Sequoia National Park

{{short description|National park in California, United States}} {{Distinguish|Sequoia National Forest}} {{Use American English|date=February 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox protected area | name = Sequoia National Park | iucn_category = II | iucn_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.protectedplanet.net/1111192 |title=Sequoia-Kings Canyon |publisher=Protected Planet |website=protectedplanet.net |access-date=May 29, 2020 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530003310/https://www.protectedplanet.net/1111192 |url-status=live }}</ref> | image = General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park - June 2022.jpg | image_caption = The [[General Sherman Tree]], the largest tree in the world (measured by volume), in 2022 | image_size = 224 | mapframe-zoom= 9 | 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 = <ref name="area">{{NPS area|year=2012|access-date=September 22, 2013}}</ref> | visitation_num = 1,153,198 | visitation_year = 2022 | visitation_ref = <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 }}</ref> | governing_body = [[National Park Service]] | website = {{Official URL}} }} '''Sequoia National Park''' is a [[List of national parks of the United States|national park of the United States]] in the southern [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|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}}<ref name="area"/> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DATASHEETS |url=https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=GT1811 |access-date=November 7, 2023 |website=www.ngs.noaa.gov}}</ref> 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]] [[Man and the Biosphere Programme|Biosphere Reserve]] in 1976.<ref>{{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=May 23, 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 }}</ref>

The park is notable for its [[Sequoiadendron giganteum|giant sequoia]] trees, including the [[General Sherman Tree]], the [[List of largest giant sequoias|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 forest]]s shared by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.<ref name=1993OldGrowthEstimates>{{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=March 7, 2012 |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 }}</ref> The parks preserve a landscape that was the ancestral homelands of the [[Monache]] (Western Mono), the [[Tübatulabal|Tubatulabal]], the [[Bishop Paiute Tribe|Owens Valley Paiute]], the [[Yokuts]], and the [[Shoshone]] (Newe) tribes prior to [[Euro-American culture|Euro-American settlement.]]<ref name=snepLateSuccessional>{{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=March 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212072324/http://ceres.ca.gov/snep/pubs/v2s3.html |archive-date=December 12, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Steward-1935" />

==Front country== Many park visitors enter Sequoia National Park through its southern entrance near the town of [[Three Rivers, California|Three Rivers]] at [[Ash Mountain Entrance Sign|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|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.<ref>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 }}</ref> The region is also home to abundant wildlife: [[bobcat]]s, [[fox]]es, [[ground squirrel]]s, [[rattlesnake]]s, and [[mule deer]] are commonly seen in this area, and more rarely, reclusive [[mountain lion]]s and the Pacific [[Fisher (animal)|fisher]] are seen as well. The last [[California grizzly]] was killed in this park in 1922 (at Horse Corral Meadow).<ref name="Grinnell 1937">{{cite book |last1=Grinnell |first1=Joseph |title=Fur Bearing mammals of California |date=1937}}{{page needed|date=September 2024}}</ref> The [[Quercus kelloggii|California Black Oak]] is a key transition species between the chaparral and higher elevation [[conifer]] forest.<ref>{{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=March 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218215957/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=82385 |archive-date=February 18, 2012}}</ref>

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 pine|Ponderosa]], [[Jeffrey Pine|Jeffrey]], [[sugar pine|sugar]], and [[lodgepole pine]] trees, as well as abundant [[white fir|white]] and [[red fir]]. Found here too are the [[Sequoiadendron giganteum|giant sequoia]] trees, the most massive living single-stem trees on Earth. Between the trees, spring and summer [[snowmelt]]s sometimes fan out to form lush, though delicate, meadows. In this region, visitors often see mule deer, [[Douglas squirrel]]s, and [[American black bear]]s, which sometimes break into unattended cars to eat food left by careless visitors. There are plans to reintroduce the [[bighorn sheep]] to this park.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

==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 [[National Wilderness Preservation System|designated wilderness]]<ref>{{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=October 12, 2008 |title=Sequoia and Kings Canyon Wilderness |publisher=Sierra Nevada Wilderness Education Project |access-date=March 7, 2012}}</ref> and is accessible only by foot or by horseback. The majority was designated Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness in 1984<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/default.php |title=Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness |website=wilderness.net |language=en |access-date=August 31, 2019 |archive-date=December 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205210555/https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/default.php |url-status=live }}</ref> and the southwest portion was protected as [[John Hans Krebs|John Krebs]] Wilderness in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/default.php |title=John Krebs Wilderness |website=wilderness.net |language=en |access-date=August 31, 2019 |archive-date=December 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205210555/https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/default.php |url-status=live }}</ref><!--

Sequoia's backcountry offers a vast expanse of high-alpine wonders. Covering the highest-elevation region of the High Sierra, the backcountry includes Mount Whitney on the eastern border of the park, accessible from the Giant Forest via the [[High Sierra Trail]]. On a traveler's path along this {{convert|35|mi|km|0|adj=on}} backcountry trail, one passes through about {{convert|10|mi|km|0}} of [[montane forest]] before reaching the backcountry resort of [[Bearpaw Meadow]], just short of the [[Great Western Divide]].

Continuing along the High Sierra Trail over the Great Western Divide via [[Kaweah Gap]], one passes from the Kaweah River Drainage, with its characteristic V-shaped river valleys, and into the Kern River drainage, where an ancient fault line has aided glaciers in the last ice age to create a U-shaped canyon that is almost perfectly straight for nearly {{convert|20|mi|km|0}}. On the floor of this canyon, at least two days hike from the nearest road, is the Kern Canyon hot spring, a popular resting point for weary backpackers. From the floor of Kern Canyon, the trail ascends again over {{cvt|8000|ft|sigfig=2}} to the summit of Mount Whitney. At Mount Whitney, the High Sierra Trail meets with the [[John Muir Trail]] and the [[Pacific Crest Trail]], which continue northward along the Sierra crest and into the backcountry of [[Kings Canyon National Park]].-->

==History==

=== Native Americans === [[File:Hospital Rock 2021.jpg|alt=The photo shows a rock in Sequoia National Park with pictographs drawn by Native American Peoples.|thumb|Hospital Rock was a site of healing practices of local tribes before and into the 1800s.<ref>{{Citation |last=Mitchell |first=Annie |title=Hospital Rock, Sequoia National Park, Tulare County, California |date= |work=Tulare County Library |url=http://archive.org/details/cvicl_001641 |access-date=April 9, 2026}}</ref>]] The area which now is Sequoia National Park shows evidence of Native American settlement as early as AD 1000.<ref name="Vankat-1977">{{Cite journal |last=Vankat |first=John L. |date=March 1977 |title=Fire and 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 }}</ref> The area was home to "Monachee" ([[Western Mono]]) [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], who resided mainly in the [[Kaweah River]] drainage in the Foothills region of what is now the western part of 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.<ref name="Vankat-1977" /> They lived in groups of one to eight families per village, with a chief who organized ceremonies and helped people in need, and a messenger who assisted the chief and settled disputes in the community. Ceremonies included an annual mourning ceremony to remember the dead, especially those who had died within the past year.<ref name="Pritzker-2000">{{Cite book |last=Pritzker |first=Barry M |title=A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-195-13877-1 |pages=112–161}}</ref> During this time, the Western Mono tribe would travel over the high mountain passes to trade with the [[Bishop Paiute Tribe|Owens Valley Paiute]] and the [[Yokuts]].<ref name="Pritzker-2000" /> To this day, [[pictographs]] can be found at several sites within the park, notably at [[Hospital Rock (Three Rivers, California)|Hospital Rock]] and Potwisha, as well as bedrock mortars used to process [[acorn]]s, a staple food for the Monachee people.<ref name="Vankat-1977" /> [[File:Bottleneck basket.jpg|thumb|Tübatulabal woven basket made around 1880. Basket weaving is a notable art form for this tribe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bottleneck basket - Tubatulabal, Native American - The Metropolitan Museum of Art |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/751529 |access-date=April 16, 2026 |website=www.metmuseum.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Pritzker-2000" />|left]] The indigenous [[Tübatulabal]] people resided in the eastern part of the area (the Kern River drainage).<ref>{{Cite book |author=Steward, Julian Haynes |title=Indian tribes of Sequoia National Park region |date=1993 |publisher=California Indian Library Collections [distributor] |oclc=58907982}}</ref> The Tübatulabal language is in the Uto-Aztecan language family but is distinctive from the languages of other tribes in the region.<ref name="infodome.sdsu.edu">{{Cite web |title=SDSU Library & Information Access :: California Indians and Their Reservations |url=http://infodome.sdsu.edu/research/guides/calindians/calinddictty.shtml#y |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726212453/http://infodome.sdsu.edu/research/guides/calindians/calinddictty.shtml#y |archive-date=July 26, 2010 |access-date=April 9, 2026 |website=infodome.sdsu.edu}}</ref> The tribe was made up of three bands, each having their own chief, which regularly met and intermarried. They were semi-nomadic, moving regularly in warmer months but building more permanent villages in the winter. These villages included dwellings for two to six families and supply storage huts built each fall. Their diet was made up mainly of acorns, pine nuts, and fish, and also included berries, seeds, plants, and local game. They made a wide variety of tools, including baskets, pottery, hunting, trapping, and fishing materials, sewing supplies, and musical instruments.<ref name="Pritzker-2000" /> [[File:Young Yokut Indian girl, Tule River Reservation near Porterville, California, ca.1903 (CHS-3793).jpg|thumb|A young Yokut girl, on the Tule River Reservation, ca.1903]] The [[Yokuts]] inhabited the San Joaquin Valley west of the park, and up into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range on the modern day park land.<ref name="Steward-1935" /> Their society was organized into about fifty groups, each with their own chief and territory. According to their customs, a married couple would initially spend one year living with the woman's parents, and then would move into a home near the man's parents. Swimming was a popular activity, with teenagers regularly going to swim on winter nights for "toughening". Crafted items made by the tribe were numerous and included baskets, trapping and fishing equipment, rafts, ropes, ovens, stone tools, and pottery.<ref name="Pritzker-2000" /> They traded with the Monachee people as well as with the [[Miwok|Miwok Native Americans]] who lived north of them. In the modern day, many Yokuts live on the [[Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation|Tule River Reservation]] or the [[Santa Rosa Rancheria]], with tribal council governments. A small number still live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas near their ancestral territories, but none reside within park boundaries.<ref name="Pritzker-2000" />

Other Native American peoples within the park included the [[Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley|Owens Valley Paiute]], who inhabited the area east of Sequoia National Park,<ref name="Steward-1935">{{Cite book |last=Steward |first=Julian Haynes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mwxt0Fz2bS0C&dq=sequoia+national+park+native+americans+indians&pg=PP11 |title=Indian Tribes of Sequoia National Park Region |date=1935 |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Field Division of Education |language=en}}</ref> and the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada within the modern park boundaries. The tribe is often misassociated with other neighboring tribes because of their linguistic similarities with the Mono people and their cultural similarities to the [[Northern Paiute people|Northern Paiutes]] in Nevada. The Owens Valley Paiute were a hunter-gatherer society who were also skilled in fishing and in irrigation techniques.<ref name="Fowler-1996">{{Cite book |last=Fowler |first=Catherine S. |title=Native America in the Twentieth Century: An Encyclopedia |date=1996 |isbn=978-0-8153-2583-3 |pages=426–428, 593–595|publisher=Routledge}}</ref> Additionally, the [[Shoshone|Shoshone (Newe)]] people lived to the east of the Sierra Nevadas,<ref name="infodome.sdsu.edu" /> as well as in the [[Great Basin]]. These people lived in extended family groups, each of which had a distinctive home area. Families chose a name for themselves based on geographical or cultural features specific to them, and the people named themselves the Newe as a whole. The name Shoshone was given to them by early white explorers in the 1820s.<ref name="Fowler-1996" /> To this day, many of the Shoshone in the region live on [[Ranchería|Rancherias]] together with members of the Owens Valley Paiute, including the [[Bishop Paiute Tribe|Bishop]], [[Big Pine, California|Big Pine]], and [[Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe|Lone Pine]] rancherias. The two tribes also live together in the [[Fort Independence Reservation]]. Together, they have joint tribal councils governing at each of these locations.<ref name="Fowler-1996" />

===European settlement=== [[File:Tharp's log.jpg|thumb|left|Tharp's Log, a cabin formed out of a hollowed-out [[Sequoiadendron giganteum|giant sequoia]] log]]

The first European settler to homestead in the area was [[Hale Tharp]], who 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.<ref name="Vankat-1977" /> 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 were forcibly removed from the largest campsite (Hospital Rock) by 1865.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andrade-Diaz |first=Darian |date=April 1, 2024 |title=Assimilating an Indigenous Perspective in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Parks |url=https://escholarship.org/content/qt6850r9nv/qt6850r9nv.pdf}}</ref><ref name="Vankat-1977" /> 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.<ref name="Vankat-1977" /> 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 of the United States Code|Title 16—Conservation]] | sections created = {{usc|16|41}}<br>{{usc|16|43}} | leghisturl = | introducedin = House | introducedbill = H.R. 11570 | introducedby = [[William Vandever]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]–[[California|CA]]) | introduceddate = July 28, 1890 | committees = [[United States House Committee on Natural Resources|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 [[utopia]]n 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.

===Park status=== [[Benjamin Harrison|President Benjamin Harrison]] ultimately signed legislation that established the Sequoia National Park on September 25, 1890, becoming the second national park established in the United States, and ending logging in the area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History & Culture - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks |url=https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/historyculture/index.htm |access-date=March 6, 2025 |publisher=U.S. National Park Service |language=en}}</ref>

===Buffalo Soldiers=== 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 Soldier]]s.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Mason-2019">{{Cite journal |last=Mason |first=Kathy S. |date=March 1, 2019 |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 }}</ref> [[File:Charles.Young.1919.jpg|left|thumb|[[Charles Young (United States Army officer)|Charles Young]], the third African-American graduate of West Point and the first Black U.S. National Park Service superintendent, led the cavalries of [[Buffalo Soldier]]s in the Sequoia and General Grant Parks.]] The third African-American West Point graduate, Captain [[Charles Young (United States Army officer)|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.<ref>{{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=March 22, 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref> He led by 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|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.<ref name="Mason-2019" />

===Sierra Club=== 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Masters |first=Nathan |date=February 21, 2018 |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=May 19, 2024 |website=PBS SoCal |language=en}}</ref> This site known as [[Mineral King]] was annexed to the park.<ref>{{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=May 19, 2024 |work=SFGate |language=en}}</ref> Its name dates back to early 1873 when the miners in the area formed the Mineral King Mining District.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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|SQF Complex Fire]],<ref>{{cite news |date=September 17, 2020 |title=SQF Complex Fire: 122,835 acres burned, 12% contained; latest evacuation orders |language=en |work=ABC30 Fresno |url=https://abc30.com/sqf-fire-tulare-county-evacs/6422420/ |access-date=September 15, 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 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author-first1=Joe|author-last1=Jacquez|author-first2=Sheyanne N |author-last2=Romero|author-first3=James|author-last3=Ward|author-first4=Joshua|author-last4=Yeager|author-first5=Kristan|author-last5=Obeng|date=September 13, 2020|title=SQF Complex Fire grows, portions of Three Rivers under mandatory evacuations. What we know. |work=Visalia Times Delta|url=https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2020/09/14/sqf-complex-sequoia-castle-fire-update-map-closures-evacuations-three-rivers/5788830002/ |access-date=September 15, 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 }}</ref> and fully closed in mid-September through mid-December 2021 due to the [[KNP Complex Fire]].<ref>{{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=July 10, 2022 |website=NPS.gov |publisher=National Park Service |quote=Sequoia and 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 }}</ref><ref>{{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=July 10, 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 }}</ref>

==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}}.<ref name="USDA">{{cite web |url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ |publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]] |access-date=July 18, 2019 |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=live }}</ref>

{{Weather box|width=auto |location = Lodgepole, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1968–2021, elev: {{cvt|6735|ft|m}} |single line = Y |collapsed = Y

|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = 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 }}</ref> |source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>{{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 }}</ref> }}

{{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<ref name=prism>{{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 }}</ref>}}

{{Weather box|width=auto |location = Ash Mountain, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1927–2021 |collapsed = Y |single line = Y

|source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> }}

==Geology== Sequoia National Park contains a significant portion of the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|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.<ref>{{cite ngs|GT1811|Whitney}}</ref> 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}}.<ref name=npsgeo>{{NPS|title=Geology Overview|url=http://www.nps.gov/seki/naturescience/geology_overview.htm}}</ref>

[[File:Kaweah downValley.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The [[High Sierra Trail]] above Hamilton Lake passes over the [[Great Western Divide]]]] Most of the mountains and canyons in the Sierra Nevada are composed of [[granodiorite|granitic rocks]]. These rocks, such as [[granite]], [[diorite]] and [[monzonite]], formed when [[Molteno Formation|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 Plate|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]], [[feldspar]]s and [[mica]]s. Valhalla, or the Angel Wings, are prominent granitic cliffs that rise above the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the [[Kaweah River]].<ref name=npsgeo/>

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 age]]s 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.<ref name=npsgeo/>

[[File:CrystalCave vgane.JPG|thumb|Calcite formations in [[Crystal Cave (Sequoia National Park)|Crystal Cave]]]] Park caves, like most caves in the Sierra Nevada of California, are mostly [[solutional cave]]s dissolved from [[marble]]. Marble rock is essentially [[limestone]] that was [[metamorphic rock|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.<ref name=npsgeo/> The only commercial cave open to park visitors is [[Crystal Cave (Sequoia National Park)|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.<ref name="Despain">{{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}}</ref> 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 (cave)|Ursa Minor]] in August 2006.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref>

==Flora and fauna== {{See also|Ecology of the Sierra Nevada}} [[File:Red Fir by Crescent Meadow.jpg|thumb|Crescent Meadow in the Giant Forest, called the "Gem of the Sierra" by [[John Muir]]]] 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.<ref name="Conservation Biology Institute">{{cite web |url=https://databasin.org/datasets/1c7a301c8e6843f2b4fe63fdb3a9fe39 |publisher=[[Data Basin]] |access-date=July 18, 2019 |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 }}</ref>

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

Animals that inhabit this park are [[California Valley coyote|coyote]], [[American badger|badger]], [[American black bear|black bear]], [[bighorn sheep]], [[deer]], [[fox]], [[North American cougar|cougar]], eleven species of [[woodpecker]], various species of [[turtle]], three species of [[owl]], [[opossum]], various species of [[snake]], [[wolverine]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seidman |first=Lila |date=May 17, 2024 |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=May 18, 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> [[North American beaver|beaver]], various species of [[frog]], and [[muskrat]].

==Park attractions== [[File:General Sherman tree looking up.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[General Sherman Tree]] looking up]] In addition to hiking, camping, fishing, and backpacking, the following attractions are highlights with many park visitors:

* [[General Sherman Tree|Sherman Tree]] Trail is 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.<ref name="Destination">{{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}}</ref><ref name="usdf">{{cite web |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev3_058751.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021074335/http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev3_058751.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 21, 2014 |publisher=United States Forest Service |title=Where is the tree you can drive through? |access-date=January 10, 2017}}</ref><ref name="NPS">{{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).}}</ref> * 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 [[Moro Rock Stairway|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.<ref>{{Cite web |author-first1=Kristina|author-last1=Terech|author-first2=Darren|author-last2=Allan|author-first3=Matt|author-last3=Hanson|author-first4=Muskaan|author-last4=Saxena|date=June 7, 2024 |title=macOS 15 Sequoia: launch date, latest news and everything we know |url=https://www.techradar.com/computing/mac-os/macos-15 |access-date=March 6, 2025 |website=TechRadar |language=en}}</ref>

==See also== {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * [[:Category:Fauna of the Sierra Nevada (United States)|Fauna of the Sierra Nevada]] * [[African-American Heritage Sites]] * [[Bibliography of the Sierra Nevada]] * [[List of giant sequoia groves]] * [[List of national parks of the United States]] * [[List of plants of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|List of plants of the Sierra Nevada]] * [[National parks in California]] * [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks]] * [[Protected areas of the Sierra Nevada]] {{div col end}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{sister project links|voy=y|auto=1}} * {{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)}}

{{Sequoia National Park}} {{Sierra Nevada}} {{National parks of the United States}} {{Protected areas of California|NPS}} {{National Park Travelers Club Conventions}} {{authority control}}

[[Category:Sequoia National Park| ]] [[Category:Biosphere reserves of the United States]] [[Category:National parks in California]] [[Category:Parks in Tulare County, California]] [[Category:Protected areas established in 1890]] [[Category:Protected areas of the Sierra Nevada (United States)]] [[Category:1890 establishments in California]] [[Category:Articles with WikiMiniAtlas displaying incorrectly; WMA not showing area]]