Photo Tips USA – Sequoia National Park – Motifs along the Generals Highway and in Giant Forest

„When I entered this sublime wilderness, the day was nearly done, the trees with rosy, glowing countenances seemed to be hushed and thoughtful, as if waiting in concious religious dependence of the sun, and one naturally walked softly and awestricken among them.“
John Muir on Giant Forest

Generals Highway is the name given to Rt-198 from the Ash Mountain entrance to Sequoia National Park in the west. After only 8 km (5 mi), you can stop at Hospital Rock and study a small number of Indian pictographs. They were painted with red paint on the large monolith in a fairly accessible location, so even a slight flash of light will show them off well. The sequence of many narrow serpentines masters the now-impending 1400 m (4950 ft) altitude difference up to the Giant Forest.

From Amphitheater Point, halfway up, you have a wonderful view of the Foothills landscape in the valley and the ascending road already behind you, Moro Rock and the Sierra ridges to the north, and the prominent Castle Rocks to the east. The best light here is in the second half of the day, when the sun is behind you to the west.

Just before you reach the plateau, the narrow spur road to Crystal Cave, 11 km (7 mi) away, branches off to the north at mile 15. This, along with Boyden Cave farther north on Rt-180, is the only one of the many caves in the park that is open to visitors. Inside, in addition to impressive limestone formations, you can turn the variety of shapes of the typical stalactites (growing from the ceiling) and stalagmites (growing from the floor) into good pictures with your flash or flashlight (tripods are prohibited). Tickets are available with at least 90 min notice only at the Foothills or Lodgepole Visitor Center. The narrow access road is only open to vehicles up to 20 ft in length.

With the Giant Forest at 1954 m (6410 ft) you have now reached the first of the so-called Sequoia Groves, those groves in which remarkable populations of these trees stand together. This was originally the heart of the park, with administration, lodging, and visitor services. But the National Park Service thought better of it. The facilities were decentralized, the terrain, which had been badly damaged, was restored, and stores and restaurants became museums.

Crescent Meadow Road, which branches east here for 4 km (2.5 mi), leads to several notable sites. First, you reach Auto Log, a fallen mighty sequoia log that you can drive your car up to show the sizes in comparison. At mile 1.5, a short loop road branches off to Moro Rock Parking Area, from where 400 stone steps lead up to the viewing platform. At 2050 m (6725 ft), the granite peak of Moro Rock is the highest elevation in this part of the park and offers a spectacular 360° view over the surrounding ranges and, on particularly clear days, as far west as the Coast Range. The most dramatic photo opportunities are at sunset, when the last rays of the sun light up the Sierra peaks to the east. Shortly thereafter, you can then place the red ball of sunlight over the seemingly endless succession of ridges to the west. A graduated gray filter is essential here to bridge the great contrast with the valleys already in shadow. Digital photographers can also alternatively take two or three images with two f/stops difference and later stitch them together on the PC using layer masks to compensate for the large contrast. Returning to Crescent Meadow Road, your next stop should be at the Parker Group. The sequoias in this group are particularly photogenic next to each other, encouraging you to crop out details and semi-stills. Right next door, you’ll find Tunnel Log, another fallen trunk that you can drive your car under. The narrow road ends a little less than a mile away at the Crescent Meadow Parking Area. From here, you can hike on several trails around Huckleberrey Meadow and Crescent Meadow (2-3 hrs to circle both). The meadows are covered with vast stands of wildflowers, especially in early summer, which provide a colorful foreground for the surrounding sequoias. Another trail leads northeast to Tharps Log, a hollowed-out log that served as a shelter for trappers in earlier times. Alternatively, if the trail up to Moro Rock is too strenuous for you, you can hike Eagle View from here (1.6 mi and flat), from which you can enjoy good views of the Western Divide ridges.

Just 4 km (2.5 mi) north of the Giant Forest Museum, the Generals Highway passes through the heart of the Giant Forest with the General Sherman Tree. With a height of 83,8 m (275 ft), a circumference of 31,3 m (103 ft), and an estimated wood volume of 1486 m³ (1943 yd³), the General Sherman Tree stands as the world’s largest living creature. Good for photographers: Unlike most of its other relatives, the giant stands quite free, making it an excellent subject for photography. The 3,2 km (2 mi) Congress Trail (2 hr walk) leads from here through the surrounding area to such prominent giants as the especially overgrown Chief Sequoyah and to the House and Senate Groups. There is plenty of material and space to work out the relationships between the trees from a variety of perspectives.

The next rewarding stop is at Lodgepole Village, from where a 2,7 km (1,7 mi) hike (152 m / 499 ft elevation gain, 2-3 hrs) takes you to Tokopah Falls in the granite arm of the Kaweah River. This is not a single waterfall in the classic sense, but a series of smaller falls pouring over the massive granite. The abundant meltwater in the spring makes them particularly impressive. Beyond Lodgepole Village, there are hardly any sequoias or redwoods to be seen along Generals Highway; mountain pines, spruces, and firs predominate here. On this stretch, the road reaches a maximum elevation of over 640 m (2100 ft).

Lost Grove marks the border of Sequoia National Park. This area is home to more than 400 giant sequoias. There are no record sizes, but a short hiking trail leads to some beautiful specimens.

For a short distance, the Generals Highway now crosses the Sequoia National Forest. Here, the surrounding landscape becomes more and more rocky. Unfortunately, there’s no parking along the narrow road to use the bright rocks for active foregrounding.

Reaching the isolated Grant Grove part of Kings Canyon National Park, the Kings Canyon Overlook offers a spectacular view of the canyon far below. At Quail Flat, an alternate route branches north to Hume Lake and Rt-180, bypassing Grant Grove Village. On the other side, a 3 km (1.9 mi) dust road descends to Redwood Mountain Grove, the world’s largest sequoia grove, with some 16.000 specimens. It owes its size to decades of targeted forest fires that regularly thinned the understory.

Wildflower season in Sequoia begins as early as March in the Foothills with the blooming of Lupine, White Popcorn and Yellow Poppy. May and June will then bring the colors to the higher elevations of the Sequoia Groves. The white Yucca flowers and red Indian Paintbrush are especially noteworthy.

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