Everything You Need to Know About General Sherman: The Biggest Tree in the World

Are you wondering what is so special about Sequoia National Park? Well, it’s home to the BIGGEST TREE IN THE WORLD! And that tree has a name – General Sherman.

Now General Sherman is not the TALLEST tree in the world. That title belongs to another California tree called Hyperion. (I haven’t seen this one in real life but I did a quick google). General Sherman is the largest tree on Earth from the overall volume of its trunk and it is a whopping 2,200 years old!

If you are off on a trip to Sequoia National Park purely to see the General Sherman Tree, you should rethink this and plan a full itinerary because there is SO much to see there!

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about visiting the General Sherman Tree, including where to park, how long the hike is and whether or not I was impressed by General Sherman.

Sequoia National Park Quick Links

General Sherman – The Tallest Tree in the World?

Hike Stats

Where is General Sherman located

General Sherman is located within Sequoia National Park in California in the Giant Forest area. The coordinates of the General Sherman Tree are 36°34’54.8″N 118°45’05.2″W but it’s also really easy to find via the Sherman Tree Trail from the parking lot.

How to get to the General Sherman Tree / Is there a bus

There are two ways to get to the General Sherman Parking lot.

1. Catch the Sequoia National Park shuttle bus
2. Drive and park in the parking lot (during Summer the lot will fill up very quickly in the morning)

For the shuttle access in summer, you should park first thing in the morning at either the General Sherman Tree or the Giant Forest Museum and then leave your car there for the day whilst using the shuttles to get around the park. If you try to drive around for the entire day, you will probably have trouble because the park gets extremely busy. We experience this problem first hand. 😅

The General Sherman Tree Trail is wheelchair and stroller accessible.

Crazy facts about the General Sherman Tree

• The General Sherman Tree is the biggest tree on Earth from its overall volume of its trunk.
• General Sherman is 2,200 years old!
• Height: 275ft / 84m, base diameter: 36.5ft / 11.1m
• In 2021, the General Sherman Tree was wrapped in a protective aluminium material as a precaution when the KNP Complex Fire approached the Giant Forest.

When is the best time to visit General Sherman

The best time of the day to avoid the crowds at General Sherman would be first thing in the morning. As in just after sunrise. We didn’t have the chance to see General Sherman without huge crowds of people because we were too busy taking photos at the Tunnel Log Drive Through and looking for a specific cluster of trees on the Big Trees Trail during the 2 mornings that we were in Sequoia National Park.

If you visit during Spring or Fall, you might be lucky enough to avoid some of these crazy crowds. The Winter is the quietest time to visit Sequoia National Park, but make sure you bring snow shoes or micro spikes with you as the trails can be slippery.

Tips for visiting General Sherman

• Go first thing in the morning or late afternoon to try to avoid the crowds.
• Bring a wide angle camera to try to capture the entire tree. Your phone should do the trick.
• Wear comfortable shoes because you will be walking from the parking lot to the tree. You can then choose to continue onto the Congress Trail to see many more Giant Sequoias

National Park Permits

To enter and visit sights in Sequoia National Park, you will need a national parks pass. The America the Beautiful pass is the best option if you plan to visit multiple national parks over the period of a year. Even if you just plan on visiting Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks this year over a few days, it is still worth it to purchase the America the Beautiful Pass.

Leave No Trace

The 7 Leave No Trace principles are important to be aware of to help keep places like the Sequoia National Park beautiful. To remind yourself of the 7 Leave No Trace principles, check out the LNT website.

The hike to General Sherman

The hike from the parking lot to the General Sherman Tree is all downhill, which means on the way back it’s uphill so make sure you bring some water with you because it can get extremely hot down in the forest on a Summers day. I was definitely dying a little on the way back up.

The hike is 1.9km / 1.2 miles with an elevation gain of 60m / 196ft. Once you reach the General Sherman Tree, there are free talks done by rangers which you can join. For a schedule of the talk times, visit one of the visitors centres like the one at the Giant Forest Museum.

The tree itself is protected by a fence to keep visitors from touching the tree. I did find it kind of hard to get a good photo of General Sherman, hence why there are not really any great photos in this guide. This was mainly because of the amount of people and also obviously the fence.

Is General Sherman worth visiting

Yes I 100% think that General Sherman is worth visiting if you are in Sequoia National Park. It’s a super impressive tree and although heavily protected by the parks, won’t be around forever. I’m glad we visited and we will definitely revisit if we ever have the chance!

Other things to do nearby

While you are checking other General Sherman, you could also hike the Congress Trail as it actually starts from the General Sherman Tree. It is a long trail than the one to General Sherman but really beautiful and a great way to get away from some of the crowds.

This is what we did which was perfect. We actually ended up joining one of the free Congress Trail walking tours which I highly recommend because you learn so much about the Sequoia Trees! The free tour does take quite a while (I think around 1 hour) because you stop at each viewpoint.

If you are have more time in Sequoia National Park, a few other spots that you should add to your list are:

• Moro Rock for sunset
• Tunnel Log Drive Through for a fun Instagram photo
• The Big Trees Trail – a smaller loop with meadows and Giant Sequoias which is great for families

Our thoughts

I thought the General Sherman Tree was impressive but I actually loved some of the other Sequoia Trees more, probably because there were less people elsewhere. haha

Still, if you are visiting Sequoia National Park, General Sherman is definitely worth visiting!

Don’t plan your trip to Sequoia National Park without reading these:

• How to Spend an Amazing 2 Days in Sequoia National Park
• An Incredible 4 Day Yosemite Itinerary
• Instaworthy Photo Spots in Yosemite National Park
• The Ultimate 15 Day California Road Trip Itinerary
• The Best 2 Day Lake Tahoe Summer Itinerary
• Yosemite vs Sequoia National Park
• The Most Instagrammable Spot Near San Francisco
• Beautiful Golden Gate Bridge Photo Spots
• Moro Rock – The Best Sunset Spot in Sequoia National Park
• Must-See Sights in Sequoia National Park for First-Timers
• Instaworthy Sequoia National Park Photo Spots
• Is the Tunnel Log Drive Through in Sequoia National Park Worth it?
• The Big Trees Trail in Sequoia National Park
• Hiking the Stunning Congress Trail in Sequoia National Park
• Where to Stay in Sequoia National Park

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