UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUBERT WORK, SECRETARY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STEPHEN T. MATHER, DIRECTOR CIRCULAR OF GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING SEQUOIA AND GENERAL GRANT NATIONAL PARKS EMERALD LAKE, SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK Season from May 15 to October 1 and at any time for motorists carrying own camp equipment CONTENTS Page General description 1 John Muir's opinion 1 Location, roads, and entrances 1 Headquarters for both parks 2 Sequoia National Park 3 Automobile entrances 3 Trail entrances 3 Giant Forest 4 Public automobile camp grounds 4 Season 4 Administration 4 How to reach the park 5 Road sign information 6 Detailed travel information 7 Accommodations at Giant Forest 8 Pack trips to High Sierra 8 Fishing 8 Special attractions and schedule of trips 9 The trails 10 The meadows 11 The sequoias 11 The groves 13 Viewpoints 13 Choto by Lindley Eddy MORO ROCK, SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK Kern Canyon and Mount Whitney 15 Other attractions 15 Wild life, museum and nature guide service 16 Animals 16 Birds 17 Trees, shrubs, and flowers 17 General Grant National Park 18 General description 18 Accessibility 18 Accommodations 19 Points of interest 19 Literature 19 Bibliography 20 Rules and regulations T 21 Authorized rates for public utilities 28 Synopsis of rules and regulations Inside back cover ILLUSTRATIONS COVER Emerald Lake.. Front Moro Rock Inside front Administrative Center at Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park Inside front The General Sherman Tree Back TEXT Map showing national parks in California, with principal connecting auto­ mobile highways 2 Map showing railroads tributary to national parks in California 6 Map of Giant Forest and immediate surroundings 10 Photo by Lindley Eddy Central area of Giant Forest 12 ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER, GIANT FOREST Map showing location of principal trees in General Grant National Park. 14 Map of Sequoia and General Grant National Parks _ •. 18 93195°—28 1 I THE NATIONAL PARKS AT A GLANCE [Number, 19; total area, 11,817 square miles] SEQUOIA AND GENERAL GRANT NATIONAL PARKS Area in GENERAL DESCRIPTION National parks in Location square Distinctive characteristics order ot creation miles And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; Hot Springs.. Middle Arkansas. VA 46 hot springs said to possess healing properties- And here were forests ancient as the hills, 1832 Many hotels and boarding houses—19 bath­ Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. houses under Government supervision. —Kubla Khan. Yellowstone. Northwestern Wyo­ 3,348 More geysers than in all rest of world together- 1872 ming. Boiling springs—Mud volcanoes—Petrified for­ The Sequoia and General Grant National Parks are in eastern ests—Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, re­ central California. The former was created by the act of September markable for gorgeous coloring—Large lakes- Many large streams and waterfalls—Vast wil­ 25, 1890, and enlarged by act of July 3, 1926. It now contains derness, greatest wild bird and animal preserve in world—Exceptional trout fishing. approximately 604 square miles. The latter was established October 1, 1890, and contains 4 square miles. These parks are situated on Sequoia . Middle eastern Cali­ 604 The Big Tree National Park—Scores of sequoia fornia. trees 20 to 30 feet in diameter, thousands over 10 the Sierra Nevada's warmest slopes and were established to preserve 1890 feet in diameter—Towering mountain ranges, including Mount Whitney, highest point in the groves and forests of California big trees (Sequoia gigantea). continental United States—Startling preci­ These national playgrounds contain not only the largest and oldest pices—Deep canyons—The General Sherman Tree is 37.3 feet in diameter and is 273.9 feet trees in the world; there are also upland meadows, rivers, lakes, high. glacial canyons, limestone caves, mineral and hot springs, and other General Grant.. .do. 4 Created to preserve the celebrated General Grant scenic beauties. There are almost limitless camp sites under the 1890 Tree, 40.3 feet in diameter—31 miles by trail from Sequoia National Park; 85 miles by auto­ sequoias or beside brawling streams. mobile. JOHN MUIR'S OPINION .do. 1,125 Valley of world-famed beauty—Lofty cliffs—Ro­ Yosemite mantic vistas—Many waterfalls of extraor­ 1890 dinary height—3 groves of big trees—High " * * * I entered the sublime wilderness of the Kaweah basin. Sierra—Waterwheel Falls—Good trout fishing. This part of the Sequoia belt seemed to me the finest, and I then Mount Rainier-. West central Wash­ 325 Largest accessible single peak glacier system—28 named it 'the Giant Forest.' It extends a magnificent growth of 1899 ington. glaciers, some of large size—48 square miles of glacier, 50 to 500 feet thick—Wonderful sub- giants grouped in pure temple groves, ranged in colonnades along alpine wild flower fields. the sides of meadows or scattered among the other trees, from the Crater Lake. Southwestern Oregon. 219 Lake of extraordinary blue in crater of extinct granite headlands overlooking the hot foothills and plains of the 1902 volcano—Sides 1,000 feet high—Interesting lava formations—Fine fishing. 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." (Our National Piatt. Southern Oklahoma- Many sulphur and other springs possessing Parks, p. 300, by John Muir.) 1902 m medicinal value. Wind Cave— South Dakota 17 Cavern having many miles of galleries and LOCATION, ROADS, AND ENTRANCES 1903 numerous chambers containing peculiar forma­ tions. Both parks are easily reached by train and auto stage or by private SullysHill... North Dakota. IX Small park with woods, streams, and a lake—Is automobiles. During the past season the parks were visited by more 1904 an important wild-animal preserve. than 40,000 automobiles, carrying 140,000 visitors, the majority Mesa Verde.. Southwestern Colo­ 77 Most notable and best preserved prehistoric cliff entering in their own cars and camping out during the long and 1906 rado. dwellings in United States, if not in the world. Glacier. Northwestern Mon­ 1,534 Rugged mountain region of unsurpassed Alpine almost rainless summer from May to October. But although the tana. character—250 glacier-fed lakes of romantic 1910 beauty—60 small glaciers—Precipices thou­ greater part of the travel is during these months, the Sequoia sands of feet deep—Almost sensational scenery National Park is accessible the year around, while General Grant is of marked individuality—Fine trout fishing. often to be reached early in spring and late in the fall. In fact, Rocky Mountain. North middle Colo­ 378 Heart of the Rockies—Snowy range, peaks 11,000 1915 rado. to 14,250 feet altitude—Remarkable records of winter sports may be enjoyed in both parks. glacial period. There seems to be general misunderstanding as to the distance of Hawaii Hawaii 212 Three separate areas—Kilauea and Mauna Loa on Hawaii; Haleakala on Maui. Sequoia National Park from points in California and the time neces­ 1916 Northern California- 121 Only active volcano in United States proper— sary to reach the park. The following table is accurate as to distances Lassen Volcanic Lassen Peak 10,460 feet—Cinder Cone 6,907 1916 feet—Hot Springs—Mud geysers. and conservative on running time. In each instance the distance Mount McKiniey. South central Alaska- 2,645 Highest mountain in North America—Rises is to Ash Mountain Headquarters; to Hospital Rock, 6 miles farther, 1917 higher above surrounding country than any other mountain in the world. add 15 minutes; and to Giant Forest, 16;Vfj miles farther, add 1 hour. Grand Canyon. North central Arizona. 1,009 The greatest example of erosion and the most Time Time 1919 sublime spectacle in the world. City Miles in City Miles in hours Maine coast 12 The group of granite mountains upon Mount hours Lafayette Desert Island. 1919 17.5 X 113 3H Magnificent gorge (Zion Canyon), depth from 30 1 General Grant National Park 63 Zion Southwestern Utah... 120 3 1,500 to 2,500 feet, with precipitous walls—of 36 Yosemite National Park (via Mer- 1919 great beauty and scenic interest. 47 IX 208 7 50 m 236 Fresno (via Woodlake) 75 m 262 II 1 2 SEQUOIA AND GENERAL GRANT NATIONAL PARKS SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK The Sequoia National Park is open at all seasons, and over night accommodations are available at Hospital Rock (2,600 feet) and Giant Forest (6,500 feet). There are at present four main entrances to Sequoia National Park, described as follows: HEADQUARTERS FOR BOTH PARKS AUTOMOBILE ENTRANCES The headquarters for both Sequoia and General Grant National Parks is at Ash Mountain, 1 Uj miles from end of State highway and The Generals' Highway, leading to Giant Forest by way of the 8 miles above Three Rivers. Here are the superintendent's office, Kaweah River, Middle Fork, is the main artery of travel in the park, connecting directly with paved State highway above Three Rivers and reached from all points north and south through the various towns of the San Joquin Valley. The Generals' Highway is a splendid mountain road, wide and of easy grade, leading the visitor past Ash Mountain headquarters and camp, Camps Potwisha, and Hospital Rock, to Giant Forest, 18 miles from the entrance, and the heart of the present development among the big trees. The Generals' Highway is open through to Giant Forest from April or May to November or December, depending upon snow conditions. It is always open to delightful camps in the foothills of the park at Ash Mountain Camp (1,700 feet), Potwisha Camp (2,000 feet), and Hos­ pital Rock Camp (2,700 feet). The Mineral King Road, leaving the State highway at Hammond and following the east fork of the Kaweah River, crosses the west prong of the park, passing Atwell station and camp, in a magnificent forest of big trees, and ends at the summer resort of Mineral King, in the national forest and game refuge beyond.