Trail of 100 Giants is one of the best examples of Giant Sequoias in Sequoia National Forest (outside of the main Sequoia National Park). The grove is pretty out of the way to get to, but it is a beautiful spot. Even the drive to the grove from Kernville is an excellent example of the diverse California landscape. The 1.5 mile trail takes you past 30 massive trees with the largest having a 70 foot circumference. It’s definitely one of my favorite groves outside of the California national parks. Here is all the information if you want to check it out.
Details
- $10 to park (must have cash and exact change)
- 1.5 miles round trip
- Location: Co Rte 107, Porterville, CA 93257
- Information from my trip in 2020
Getting There
From Kernville, you will drive along the river on a small two lane road as it climbs out of the canyon and up to the tree level. It is a beautiful drive with lots of places to stop and swim or fish and even a beautiful bridge and a waterfall along the road. You will see a sign for the Trail of 100 Giants when you get to the intersection of M-50 and M-90. The trail is about 2 miles drive from there, and there is a small parking lot on the right side of the road you can use.
The Trail
To start the hike, you will cross over the road, and you will see a sign for the trailhead.
Immediately at the beginning of the trail, you will see the Proclamation Tree.
This is the most impressive tree in the grove, and it is where Bill Clinton stood when he dedicated the grove in 2000.
From there, the trail meanders around the grove on a beautiful, relatively flat paved trail.
There are many information plaques as you walk that tell you about the grove, the trees, and the history of the area.
I recommend taking a photo of the map so you can see what tree you are next to as you make your way around. Here are a few of the other trees you will see on this portion of the trail.
You will then reach the boardwalk area, and there you will be greeted by a massive tree that fell in 2011. It is still sitting here blocking this portion of the trial, but it is pretty crazy to see. Here is a video clip a person took who saw it fall.
There is a dirt path that you can take around the roots and back around to the actual trail.
From there, the trail goes past the sentinel trees and to one of my favorite spots, the maze root.
This extensive root has no dirt on it, and you can see how crazy the maze of roots are.
After this tree, you will be at another junction. Here you can go back to the parking lot or to the Fallen Giant Loop.
This area has the largest tree by circumference in the grove at 70 feet, and there are some other fun trees to see in this area too.
The loop is not as impressive as the rest of the trail, with only one fallen tree, but it is still worth seeing and only a half mile or so long.
As you make your way along the loop, you will get back to the junction and can follow it back to the parking lot.
Check it out if you get a chance, and you can find all my favorite redwood groves in this post. Let me know what you think in the comments.
