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| North & South Calaveras Groves |
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| The North and South Calaveras Groves of Giant Sequoias are located along Hwy 4 in Calaveras Big Trees State Park near Angel's Camp, California. They are beautiful groves to visit and to hike in, especially in the fall and spring! I have yet to go there in the spring when the dogwoods are blooming, but here are my photos from a fall visit... |
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The Pioneer Cabin Tree You can no longer drive through it, but you can walk through it. The tree has managed to survive, despite this massive hole being cut into it over a century ago, but it doesn't appear to be doing too well. It only has a couple of live branches left (see below) |
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| The Mother of the Forest This was once the 2nd largest tree in this grove. The bark was stripped from it for exhibition purposes and it died soon after. It is a sad sight, especially after learning that the bark was burned in a fire before many even got to see the exhibition. |
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| The Discovery Stump This was once the largest tree in the grove. It was also perhaps the first giant sequoia ever seen by a white man. It was discovered by Augustus T. Dowd in 1852. It was later cut down for exhibition purposes. The stump was then used as a dance floor and the remaining fallen trunk as a bowling alley. |
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| Despite the few sequoias that were cut down or otherwise damaged by humans, this grove is a thriving and beautiful place to visit... It's important to note that these "crimes" against sequoias happened before it was protected as a State Park. It took a lot of dedicated individuals to make that happen so many thanks to them! |
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| The Stanislaus River |
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| The trail to the South Grove starts off by traversing a grassy meadow then crosses Beaver Creek on a beautiful bridge. It is a 1-mile hike to the grove and you can also do a 3.5 or 5 mile loop. |
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| The North Grove features a 1.5 mile loop trail that's mostly level and makes for an enjoyable stroll. Along the way you'll see many giant sequoias, some fallen giants, a tunnel tree, a cut stump, and other notable sights. When I hiked the trail the gorgeous autumn-hued dogwoods almost stole the show from the sequoias! |