Grant Grove

We had just done the Congress Trail and General Sherman tree in Sequoia but I enjoyed this more. Not that it mattered, but this walk was much easier. It was only .3 of a mile to the tree. The loop included the Fallen Monarch (my favorite), the Gamlin Cabin and the Centennial Stump. It is such a short walk to these other sites and well worth it. I mean when else are you going to walk through a fallen hollowed out sequoia?

travelling in a 30ft RV. had to come in from fresno on the 180, bit windy but plenty of room. stayed at azalea campground at Grant Grove. not hard to find a level spot at this time of the year. paid $ 18– per night. no showers but toilets were good. can i just say it was FREEZING at night. come prepared…
if you come in this way you can get as far as the Giant Tree Museum and the Sherman Tree. the information centre has free Junior Ranger booklet for the kids to do age appropriate activities and then they get sworn in and a badge. righht up my kids alley (7 +9)

This stop in Kings Canyon is close to the northern entrance of the park from Highway 180 (Fresno side as opposed to Visalia side). It is close to the Grant Grove visitor center, a restaurant, post office and general store. This is an amazingly convenient leisure walk among some of the greatest living things on earth… It is paved, has only a minimal slope, and lots of fun detours, including the chance to walk through the center of an old toppled sequoia named the «Fallen Monarch.» Grandma with a cane can walk this. Grandpa with a wheelchair can be pushed… baby in stroller can make it. Oh yeah, and there are picnic tables between the main road and the trail’s parking lot.
If you want to get away from the city or the valley smog, and you want to breathe in fresh air and walk among some of this planet’s most amazing trees – but you aren’t a hiker, this is the trail for you.
If you hate crowds… well, this is still a great stop for everyone else in the group, but you may grow exhausted (not from the hike but the busses of kids or tourists who pile out of and back into a bus only to disrupt the serenity of nature with their excited energy).
If you go early in the morning (and probably later in the evening before sunset), you have a good chance of crossing the path of wildlife. I’ve seen deer, squirrels, birds (woodpeckers, sparrows, ravens, red tailed hawks, etc), and yellow bellied marmots along the trail.
Go early, go often, and have a lovely day!

The Grant Grove is on the tail end of highway through Sequoia and King’s Canyon with a super easy approach compared to the Sherman Tree. It’s relatively simple to access and has tons of parking available at down a bit of a winding road from the main access/​near the visitor center.
Just pulling up you see an army of Sequoias. The irony of some of the name is great because they literally stand like soldiers. Some in rows and others just tower over as matriarchs of the forest. It’s absolutely stunning. You’ll experience almost the same mental conundrum you experience when standing at the top of a building and looking down, looking across the Grand Canyon for the first time, etc. It’s unfathomable. The trees are beyond enormous and it’s freaking awesome.
The General Grant is wondrously large and exudes all elements of grandeur, but I don’t think the grove exceeds the levels of cool you’ll see/​experience at Sherman. The coolest part of the grove, in my opinion, is the downed Sequoia you can walk through. Really gives you an idea of just how big these suckers are.
Definitely worth the stop on the way out or in to King’s Canyon or the rest of the Sequoia. You won’t be disappointed.

These giant trees are one of a kind! They are so big, pictures don’t do justice till you see them with your own eyes! Camped at Azalea campground just up the road. So much fun running on the trails to the huge redwoods! Not very crowded which is the best part! Can’t wait to go back!

Great time camping in Azalea campground with our Airstream for 10 days. Close to camp, here is my experience and a few pics of the giant Sequoia in Grant Grove and with the 3^rd largest, by volume, tree in the world!
Walk with Giants
I walked with the Sequoia
speak to me, tell me your secrets
immortal you stand
as tall as the sky is wide
foot thick bark, indestructible Big Tree
no wind, lighting, fire and rain
nor insect could
–bring you down
of all my walks, in all my years
I step reverently
walking with giants
and redwood silence touches me
my head back and eyes vertical
–I salute General Grant
40 feet wide and 268 feet tall
1,700 years, still growing
a humbling presence – being small

Don’t miss the Grant Grove in Kings Canyon as it offers wonderful large trees (including a tight-​knit stand adjacent to the parking lot, and a few that you can get up close to if you really feel the need (no barriers). A massive felled tree named Michigan Tree is also amazing and you are able to get just a couple feet away from it, which helps for getting a real sense of the incredible scale (especially considering the little spring that ran under it led to its «downfall», spring is still there)…And of course, there is the hollow tunnel tree you can walk through (Fallen Monarch).
There is a wonderful photo spot where you can easily capture your likeness up close to giant trees if you just explore all the trails. I am sure there are many visitors that get out of the car, hustle up the trail to the Grant tree, snap a couple pics, and get back into their cars… but then you are missing out on other inspirational opportunities! Just steps from the parking lot, «hidden» off a small trail, is a giant Sequoia with a deep fire scar that you can stand in, and immediately adjacent to it is a fallen specimen that shows the massive tree’s cross section that you can stand in front of for a wonderfully intimate experience like no other in the more popular areas (i.e. Sherman Tree).
Would have left a tip upon checking in if I could, but no cell service, which was also a treat since it allowed more opportunity to «look up».
So, you come here to gander at the inspirational woods of immense size and grandeur, please don’t spoil it with graffiti or by walking off trails in sensitive areas. Let’s leave this place in good shape for every future generation imaginable to enjoy as well! Awe inspiring.
Highly recommend coming off-​peak if you can so you have more opportunities to enjoy nearly empty trails and photo opportunities.

I liked this more than General Sherman grove. I thought the trees were prettier, its less crowded and there’s a cool, hollowed out sequoia you can walk through. It’s also closer to the parking lot so its better for people who aren’t up for a walk. Obviously, you can stop at both Grant and Sherman as it doesn’t take that long to see either one, but if you have limited tolerance for trees and want to pick one, I’d do this one (although it is cool to say you’ve seen General Sherman, the biggest tree in the world).

You see some big trees here. I drove a long way to see them but I cannot say that it was worth it. Wooden railing keeps you from getting too close to the famous trees.

The General Grant tree can’t be experienced as closely as the General Sherman. It’s fenced off with inset viewpoints that are perfect for taking photos from. I guess it depends on your approach to General Grant but the Grove will get a little redundant. Some of the features that aren’t standing trees include the Gamlin Cabin and fallen tree that was used as a saloon and hotel. After viewing General Grant, you’ll see trees, trees named after states, double trunked trees
, triple trunked ones, stands of trees and tree stumps. You just might get sick of seeing trees. «So, do you want to see the Florida tree?, It’s over there». *quick glance* «Eh, no, I can see it from here. It’s tall and a Sequoia like the rest. I’m good. Let’s eat». Yup it was like that but now that I’ve been back in the city for awhile now, I’m not as averse to seeing those trees in the silence and fresh mountain air again.

The easiest and quickest way to see the big trees in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The road from Three Rivers into Sequoia is very windy and takes a while to reach the Giant Forest. Coming in from Fresno, it is a short drive up to Grant Grove to see the enormous General Grant Tree. Since it is so accessible, many tourists and vacationers visit making it very busy and sometimes crowded. Don’t miss the Fallen Monarch, a massive sequoia tree that fell and was burned out creating a long tunnel you can hike through.

Honestly a much better excursion then the Sherman tree. There are quite a few giant sequoias along this trail that will leave you breathless. It is open year round and I really enjoyed hiking through the snow to peer at these ancient marvels. You feel ever so small by comparison, and partially expect a giant mosquito or some other prehistoric creature to be living in one of these trees. The loop trail is paved (most of it was covered in snow when I went so I’m not 100% sure of this), and is a very easy walk.