North Grove

The North Grove has a lot to offer; giant sequoias, stories of the trees’ painful past, and a beautiful stroll across the forest floor. The trail is smooth, mostly dirt, and partially a wooden walkway. It’s wide and flat enough for strollers.

Start in one of the parking lots near or past the visitor center. If you’re parked at the visitor center, head out on North Grove Trail to the south; there are two outlets of the trail, the one you want to follow is on the right when you face the side of the road where the trail begins/ends. It will take you past the campfire area to the “Big Stump.”

If you parked along the road past the visitor center, look for a short connector trail that will take you directly to the “Big Stump.”

“Big Stump” is the beginning of the trail. It’s a stump left behind by a giant sequoia tree that was stripped of its bark and taken down in 1853 and the stump was turned into a dance floor. Follow the trail past the stump (if you’re coming from the visitor center, continue straight, if you used the connector trail from the parking on the road, turn right past the stump). There are a few information signs and a small stand with trail guides. Pick one up, there’s a lot of interesting information about every giant tree you’ll see on this hike, and the drawing on its front shows what the giant sequoia most likely looked like before it was cut down. The recommended donation for the guide is 50 cents.

Right past the kiosk, you’ll encounter exhibit number 1. There are a total of 26 exhibits/trees, all with their own stories and unique traits. This can be a 30-minute hike, but with the guide, you can easily spend 2 hours there, learning about the awe-inspiring giants.

Once you pass tree #1, cross the small footbridge and keep following the trail. Less than 0.1 mile (and tree #2) past the bridge, keep left on the fork in the trail to stay on North Grove Trail. (The trail on the right is Grove Overlook Trail, which climbs up the hillside and offers a more elevated view of the trees. It, however, doesn’t have any specific descriptions or information like North Grove Trail does.)

From the junction, follow North Grove Trail for 0.8 mile. There will be uprooted trees, a tunnel through the trunk of a fallen giant sequoia that you can walk through, and a few benches to take a rest and observe the trees. You will pass trees #3-13, including the “Siamese Twins,” the “Father of the Grove,” and the “Old Bachelor,” six big fallen logs, and six benches.

Turn left on the upcoming junction (following trail marker towards visitor center). Less than 0.1 mile later, you will arrive at the “Mother of the Forest” (marker #15). This is another tree with a painful past, destroyed by the greed of people. In 1854, speculators removed the bark from the tree in order to reassemble and display it in New York City and London. This killed the tree, as bark is where all the necessary nutrients flow through to feed the tree, and what protects it against wildfires. A more detailed story about the “Mother of the Forest” can be found on an information panel only 0.1 mile further down the trail, at marker #17.

After this information panel, follow North Grove Trail for another mile. It will take you past trees #18-26 and back to the visitor center. If you didn’t park at the visitor center but in the road-side parking lot instead, simply follow the road to the left until you reach the parking lot.