Giant Forest: Big Trees Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Fall Colors · River/Creek · Wildflowers · Wildlife

This is perhaps the easiest and quickest ways to walk among the mighty sequoia. The hike starts and ends at the Giant Forest Museum, which is a highly recommended stop either before or after walking the Big Trees Trail loop.

This trail is popular among Sequoia's visitors, and though paved, won't make for very good running. Besides, you'll constantly be stopping to admire the trees, so take your time!

From the Giant Forest Museum/Beetle Rock parking lot, walk down towards the lot entrance and then along the marked trail running aside the main road. The short path will lead you over Little Deer Creek where to the left you can run to Sunset Rock but for now bear right. It's only 0.2 miles from the parking lot to the loop so this is the only wrong turn you can make.

The best way to take the loop is to the right which will take you along the edge of Round Meadow first. This trail has ample signage to explain how these meadows form and their functions. Fallen logs and beautiful smaller plants like ferns account for most of the understory. Morning sunrise bathes the larger trees on the west side of the meadow in excellent golden hour light.

After crossing a small wood bridge over a feeder creek, the trail turns slightly further into the forest. This is where you find the truly huge trees. If you're planning on taking the best pictures possible, hang back and try and get people in the picture for perspective. In most national park photos you try to crop strangers out, but here---without a human in the frame for perspective-- the huge trees look boringly normal.

Even taking your time with kids or a large group, this trail shouldn't take long. Follow the way you came back to the parking lot or take the various turns to Sunset Rock or the Giant Forest Museum (highly recommend). Another way to add onto this hike is to take the Hazelwood Nature Loop across the road nearby.