World's largest tree, General Sherman, reopens in Sequoia NP

Sequoia National Park's Giant Forest area, home to the General Sherman Tree, reopens Friday, June 2 after "catastrophic series of storms."

If you’ve yet to meet General Sherman in person, he deserves a spot on your bucket list. The largest tree in the world (by volume), the General is of a size that's incomprehensible until seen and touched in person. Now, visitors can finally share space with the world's most famous tree again.

Sequoia National Park reopens the Giant Forest area today, Friday, June 2. The area would close in early March in advance of what would become "a catastrophic series of storms," the park cites in their media release.

Giant Forest remained off-limits to the public for 84 days, but for good reason. Safety is paramount in all national parks, and "Those storms left behind severe road and infrastructure damage that continues to impact public access" to General Sherman and other areas, the park cites.

And being the world's largest tree by volume may seem less-impressive than being the "world's tallest tree," but reserve judgement until you see the General Sherman Tree for yourself.

Sherman stands a staggering 275-feet tall, and he's over 36-feet wide. It takes a long time to get this big, too. Park officials estimate the General to be at least 2,200-years-old.

"Visitors are advised that although the Generals Highway from Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park to the Giant Forest has temporary repairs to restore public access, these repairs require caution and slower speed limits until permanent repairs are done later in the season," the park adds.

When visiting for the remainder of 2023, the free park shuttle service will be in operation from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. "This enables visitors to find parking and then explore the most popular sites via shuttle. Consider parking at Lodgepole Campground in the large lot just beyond the campground kiosk, then riding the shuttle to features in the Giant Forest area," Sequoia officials offer, alongside further advice:

"This year more than ever, we urge visitors to plan their trips in advance and become familiar with what areas are open," Sequoia adds. "Many areas and services in the parks that would typically be open this time of year may remain closed through this summer season."

For detailed information about where to enter the parks, what's open, things to do, wilderness permits, accessibility, services, and more, visit our website at www.nps.gov/seki.

About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks:These two parks, which lie-side-by-side in the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, serve as a prime example of nature's size, beauty, and diversity. Nearly 2 million visitors from across the U.S. and the world visit these parks for the world's largest trees (by volume), grand mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, the highest point in the lower 48 states, and more.