Sequoia National Park
May 16, 2026
Giant sequoias are big, really big. Standing in a forest of them is an amazing experience. An experience that I am not sure can be recreated in a photograph. Unless you are able to include a person or animal in the frame, they just kind of look like ordinary trees. But they aren't.
Jamie and I headed to Sequoia National Park early. We arrived at the Giant Forest about an hour after sunrise. The morning sun was still low in the sky which made for some soft(ish) light shining through the towering trees.
If you're planning a visit, early morning is definitely the best time. The masses of humanity haven't quite shown up yet. You will easily find parking and the forest will still be quiet. By the time we got back to the car around 11:00am, there were no parking spaces available.
Since the size of the trees isn't obvious in a still photograph and there were no bears or deer posing next to them for me, I tried to go for a more abstract trunk shot. Still, they look like regular trees. But they are giants.
We hiked along the Congress Trail, a hiking path that starts out paved and weaves through some famous trees. Most notably, the General Sherman tree, which is the largest tree on the planet. After a while, the paved walking path gives way to a traditional dirt path through the forest. As you make your way further from the parking lot and paved pathways, you see less people and more wildlife.
Our mission this trip was to take a selfie while standing on top of a fallen giant sequoia. We spotted this downed tree on a hike about a year ago. At the time, it was late in the day and we were on the tail end of a long hike. So we made a plan to come back and get the shot in the future.
