The tree is a pillar that is a testimony that things of the spirit transcend those of the flesh
Colonel John White, Park Superintendent, at a gathering at the ‘Nation’s Christmas Tree’
In 1924 a little girl stood at the foot of the General Grant tree, the second largest sequoia in the world (as measured by trunk volume), and exclaimed, ‘what a wonderful Christmas tree it would be!’ The idea captured the imagination of her father, one R.J. Senior, and the following year he arranged an event here on Christmas Day.
Following it he wrote to the president, Calvin Coolidge, suggesting that an annual ceremony be held here each year. As a result, in April 1926, the President Coolidge designated the General Grant as the Nation’s Christmas Tree.


The General Grant tree
But Coolidge isn’t the only president to have played a part in building the fame of this tree. Thirty years later, in 1956, President Eisenhower declared the General Grant Tree to be a National Shrine. It was dedicated ‘in memory of the men and women of the Armed Forces who have served and fought and died to keep this Nation free’.
Grant Grove walk
We had already seen and been awed by the coastal redwoods in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. But while those are the tallest trees to be found anywhere in the world, they are not the most massive overall. That honour belongs to their cousins, the giant sequoias (as measured by a combination of height and width).
Kings Canyon / Sequoia National Park was one of the first places marked on the map in planning our California road trip, as it had been skipped with some reluctance on our 1991 visit due to lack of time. We arrived in the park around midday and stopped just inside the entrance to eat our picnic snacks. We read on a notice board there that was to be a ranger talk by the famous General Grant tree, and as we’d planned to go there next in any case, we made sure to arrive in time for that.
The talk, by ranger Brett, was really interesting. We learned a lot about the life cycle of the sequoias and had the chance to handle some sequoia cones, bark and wood, the latter surprisingly light, like balsa wood! Brett also pointed out a mountain pocket gopher digging nearby, which I would never have noticed otherwise.




Spot the gopher in the lower right photo
We then walked round the trail which, although a short walk, was full of interest so I hope will make a suitable Monday Walk. It passes several other monarchs, as the oldest trees are called, and also the Fallen Monarch and Centennial Stump, reminders of others that once stood here.







On the Grant Grove trail
Panoramic Point
Later that afternoon we made the drive up to the Panoramic Point trail, 2.4 miles up a narrow winding road. At the end a steep but thankfully short path (half a mile) led up to the appropriately-named viewpoint. And the view more than rewarded us (Chris for handling the tricky drive, me for tackling that path!)
We were looking over miles of largely unspoiled wilderness. In the valley below us we could see Hume Lake, an artificial lake created in 1908 to feed a flume that floated timber down to the valley. Beyond it rose the peaks of the High Sierra sheltering the deep glacial gorge of the Kings Canyon which we planned to visit tomorrow. It was a great spot from which to appreciate the scale of this mountain range before immersing ourselves in it.



The view from Panoramic Point
We could see a fire burning, the so-called Happy Fire (I don’t know how it got that name) which we later read was burning in a remote valley and not threatening people or property. The authorities were therefore monitoring the fire rather than try to put it out.


The Happy Fire
This fire was started by natural causes, lightening, rather than arson as was the case with the Park Fire whose impact we had seen in the Lassen area. We had already learned from Brett that the sequoias need low impact fires; they clear the undergrowth to give their seeds a better chance of producing saplings and they produce ash to enrich the soil. I read later that the fire continued to burn and was managed by the authorities, containing it away from roads and populated areas, until winter weather (snow or rain) would extinguish it.
I visited Grant Grove in October 2024
52 Comments
Annie Berger
The trees in King’s Canyon and Sequoia are nothing short of majestic, aren’t they, Sarah? So glad you were able to see the parks and hike some of the trails on this California trip. Hope you’ll get out to Utah’s national parks one of these days – they’re a sight to behold and not to be missed!
Sarah Wilkie
They are absolutely Annie, and I’m so glad to have been able to visit these parks! I thought I must have mentioned previously that we have visited Utah, albeit many years ago when I was using 35mm slide film so it doesn’t feature much in my posts. It was one of my favourite road trips ever! We also covered the northern part of Arizona, including the Grand Canyon 🙂
Annie Berger
I must have missed or forgotten, your reference to any of the national parks in Utah, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Well, we ‘chat’ a lot so that isn’t surprising 😆
Brad M
Amazing trees. There is really nothing like seeing them in person, and even then they are still hard for mere humans to take in.
Sarah Wilkie
That’s so true! Thank you Brad 🙂
rkrontheroad
These enormous creatures are so amazing! Thanks for sharing the information you learned. – rkrontheroad
(I just left a comment on your recent b&w and forgot to sign)
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ruth – and it’s OK, your comments always seem to come through with your name attached 🙂 I think it’s a few people who have several online ‘identities’ / email addresses etc. who don’t always show as logged in?
rkrontheroad
Actually, I have to fill out my name, etc. every time these days on your site and a few others that I follow. Most of them recognize me. I don’t know what WP is doing differently now.
Sarah Wilkie
I have problems with some sites too – maddening!
Marilyn Armstrong
We visited Mere Woods (sp?) in 2015. It was awesome in the original meaning of “awe.” I wince every time I hear that one was cut down. What a heartbreaker.
The mole had a blue back. I didn’t know anything but birds were blue. He’s pretty hard to see on the forest floor. GREAT pictures. That is one of the places to which I would love to return — maybe many times. I hope the fires haven’t consumed those wonderful trees.
Sarah Wilkie
Glad you enjoyed this Marilyn, and thank you for the kind words about the photos 😊 I’m confident these trees at least have survived recent fires which didn’t really impact this area as much as the coast and that bad one in the centre of the state which hit Lassen NP hard. I think the gopher’s colouring is more grey than blue, my camera must have distorted the colour a little. But you can occasionally get blue on mammals – some monkeys’ faces for instance (and other monkey parts!)
grandmisadventures
Wow those trees are incredible. Natural beauty at its best 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
They are indeed – thanks for visiting Meg 🙂
Vicki
Amazing trees, but to me, the photo of the valley from Panoramic Point was stunning. It gives me hope that at least part of our planet will survive human interference.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Vicki 🙂 I think the US National Park Service does a fantastic job of preservation and of balancing human needs with those of the environment, but like so many institutions there it seems to be under threat at the moment 🙁
Image Earth Travel
Wow, those trees are amazing and you’ve captured them well!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much 😊 I tried, but nothing beats actually seeing them!
carabeinsplash
What amazing trees. Great photos Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, so glad you liked them 😀
carabeinsplash
It must’ve been almost impossible to get the entire tree in a photo.
Sarah Wilkie
Indeed – hence the wonky shot!
Rose
Having been in that area several years ago, I remember how difficult it was to capture the true wonder and size of these absolutely amazing trees. Thank you for taking us on this gorgeous walk.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Rose 😊 Yes, almost impossible to give any real idea of their impact in a photo!
Marie
Wonderful – I’d love to see them in person….
Sarah Wilkie
You would love it here I’m sure, and in person is really the only way to appreciate them properly 😀
Rebecca
Fascinating! I didn’t know about the General Grant tree, but what a sweet story behind it! This is a part of the state I haven’t visited, but all the more reason to go now. Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
There are more tree ‘generals’ to come in a future post too Rebecca! I hope you can visit this area one day, I’m sure you’d love it 🙂
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
That gopher really is camouflaged, isn’t he? I’d have missed him too.
Sarah Wilkie
And he kept appearing and disappearing, so very hard to photograph!
Monkey's Tale
They are majestic trees aren’t they? And Panoramic Point earned its name didn’t it? Looks beautiful. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
So true on both counts Maggie 😀
Egídio
Sarah, these views at Panoramic Point are wonderful. What a post!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Egidio 😊 It really was a spectacular spot!
Anne Sandler
Oh Sarah, you took me back to my favorite NP. We would take the boys up there every year to explore. My favorite hike was Little Baldy Saddle in the Sequoia NP region. It was a steep twisty path, but worth it when you got to the top. Too bad I was busy raising kids and not taking pictures. I do remember standing at the edge, looking down at the beauty and being awestruck. I do think our memory is our best camera.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne 🙂 I’m so pleased to have taken you back there, and I’ll more from Sequoia over the next week or so. We didn’t climb up Little Baldy Saddle but Chris made it to the top of Moro Rock and I managed halfway!
Anne Sandler
Bravo Chris and to you also! I’m looking forward to seeing more of my Sequoia.
thehungrytravellers.blog
That’s not Brett, it’s Radar off MASH. 😂. Great story and fab pictures, I loved the huge redwoods and sequoias on our California tour, not just superb sights in their own right but something I remember seeing in encyclopaedias when I was a kid and thinking, wow there’s a whole big wide world out there.
Sarah Wilkie
Haha yes, so it is – I thought he looked familiar 😂 Don’t you just love it when you see a sight remembered from childhood geography text-books or encyclopaedias and marvel at how you’re able to see ‘in the flesh’ something that seemed so implausibly different from your own home surroundings?!
thehungrytravellers.blog
Yes!!! Neither Michaela nor I have lost that sense of thrill. I hope we never do.
Sue
Great post, Sarah…what an incredible place. Glad your earlier commenter mentioned Gopher as I was confused!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sue 🙂 I did edit the caption after Margaret commented that she was confused – is it still not clear?
Sue
no, no it’s fine
Teresa
Love these giant trees and the panoramic views. Great captures Sarah… as always!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Teresa, I’m glad you loved these trees, they really are amazing 😀
Alison
Hard to imagine the height of those trees. Great how you managed to capture the top of them. Not sure about having one for a Christmas tree, would take forever to decorate!
Sarah Wilkie
It was pretty close to impossible to get bottom and top in the frame, hence the diagonal shot! Fortunately they don’t decorate the tree, but I believe they lay a Christmas wreath at its foot each year.
margaret21
Terrific photos that really convey a sense of scale. I thought I’d seen the gopher bottom left in the photo. What am I looking at wrong?
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Margaret 😊 But I’m sorry, my caption was confusing – I meant in the bottom right PHOTO within the gallery, but of course he is in the bottom left area of that shot! I’ll amend the caption 😀
margaret21
😄
restlessjo
‘Managing’ nature on this scale can’t be easy! The scenery is magnificent, Sarah. The combination of those high clouds and the grandeur around. You must have felt very small. Thanks for letting me walk with you.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jo 🙂 Yes, a place like this does indeed make you feel small, both in comparison to the trees and to the huge open spces!