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Hiking to General Sherman Tree – Largest Tree in the World: Sequoia National Park

Planning on visiting the General Sherman Tree during your trip to Sequoia National Park? Here is how to hike to the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park!

The largest tree on Earth – by its trunk volume – is the General Sherman Tree, a giant redwood tree inside of Sequoia National Park in California. This tree is certainly a sight to behold and a must-see when visiting Sequoia National Park. Here is everything you need to know about visiting the General Sherman Tree – where it is, how long is the hike, and tips for photographing the General Sherman tree. Let’s get started!

Note: My experience below is based on off-peak (springtime) experience, which requires a 1 mile round trip hike to see the tree. During summer, a shuttle is required.

General Sherman Tree
General Sherman Tree

Where is the General Sherman Tree?

As mentioned above, the General Sherman Tree is located inside of Sequoia National Park, which means you will need to pay the entrance fee ($30 per car) or show your America the Beautiful Pass.

Read more: Is the America the Beautiful Pass worth it?

The General Sherman Tree trailhead is located just off of the Generals Highway, which is the main road that goes to the park. You’ll find both a handicap-accessible lot, which allows those with a handicap sticker on their vehicle to visit the General Sherman Tree without the hike.

Sherman Tree Trail Sequoia National Park
You’ll pass under a covered pavilion to start your hike

The main trailhead parking lot is pretty large – I’ve never had an issue finding a spot, but I’ve always visited Sequoia National Park during weekdays in the May. At the trailhead, you’ll find lots of restrooms, a few benches and picnic tables, and lots of informational storyboards to give you more insight to this area of Sequoia National Park.

During the busy summer months, there will be a tram you will be required to take to access the General Sherman tree, which will drop you off near the handicap-accessible lot, so you won’t need to do this hike. I’ve never visited during summer, so my experience is all based on the off-season when the hike is required.

Hiking to the General Sherman Tree

Trail Length: 1 mile round trip
Elevation Gain: 200 feet
No dogs allowed
Trail surface: Paved the entire way

The trail to the General Sherman Tree is all downhill from the trailhead, making it an easy hike to see the tree, but definitely gets more strenuous coming back up – especially because this is at a high elevation. The trail is paved the entire way to the tree., so it is stroller and wheelchair-accessible. There are plenty of benches for resting along the way, and I saw people of all ages and abilities making this hike.

RELATED: 9 Tips to Make Your California Pacific Coast Highway 1 Road Trip More Enjoyable!

General Sherman Tree
General Sherman Tree

Tip: If you are visiting when the tram is not running and you have people in your party that physically cannot do this hike, you can drop them off at the handicap-accessible lot, and drive up & park in the main lot and hike down to meet them. That’s what I did when I was traveling with my mom.

RELATED: How to Find the Kalaloch Tree of Life in Olympic National Park Washington

General Sherman Tree
General Sherman Tree

You’ll first come to an overlook of the tree, with a few informational storyboards. Many people chose to stop here and head back up, but if you want the famous photo with the tree at its base and its sign, you only have to keep going a little longer.

At the base of the tree, if you want your photo with it (or you want a people-free photo), you’ll have to wait your turn in line. It doesn’t take too long and the wait is worth it!

General Sherman Tree
General Sherman Tree

Photographing the General Sherman Tree

It’s nearly impossible to get the entire tree in your frame! I’ve tried using a wide angle lens (10-24mm) at its widest and I was not able to capture this entire tree in one frame. I had to break out my 8mm fisheye lens to get the tree in the frame, but using a fisheye gives you, well, fisheye distortion, as you can see from the photo of my sister above. If you’re determined to do this without a fisheye, you’d have to take a vertical panorama, on a tripod, which might be challenging to do when it’s busy and everyone wants their picture with the tree.

There’s also a trail that goes all the way around the General Sherman Tree, if you want to see it from different angles.

Once you’re done, just head back up the way you came – hope you saved your energy for the hike back up!

Have you visited the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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