low F = 34.3

| May low F = 41.3

| Jun low F = 48.8

| Jul low F = 56.7

| Aug low F = 55.2

| Sep low F = 50.2

| Oct low F = 42.6

| Nov low F = 34.6

| Dec low F = 29.8

| year low F = 40.2

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 7.59

| Feb precipitation inch = 7.16

| Mar precipitation inch = 6.81

| Apr precipitation inch = 3.61

| May precipitation inch = 1.78

| Jun precipitation inch = 0.67

| Jul precipitation inch = 0.33

| Aug precipitation inch = 0.14

| Sep precipitation inch = 0.71

| Oct precipitation inch = 1.96

| Nov precipitation inch = 4.32

| Dec precipitation inch = 6.11

| year precipitation inch = 41.19

| humidity colour = green

| Jan humidity = 48.3

| Feb humidity = 61.7

| Mar humidity = 64.9

| Apr humidity = 61.5

| May humidity = 56.5

| Jun humidity = 47.3

| Jul humidity = 41.7

| Aug humidity = 38.6

| Sep humidity = 38.1

| Oct humidity = 42.6

| Nov humidity = 49.3

| Dec humidity = 50.4

| year humidity = 50.0

| Jan dew point F = 20.2

| Feb dew point F = 26.2

| Mar dew point F = 29.8

| Apr dew point F = 32.2

| May dew point F = 37.5

| Jun dew point F = 40.4

| Jul dew point F = 44.2

| Aug dew point F = 41.6

| Sep dew point F = 36.4

| Oct dew point F = 31.3

| Nov dew point F = 26.0

| Dec dew point F = 21.1

| year dew point F = 32.3

| source 1 = PRISM Climate Group{{cite web |url=http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/ |title=PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University |website=www.prism.oregonstate.edu |access-date=July 18, 2019 |archive-date=July 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725164937/http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/ |url-status=live }}}}

{{Weather box|width=auto

|location = Ash Mountain, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1927–2021

|collapsed = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high F = 84

|Feb record high F = 85

|Mar record high F = 89

|Apr record high F = 97

|May record high F = 106

|Jun record high F = 114

|Jul record high F = 118

|Aug record high F = 116

|Sep record high F = 112

|Oct record high F = 103

|Nov record high F = 94

|Dec record high F = 82

|year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 72.6

|Feb avg record high F = 76.6

|Mar avg record high F = 80.4

|Apr avg record high F = 87.3

|May avg record high F = 96.4

|Jun avg record high F = 104.6

|Jul avg record high F = 108.2

|Aug avg record high F = 107.5

|Sep avg record high F = 103.9

|Oct avg record high F = 95.5

|Nov avg record high F = 82.3

|Dec avg record high F = 72.6

|year avg record high F = 109.8

|Jan high F = 57.6

|Feb high F = 60.3

|Mar high F = 64.2

|Apr high F = 68.9

|May high F = 78.8

|Jun high F = 89.5

|Jul high F = 97.1

|Aug high F = 96.6

|Sep high F = 91.2

|Oct high F = 79.1

|Nov high F = 65.6

|Dec high F = 56.8

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 47.9

|Feb mean F = 50.4

|Mar mean F = 53.5

|Apr mean F = 57.2

|May mean F = 66.3

|Jun mean F = 75.9

|Jul mean F = 83.0

|Aug mean F = 82.3

|Sep mean F = 76.9

|Oct mean F = 66.2

|Nov mean F = 54.7

|Dec mean F = 47.4

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 38.3

|Feb low F = 40.6

|Mar low F = 42.8

|Apr low F = 45.4

|May low F = 53.7

|Jun low F = 62.4

|Jul low F = 69.0

|Aug low F = 68.1

|Sep low F = 62.5

|Oct low F = 53.4

|Nov low F = 43.8

|Dec low F = 38.0

|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = 28.6

|Feb avg record low F = 30.5

|Mar avg record low F = 31.3

|Apr avg record low F = 33.4

|May avg record low F = 41.1

|Jun avg record low F = 47.7

|Jul avg record low F = 57.6

|Aug avg record low F = 57.8

|Sep avg record low F = 50.2

|Oct avg record low F = 40.9

|Nov avg record low F = 32.5

|Dec avg record low F = 27.2

|year avg record low F = 24.8

|Jan record low F = 18

|Feb record low F = 21

|Mar record low F = 20

|Apr record low F = 25

|May record low F = 33

|Jun record low F = 38

|Jul record low F = 47

|Aug record low F = 45

|Sep record low F = 40

|Oct record low F = 28

|Nov record low F = 20

|Dec record low F = 17

|year record low F =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 4.89

|Feb precipitation inch = 4.29

|Mar precipitation inch = 4.02

|Apr precipitation inch = 2.48

|May precipitation inch = 1.23

|Jun precipitation inch = 0.37

|Jul precipitation inch = 0.14

|Aug precipitation inch = 0.02

|Sep precipitation inch = 0.18

|Oct precipitation inch = 1.24

|Nov precipitation inch = 2.41

|Dec precipitation inch = 3.72

|year precipitation inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 9.3

|Feb precipitation days = 10.6

|Mar precipitation days = 9.6

|Apr precipitation days = 6.6

|May precipitation days = 4.6

|Jun precipitation days = 1.3

|Jul precipitation days = 0.9

|Aug precipitation days = 0.4

|Sep precipitation days = 1.5

|Oct precipitation days = 3.5

|Nov precipitation days = 6.1

|Dec precipitation days = 8.4

|year precipitation days =

|Jan snow inch = 0.1

|Feb snow inch = 0.0

|Mar snow inch = 0.1

|Apr snow inch = 0.0

|May snow inch = 0.0

|Jun snow inch = 0.0

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.0

|Oct snow inch = 0.0

|Nov snow inch = 0.0

|Dec snow inch = 0.0

|year snow inch =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 0.2

|Feb snow days = 0.0

|Mar snow days = 0.1

|Apr snow days = 0.0

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.0

|Nov snow days = 0.0

|Dec snow days = 0.0

|year snow days =

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web |url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=hnx |title=NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511112537/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=hnx |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00040343&format=pdf |title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612022602/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00040343&format=pdf |url-status=live }} }}

Geology

Sequoia National Park contains a significant portion of the Sierra Nevada. The park's mountainous landscape includes the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, which rises to {{convert|14505|ft|m}} above sea level.{{cite ngs|GT1811|Whitney}} The Great Western Divide parallels the Sierran crest and is visible at various places in the park, for example, Mineral King, Moro Rock, and the Giant Forest. Peaks in the Great Western Divide rise to more than {{convert|12000|ft|m}}. Deep canyons lie between the mountains, including Tokopah Valley above Lodgepole, Deep Canyon on the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River, and Kern Canyon in the park's backcountry, which is more than {{convert|5000|ft|m}} deep for {{convert|30|mi|-1}}.{{NPS|title=Geology Overview|url=http://www.nps.gov/seki/naturescience/geology_overview.htm}}

File:Kaweah downValley.jpg above Hamilton Lake passes over the Great Western Divide]]

Most of the mountains and canyons in the Sierra Nevada are composed of granitic rocks. These rocks, such as granite, diorite and monzonite, formed when molten rock cooled far beneath the surface of the earth. The molten rock was the result of a geologic process known as subduction. Powerful forces in the earth forced the landmass under the waters of the Pacific Ocean beneath and below an advancing North American Continent. Super-hot water driven from the subducting ocean floor migrated upward and melted rock as it proceeded. This process took place during the Cretaceous Period, 100 million years ago. Granitic rocks have a speckled salt-and-pepper appearance because they contain various minerals including quartz, feldspars and micas. Valhalla, or the Angel Wings, are prominent granitic cliffs that rise above the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River.

The Sierra Nevada is a young mountain range, probably not more than 10 million years old. Forces in the earth, probably associated with the development of the Great Basin, forced the mountains to rise. During the last 10 million years, at least four ice ages have coated the mountains in a thick mantle of ice. Glaciers form and develop during long periods of cool and wet weather. Glaciers move very slowly through the mountains, carving deep valleys and craggy peaks. The extensive history of glaciation within the range and the erosion-resistant nature of the granitic rocks that make up most of the Sierra Nevada have together created a landscape of hanging valleys, waterfalls, craggy peaks, alpine lakes (such as Tulainyo Lake) and glacial canyons.

File:CrystalCave vgane.JPG]]

Park caves, like most caves in the Sierra Nevada of California, are mostly solutional caves dissolved from marble. Marble rock is essentially limestone that was metamorphosed by the heat and pressure of the formation and uplift of the Sierra Nevada Batholith. The batholith's rapid uplift over the past 10 million years led to a rapid erosion of the metamorphic rocks in the higher elevations, exposing the granite beneath; therefore, most Sierra Nevada caves are found in the middle and lower elevations (below {{cvt|7000|ft|sigfig=2|disp=or}}), though some caves are found in the park at elevations as high as {{cvt|10000|ft|sigfig=2}} such as the White Chief cave and Cirque Cave in Mineral King. These caves are carved out of the rock by the abundant seasonal streams in the park. Most of the larger park caves have, or have had, sinking streams running through them.

The park contains more than 270 known caves, including Lilburn Cave which is California's longest cave with nearly {{convert|17|mi|km|0}} of surveyed passages. The only commercial cave open to park visitors is Crystal Cave, the park's second-longest cave at over {{convert|3.4|mi|km|1}}. Crystal Cave was discovered on April 28, 1918, by Alex Medley and Cassius Webster.{{cite book |last=Despain |first=Joel |title=Crystal Cave: A Guidebook to the Underground World of Sequoia National Park |publisher=Sequoia Natural History Association |year=1995 |isbn=1-878441-06-X}} The cave is a constant {{convert|48|F|C|0}}, and is only accessible by guided tour.

Caves are discovered frequently in the park with the most recently discovered major cave being Ursa Minor in August 2006.{{cite news |first=Chuck |last=Squatriglia |title=Magical underground world |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/24/CAVE.TMP&feed=rss.news |website=sfgate.com |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |date=September 24, 2006 |access-date=March 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103103356/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2006%2F09%2F24%2FCAVE.TMP&feed=rss.news |archive-date=November 3, 2007 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |author=Blake de Pastino |title=Photo in the News: Giant Crystal-Filled Cave Discovered in California |url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060926-cave-california.html |website=news.nationalgeographic.com |publisher=National Geographic Society |date=September 26, 2006 |access-date=June 6, 2018 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141850/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060926-cave-california.html |url-status=dead }}

File:General Sherman tree looking up.jpg looking up]]

Flora and fauna

File:Red Fir by Crescent Meadow.jpg]]

Sequoia National Park encompasses many classifications of ecological zones, with the highest zone consisting of alpine tundra vegetation, then followed by California conifer forests, with chaparral at the lower elevations of the park.{{cite web |url=https://databasin.org/datasets/1c7a301c8e6843f2b4fe63fdb3a9fe39 |publisher=Data Basin |access-date=2019-07-18 |title=U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions) |archive-date=October 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002220741/https://databasin.org/datasets/1c7a301c8e6843f2b4fe63fdb3a9fe39/ |url-status=live }}

In the early 2000s, lumber company, Sierra Pacific Industries, began creating a living gene bank of trees using seeds harvested from the park.{{Cite book |last=Farmer |first=Jared |title=Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees |publisher=Picador |year=2023 |isbn=9781035009046}}

Animals that inhabit this park are coyote, badger, black bear, bighorn sheep, deer, fox, cougar, eleven species of woodpecker, various species of turtle, three species of owl, opossum, various species of snake, wolverine,{{Cite web |last=Seidman |first=Lila |date=2024-05-17 |title=A push to bring wolverines back to California fizzles amid budget woes |url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-05-17/a-push-to-bring-wolverines-back-to-california-fizzles |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} beaver, various species of frog, and muskrat.

Park attractions

In addition to hiking, camping, fishing, and backpacking, the following attractions are highlights with many park visitors:

Sherman Tree Trail An 0.8-mile roundtrip paved trail that descends from the parking lot to the base of the General Sherman Tree and meanders through a grove of giant sequoia trees.
Tunnel Log is a fallen giant sequoia tree in Sequoia National Park. The tree, which measured {{convert|275|ft|m}} tall and {{convert|21|ft|m}} in diameter, fell across a park road in 1937 due to natural causes. The following year, a crew cut an {{convert|8|ft|m|adj=on}} tall, {{convert|17|ft|m|adj=on}} wide tunnel through the trunk, making the road passable again.{{cite web |url=http://www.ohranger.com/blog/13/08/destination-drive-through-trees |title=Destination drive through trees |publisher=OhRanger.com |access-date=January 9, 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev3_058751.pdf |publisher=United States Forest Service |title=Where is the tree you can drive through? |access-date=January 10, 2017}}{{cite web |title=The Myth of the Tree You Can Drive Through |publisher=National Park Service |work=Sequoia & Kings Canyon |access-date=January 10, 2017 |url=https://www.nps.gov/seki/faqtunnel.htm |quote=[The Wawona Tree] was the second standing sequoia to be tunneled (the first, a dead tree, still stands in the Tuolumne Grove in Yosemite).}}
Tokopah Falls The trail to Tokopah Falls starts just beyond the Marble Fork Bridge in Lodgepole Campground. It is an easy 1.7 mile (one way) walk along the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River to the impressive granite cliffs and waterfall of Tokopah Canyon. Tokopah Falls is {{convert|1,200|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} high, and is most impressive in early summer.
Crescent Meadow is a small, sequoia-rimmed meadow in the Giant Forest region of Sequoia National Park. This sierran montane meadow marks the western terminus of the High Sierra Trail, which stretches from the meadow across the Great Western Divide to Mount Whitney. Pioneer Hale Tharp homesteaded in this and nearby Log Meadow. Conservationist John Muir visited this meadow many times and called it the "Gem of the Sierra". The meadow lies at the end of a three-mile paved road which leaves the Generals Highway near the Giant Forest Museum.
Moro Rock is a granite dome located in the center of the park, at the head of Moro Creek, between Giant Forest and Crescent Meadow. A 351-step stairway, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, is cut into and poured onto the rock, so that visitors can hike to the top. The stairway is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The view from the rock encompasses much of the park, including the Great Western Divide. It has an elevation of {{convert|6725|ft|m|0}}.
Campgrounds in the park include three in the foothills area: Potwisha (42 sites), Buckeye Flat (28 sites), and South Fork (10 sites). Four campgrounds are at higher, conifer-dominated elevations, ranging from {{convert|6650|to|7500|ft|m|sigfig=2}}: Atwell Mill (21 sites), Cold Springs (40 sites), Lodgepole (214 sites), and Dorst Creek (204 sites).
Giant Forest Museum offers information about giant sequoias and human history in the forest. The historic museum was built in 1928 by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood.

In popular culture

Apple's macOS Sequoia was named after Sequoia National Park.{{Cite web |last=Hanson |first=Kristina TerechContributions from Matt |last2=Saxena |first2=Muskaan |last3=updated |first3=Darren Allan last |date=2024-06-07 |title=macOS 15 Sequoia: launch date, latest news and everything we know |url=https://www.techradar.com/computing/mac-os/macos-15 |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=TechRadar |language=en}}

References

External links

{{Official website}} of the [https://www.nps.gov/index.htm National Park Service]
[https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1096/ Geologic Map of Southwestern Sequoia National Park] – United States Geological Survey
[http://www.virtualparks.org/parks/sequoia-np-qtvr-map.html Virtual reality scenes in Sequoia National Park]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20061008072406/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/dilsaver-tweed/index.htm Lary M. Dilsaver and William C. Tweed, Challenge of the Big Trees] – natural and human history of the park
{{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.ntis.ava03599vnb1|name=Giant Sequoia (1979)}}