Bears and giant trees at Sequoia National Park
After detouring to visit the Grand Canyon in Arizona (see our route in my previous post), we continued westward through California’s sere Mojave Desert. At last the land rose and formed the Golden State’s crinkled, tawny hills, stubbled with spreading, olive-green live oaks.
By mid-afternoon we’d reached the Sierra Nevada mountains and the entrance to Sequoia National Park. For a good while we didn’t see any sequoias. I admired sea urchin-spined chaparral yuccas (Hesperoyucca whipplei) clinging to every hillside and sheer, rocky cliff, many topped by 10-foot-tall bloom spikes.
Chaparral yucca dies after flowering, like an agave. But man, does it go out with a bang! The towering stalks of creamy white flowers lit up seemingly inhospitable craggy cliffs.
Like probably millions before us, we stopped for a photo at Tunnel Rock, through which cars once passed. In 1997 the road was widened and moved out of the tunnel, which is now accessible only to pedestrians.
Thistle gone to seed along the road
At last tall trees appeared — and so did bears! Sequoia is black bear country, and within the space of an hour we saw two. We spotted this cinnamon-colored bear nosing through the undergrowth just off the road. We pulled over and watched from the car.
With my zoom lens I took some close-ups from inside the car, where we spoke in hushed voices, awed by the sight of a wild bear.
He’s a big fella!
And he’s been tagged and collared.
Sniffing the air
A rotting log prompted some impressive clawing and gnawing.
Any grubs or bugs in there?
But enormous sequoia trees, not bears, are what Sequoia is famous for. These forest giants utterly dwarf you as you stand at a knobby root flare, gazing up a straight, stout trunk soaring skyward. Giant sequoias grow only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, at an elevation of 4,000 to 8,000 feet. While not as tall as coastal California’s giant redwoods, they are much thicker and grander.
We walked half a mile down a paved trail to reach the General Sherman sequoia, the world’s largest tree measured by trunk volume. Reigning over a grove of somewhat lesser sequoias, the 2,200-year-old tree measures 275 feet tall and more than 36 feet in diameter at the base, according to the park website. Standing next to it, you’re the equivalent size of a tiny mouse looking up at a 6-foot-tall person.
Oh yes, that second black bear! My daughter spotted it climbing down an embankment toward us as we descended the trail toward the grove. “Bear!” she exclaimed. “Where? Where?” I asked, before spotting it myself. By that time it was nearly on the trail right before us. Surprised, I backed up the trail to give it space. It crossed swiftly and hustled into the woods below.
Little did we know this exciting encounter would be just the start of bears we’d see in the Sierra Nevada parks. Over the next several days we’d see three more, but none so close as Trail Bear or even Car Bear. Yes, we gave them names to keep them straight.
Wildflowers were blooming in mid-June, like this cascading carpet of pink something-or-other. Anyone know the ID? Update: It’s Mustang Clover (Linanthus montanus). Thanks, Sue H.!
Charming flowers
On the road outside the park that evening, we enjoyed a sunset view of the knife-edged Sierra Nevada hills.
Up next: Wildflowers and waterfalls at Kings Canyon National Park. For a look back at majestic Grand Canyon National Park, click here.
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Digging Deeper
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Wow, great shots and especially the bear. Because they’re smaller than grizzlies I don’t think of them as being scary, but those pictures changed my mind. I can hardly wait to see what else you shot.
I know what you mean about black bears. They’re not only smaller than grizzly bears but are said to be much less aggressive toward humans. Still, when we saw these two at somewhat close range, they looked pretty darn big and intimidating. Thankfully the one that suddenly appeared on the trail was eager to get off it, and we just felt lucky to have witnessed Trail Bear living its best life.
What incredible sights you had here. That Black Bear is amazing. it seemed so close with your telephoto lens. The trees are magnificent.
It was pretty close to the car. But definitely not so close as it appeared through the telephoto. 🙂
Thank you, Pam, for taking us on a trip! It comes at a wonderful time and it looks like you visited some of the best parts of the country (IMHO). How wonderful that you and (most of) your family had this adventure, and got to enjoy so many bears. I’m looking forward to seeing the rest.
Thanks, Maggie! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recap.
Great shots once again. I especially enjoyed those of the cinnamon brown bear.
Thanks, Kris. I was thrilled to see that bear and be able to get photos from a safe distance in the car as it just did its own thing.
No need to pack a suitcase, thanks to your posts I’m travelling anyway. Thanks, Pam.
My pleasure, Pat! Thanks for following along. 🙂
Making me miss California! Are you RVing or staying at hotels? I’m still stuck in Austin enduring the hot weather and getting stir crazy.
This was a few weeks ago, Sherry. I’m just now getting around to posting about our trip. And if it makes you feel any better, there was a heat wave while we were there, and it was in the 90s. Of course the humidity was low.
Oh, and we stayed in hotels. See my Grand Canyon post (the one before this one) for details on how we pulled off this trip in a way that felt safe.
The pretty pink wildflower: From ‘traveltoeat.com’ website, under wildflowers of Sequoia Nat’l Pk:
Mustang Clover (Linanthus montanus)
Love your pics of the trees, flowers, and bears of Sequoia. Think I wont be camping there anytime soon.
Raccoon-sized mammals I can handle in my campsite at night, not those big boys/girls!
Thank you, Sue! I think you’ve nailed it. And I agree about not wanting to camp with bears around. But then my tent camping days are over anyway. These days I’m all about a bed, four walls, and a bathroom. 😉
So cool, all of it! I tried to talk my husband into a similar trip since he wants to visit his dad in northern CA. Alas, I couldn’t talk him into it and we’ll be flying there in August (after first taking a test for Covid ).
It’s a long drive, for sure. But I do love how a road trip gives you time to see the country. Safe travels on the flight, Jean!
A great post and inspiration for for me to get out more and see my own state!
If you don’t make a reservation to see Yosemite, being only a few hours away, I will be personally offended. 😉 What an incredible park it is, amid many wonderful national parks in your state. That post is coming up next.