Part 2

A narrow 2-mile road above Hospital Rock leads to Moro Creek, where there is a public campground and point of departure for high mountain trail trips. Magnificent views of the Great Western Divide, with its 12,000- and 13,000-foot peaks, may be had from this road.

Buckeye Flat is a newly developed area on this road, half a mile above Hospital Rock. This is a delightful public campground, beside the rushing Middle Fork, with the usual accommodations. Though particularly beautiful in the spring, it is attractive throughout the year.

Paradise-Atwell Trail connects Atwell Mill Station on the East Fork with Hospital Rock on the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River. It joins the Atwell-Hockett Trail, permitting direct access to the Hockett Meadow country from the Middle Fork district.

Continuing up the Middle Fork, under the shadow of the Great Western Divide, is Redwood Meadow with its interesting grove of Big Trees. To its left, at Bearpaw Meadow, a hikers' camp is maintained during the summer season. The camp is within easy walking distance of Giant Forest and is a convenient base for trips to Tamarack Lake, Hamilton Lake, or Kaweah Gap.

=_Giant Forest and surroundings._=--On a plateau ranging in elevation from 5,500 to 8,000 feet and running back to mountains 11,000 feet high. In heart of park, including major woodland attractions, the Tokopah Valley, and several lakes.

=_East Fork or Atwell Mill region._=--The Mineral King Road leads through this region to the resort of that name just outside the park at 7,800 feet elevation. At Atwell Mill are to be found the finest stands of young Sequoia in the park.

=_The Atwell-Hockett Trail._=--This trail is built on the highest standards. It permits easy travel, whether on foot or horse, and provides a direct route from Atwell Mill into the Hockett Meadow country, famous for its miles of plateau and meadows. Beyond Hockett Meadow is the Quinn Ranger Station, also the fine Garfield Grove of Big Trees.

=_South Fork or Hockett Meadow region._=--From Clough Cave Ranger Station, at 3,000 feet, through the Garfield Grove to the fine camping and fishing country at Hockett Meadows, 8,500 feet. Accessible by trail only.

=_Kern Canyon district._=--This area of more than 300 square miles embraces the upper Kern River, its tributaries, and the Kern Canyon. It is a wild, immense country of forest, granite, lakes, and streams, varying in elevation from 14,494.7 at the summit of Mount Whitney to 6,400 feet at the Kern Canyon Ranger Station at the lower end of the canyon. Excellent camping and fishing country. Accessible only by trail.

OUTSTANDING VIEWS

Two miles by road or trail from Giant Forest is Moro Rock, one of the great monoliths of the Sierra Nevada, others being El Capitan and Half Dome in the Yosemite, and Tehipite Dome in the Kings River Canyon.

Moro Rock is 6,719 feet above sea level and over 6,000 feet above the San Joaquin Valley. From the summit, which is easily reached by a rock and concrete stairway, to the silver streak of the Kaweah River at its base, is an almost sheer drop of 4,119 feet. The panorama of the Sierra Nevada, Alta Peak, the San Joaquin Valley, and the distant coast range is equal to that otherwise obtained only by long and expensive pack trips to the high mountains. Climbing Moro Rock is "mountaineering de luxe."

Hanging Rock, Moro Vista, Profile View, Echo Point, and Kaweah Vista are viewpoints on the rocky escarpment of the Giant Forest Plateau near Moro Rock. Each offers some special view or attraction. Hanging Rock is a huge erratic boulder poised for a 3,000-foot drop to the yawning canyon beneath. Echo Point and Profile View disclose unexpected profiles of Moro Rock, and at the former a resonant echo reverberates from the painted cliff across the chasm.

Beetle and Sunset Rocks, a few hundred yards from Giant Forest camps, are bold granite promontories overlooking the valley and the Marble Canyon. They are favorite spots for picnic suppers and sunset views.

Lodgepole Campgrounds and Tokopah Valley are 4 1/2 miles by road from Giant Forest. The former is the auto camp favored by those who want to live in an open pine forest and beside running water. The swimming pool here also attracts campers. Two miles above the campgrounds, by trail along the north bank of the Marble Fork, is Tokopah Valley, of cameolike beauty, hewn by glacial action from the ribs of the earth. It is a miniature Yosemite, a narrow valley with towering cliffs, waterfalls, talus, meadows, and moraine. It affords one of the favorite short hikes in the park.

Colony Mill and Admiration Point, a 9-mile side trip by road from Giant Forest, are often overlooked by visitors. The views from Colony Mill Ranger Station are superb, while the mile side trip by trail down to Admiration Point permits a view of the Marble Falls, a 2,000-foot cascade in seven distinct waterfalls.

Marble Fork Bridge, 4 1/2 miles from Giant Forest, at an elevation of 5,000 feet, is favored by those who like to be near a stream and to fish. It may be reached by road or by the Sunset Trail. This is a favorite retreat with hikers as well as fishermen. The setting is beautiful and the views especially fine. A natural swimming pool adds to its attractiveness.

By parking at the Little Baldy Saddle on the Generals Highway a fine view may be had by hiking a mile and a quarter to the top of the dome. The panorama spread out is a reward worth twice the effort expended.

THE GIANT FOREST DISTRICT

The Giant Forest is the name given the largest grove of sequoias, which is more than a grove. It is a Brobdingnagian forest. Here is found the General Sherman Tree, perhaps the oldest and largest living thing, 36.5 feet at its greatest diameter and 272.4 feet high. There are scores of trees almost as large as the General Sherman, hundreds over 10 feet in diameter, and many thousand from the seedling stage upward.

In his book, Our National Parks, John Muir says, "* * * I entered the sublime wilderness of the Kaweah Basin. This part of the Sequoia belt seemed to me the finest, and I then named it 'The Giant Forest.' It extends, a magnificent growth of giants grouped in pure temple groves, ranged in colonnades along the sides of meadows or scattered among the other trees, from the granite headlands overlooking the hot foothills and plains of the San Joaquin back to within a few miles of the old glacier fountains at an elevation of 5,000 to 8,400 feet above the sea."

Giant Forest is also the name of the village beneath the sequoias where the Giant Forest Lodge and the housekeeping and auto camps are situated. Its summer population is about 3,000.

THE MEADOWS

The beauty of the Giant Forest region is much enhanced by the many upland meadows, flower-strewn from the first blossoming of the amethystine cyclamen, or shooting stars in May, to the golden autumn glow of the goldenrod in September. The best-known meadows are Round, Circle, Crescent, and Log, all within 2 miles of Giant Forest Camp.

THE SEQUOIAS

The California Big Trees must ever remain the supreme attraction of the park, although for many the mountain scenery and the fishing are added allurements. The Big Tree (_Sequoia gigantea_) is sometimes confused with the redwood (_Sequoia sempervirens_), the smaller species of Sequoia found only in the Coast Range of California. While _gigantea_ approaches 40 feet in base diameter, _sempervirens_ rarely exceeds 20 feet. The wood is similar in color and texture, but the foliage is distinct, and the bark of the Big Tree is much thicker and of a rich red color, instead of a dull brown. The most distinctive characteristic is that the Big Tree is reproduced only from the seed while the redwood when cut down sprouts from the stump.

There are many world-famous Big Trees in the Sequoia National Park, of which the General Sherman is the largest and best known. But there are scores or hundreds unnamed and almost equal to the General Sherman in size and majesty.

In addition to those noted for their size, the National Park Service has named and signed many of singular form, burned by fire, struck by lightning, or fallen in strange fashion. The trees which should be seen by all visitors are:

=_The General Sherman Tree._=--The largest, and perhaps the oldest living thing. Discovered by James Wolverton, a hunter and trapper, on August 7, 1879, at which time he named the tree in honor of General Sherman, under whom he had served during the Civil War as a first lieutenant in the Ninth Indiana Cavalry.

The age of the tree is unknown. It is estimated by those who have made a study of the subject as between 3,000 and 4,000 years. During this time it has withstood the ravages of countless fires, and, though greatly damaged, it has continued to flourish, and today produces thousands of cones bearing fertile seed from which many seedlings have been grown.

The results of the fire damage are seen in the great wounds at the base of the tree. Through repeated fires the sap-pumping system has been damaged, and portions of the top have died; only 40 percent of live wood is in contact with the ground. The Sequoia, however, has such recuperative power that in time these fire scars will be completely healed.

The dimensions of this tree are as follows:

_Feet_ Height above mean base 272.4 Base circumference 101.6 Greatest base diameter 36.5 Mean base diameter 32.7 Diameter 60 feet above ground 17.5 Diameter 120 feet above ground 17.0 Height of largest branch 130.0 Diameter of largest branch 6.8

For years there have been rival claims by various localities for the honor of possessing the largest tree in the world. To settle these claims the California State Chamber of Commerce and Fresno County Chamber of Commerce conducted, in 1931, a tree-measuring expedition in Sequoia and General Grant National Parks and vicinity.

The result of the work of several engineers gave the following comparative volumes of the trunks of the four largest trees measured, exclusive of limbs:

_Board feet_

General Sherman Tree 600,120 General Grant Tree 542,784 Boole Tree 496,728 Hart Tree 410,952

The General Sherman Tree was shown to contain 57,336 board feet more in volume than its nearest competitor and the King of the Sequoias retained his crown.

=_The Chimney Trees._=--There are two well-known Chimney Trees, one being on the east side of Sherman Creek close to the trail from Sherman Tree to Alta Peak, which is now the best preserved. The other Chimney Tree is at the northeast end of Crescent Meadow and was badly burned several years ago through the carelessness of somebody who left a campfire burning. The Chimney Tree near Sherman Camp is a remarkable example of vitality, as it is thrusting out new branches despite the fact that its vitals are eaten away by fire.

=_The Black Chamber._=--This is probably the most notable example of vitality on the part of a Sequoia in the forest. About one-thirtieth of the bark remains, and the whole interior has been eaten away by fire; nevertheless, the tree still lives and thrusts out new branches each year. It is located along the Crescent Meadow Road.

OTHER FAMOUS TREES

=_Washington._=--Very impressive as to size.

=_Abe Lincoln._=--Thirty-one feet in diameter, 259 feet high, a rugged, ancient-looking tree.

=_Auto Log._=--A huge fallen giant upon which an auto may be driven with ease and safety.

=_William McKinley._=--Twenty-eight feet in diameter, 291 feet high.

=_The President._=--Twenty-nine feet in diameter, 250.2 feet high, wider at 120 than at 60 feet.

=_Keyhole._=--Burned out "keyholes."

=_Room Tree._=--Cavernous room within a standing tree.

=_Stricken Tree._=--Rent by lightning, but still alive.

=_Window Tree._=--Filigree appearance and many windows.

=_Chief Sequoyah._=--Old with huge burls.

=_Black Arch._=--Trail leads through charred, living giant.

=_Roosevelt Tree._=--One of the most perfect in the forest.

=_Pershing Tree._=--Named for Gen. John J. Pershing, has very richly colored bark.

=_Cloister._=--Four trees in a square.

=_Pillars of Hercules._=--Trail leads between two standing giants.

=_Bear's Bathtub._=--A cavity between two trees, containing water, frequented by bears.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME "SEQUOIA"

The naming of the Big Trees of California "Sequoia" is a fitting tribute to that native American, a Cherokee Indian, who spelled his name Se-quo-yah. An uneducated, non-English-speaking Indian, he perfected a phonetic alphabet of 86 symbols with a character representing every sound in the tongue of his tribe. It was said that with this alphabet, sometimes characterized as one of the greatest ever invented, a Cherokee child might learn to read and write the Cherokee language in a few days, and that within a remarkably short time after the official acceptance of the alphabet by the tribe every one of its members was able to read and write.

The change brought about in the Cherokee Tribe by the introduction of this means of expressing thought on paper was equally remarkable. A printing press was established, type made of the various symbols, and the news of the day printed in two newspapers. Their laws were printed in Sequoyah's alphabet, and also the Gospels and many other books both useful and interesting to the Cherokee people, who thus made rapid advance in general knowledge and in civilization.

THE GROVES

The Sequoias are sometimes found in groups or groves. Such is the number of those near Giant Forest that it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that many other known groves of the Big Trees in California might be hidden in the Sequoia National Park and pass unnoticed. The principal groves easily reached in Giant Forest are the Parker Group, Congress Grove, Amphitheater Group, Founders' Group, and Huckleberry Meadow Grove. There are 32 distinct groves or areas of Big Trees in the park.

Descriptions of the Big Trees and of the other forest trees are found in two pamphlets, The Secret of the Big Trees and The Forests of Yosemite, Sequoia, and General Grant National Parks. These are for sale at the naturalist's office for 5 and 10 cents, respectively.

FISHING

Persons desiring to fish in the waters of the Sequoia National Park must secure a fishing license, as required by the laws of California. These laws provide that every person over the age of 18 who obtains fish without procuring a license is guilty of a misdemeanor. The license fee for residents is $2; for nonresidents, $3; and for aliens, $5. These licenses may be obtained from any county clerk, from the State board of fish and game commissioners, or from the representative of the commission at the general store in Giant Forest.

Fishing bulletins for the current year pertaining to park fishing regulations may be obtained at entrance checking stations, park headquarters, or from rangers.

Park regulations as to daily catch, etc., are identical with those of the State for the district by which the parks are surrounded, excepting in some areas where excessive demand necessitates reduction of the daily limit. Fishermen should obtain special bulletins at the park entrance stations.

Fishing is permitted in all the streams and lakes of the Sequoia National Park except in a few waters which are closed in order to increase the supply of fish. Information as to these closed waters will be found posted at ranger stations and near the waters.

In the early part of the season excellent fishing may be had in an hour's hike from Giant Forest. Later in the season it is necessary to go farther afield, but the skillful angler is generally able to take the limit.

Rainbow, Loch Leven, eastern brook, German brown, and golden are the varieties of trout found in the park. The golden trout of Golden Trout Creek has been introduced into several creeks and has done well.

BATHING

In the Giant Forest district bathing may be enjoyed at Bridge Camp, Lodgepole Camp, and at Heather Lake. Bathing pools are especially marked, and on account of the danger of pollution of streams used for domestic purposes, bathers must confine themselves to designated areas.

The largest pool is located in the upper Lodgepole district.

An excellent bathing pool is available at Hospital Rock Camp, and many visitors stop here for a plunge en route to Giant Forest.

FREE CAMPGROUNDS

The National Park Service maintains campgrounds for visitors traveling in their own automobiles. The largest campgrounds are at Giant Forest, Lodgepole, and Dorst Creek, where water is piped and modern sanitary and garbage-disposal facilities are furnished at about 600 camp sites. Camping is limited to 30 days in any area each year.

Inquiries about free public campgrounds should be addressed to the Superintendent, Sequoia National Park, Calif.

PAY ACCOMMODATIONS

Reservations or inquiries regarding hotel, housekeeping, and pay auto-camp accommodations should be directed to Giant Forest Lodge, Sequoia National Park, Calif., specifying, in detail, number of persons, types of accommodations required, and particular lodge or camp desired. Telephone or telegraph messages should be sent to Manager, Giant Forest Lodge, Sequoia National Park.

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES

POST OFFICE

Visitors to Sequoia should have mail addressed to Sequoia National Park, Calif. Guests of the Giant Forest Lodge or Camp Kaweah should have their mail addressed care of either resort, but Sequoia National Park must be added as the post-office addressed.

TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH SERVICE

There is long-distance telephone and telegraph service from all main points in Sequoia National Park.

Telegrams should be addressed Sequoia National Park, Calif., bearing in addition the particular camp or lodge address.

MEDICAL SERVICE

A resident physician is on duty at Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park, during the summer months, and a small hospital is maintained at Giant Forest.

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

Both Catholic and Protestant services are held regularly on Sundays during the summer season. Times and places of all services are announced on the bulletin boards and at Saturday evening camp fires.

GIANT FOREST LIBRARY

From about June 15 to September 1 a branch of the Tulare County Free Library is maintained at Giant Forest. Books on subjects related to the park, especially its history, fauna, flora, etc., are available or will be secured upon request. In addition, a large library of books on fiction and nonfiction subjects is maintained.

SPECIAL WINTER ATTRACTIONS

Full winter conditions exist at Lodgepole and at Giant Forest during the months of December to March, when the Big Trees are surrounded by a blanket of snow from 2 to 12 feet deep. The snow sports common to northern climates and resorts are indulged in here during these months. Skis, toboggans, and snowshoes may be rented from the operating company, as well as heavy clothing desirable for this climate. The winter sports have become so popular that it is advisable that reservations for accommodations be made in advance.

For those who desire to make the day trip only, the National Park Service maintains public camps or picnic grounds at Beetle Rock. A ranger is on duty at all times and is anxious to show the park and make the stay of visitors as enjoyable and profitable as possible.

The operating company issues a leaflet advising people of accommodations, prices, etc. This can be obtained on application to the superintendent.

It is always advisable when driving in the mountains during the winter to carry tire chains, although even in midwinter it is often possible to drive to the Big Trees without them.

Every effort is made by park authorities to keep the Big Trees accessible during the winter months. Sequoia Park is now well known as one of the few places in California where winter vacationists from other sections of the country may be sure of seeing the giant Sequoias.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

"Bear Hill" is the name given to the spot near the incinerator, where many bears gather to feed daily. The best time to see them is from noon to 7 p. m., when an attendant is on hand, but they are frequently there throughout the day. A ranger naturalist gives a 10-minute talk daily on the habits and characteristics of the bears. The road to Bear Hill branches from the Moro Road near the new village site.

Tharp Cabin, in Log Meadow, one-half mile from end of auto road at Crescent Meadow, may also be reached by Circle and Congress Trails from Alta Trail. This hollow Sequoia log was occupied by Hale Tharp, Three Rivers pioneer and discoverer of Giant Forest in 1858. John Muir stayed several days in this unique "house in a log" in 1875 and has immortalized the "noble den", as he called it, and the surrounding Sequoias and meadows in his book, _Our National Parks_. The cabin is maintained in its original condition and constitutes an interesting museum.

MUSEUM, LECTURE, AND TRAIL GUIDE SERVICE

The National Park Service encourages all forms of outdoor activities, but special attention is paid to fostering a knowledge of the wildlife and natural beauty which the parks were created to preserve. At Giant Forest a small collection of specimens is on display at the naturalist's office during the summer season for the enjoyment of visitors. Lectures given daily by ranger naturalists at Sherman Tree, Moro Rock, and elsewhere present facts of interest at these stations.

The park naturalist is in charge of the guide service. During the summer months camp-fire lectures are given and trail hikes and automobile caravans are conducted. Both half-day and all-day trips are taken, with variety enough to cover all types of interest. Giant Forest Administration Building is the headquarters of this increasingly popular service.

The Giant Forest Lodge campfire is held every night at the lodge under the Sequoias, where community singing, nature and historical talks, music, and general entertainment are provided. This is free to the public, and all visitors are invited to participate.

The Park Service conducts similar programs at Sunset and Lodgepole Camps every evening. Park visitors are cordially invited to assist in making these programs a success by contribution of their talents.

Following the campfires, the dance hall is open every evening, except Sunday, from about the middle of June until September 1.

The social life at Giant Forest is one of the great attractions and holds many people beyond the time allotted for the visit. The average population is about 3,000 people.

THE TRAILS

One of the most pleasing features of Giant Forest is the number of forest trails leading from it that afford interesting half-day or all-day excursions. Perhaps nowhere else is it possible to hike so easily for hours through such forests of sequoia, pine, and fir. Many of the trails are oiled to eliminate dust. The trail system is well signed, and the map in this pamphlet is used by many as a guide. It would be impossible to enumerate all the points of attraction or combination trips which can be made. New ones are opened every year. The following are the principal trails and attractions: