Shadow of the Giants Trail (Madera County, California)

 

Ever since I had heard about another giant sequoia grove just south of Yosemite, I thought it might be an interesting hike to explore. The Shadow of the Giants National Recreation Trail is a short walk through a moderately populated grove of the massive trees. 

Getting to the trail is a bit of a jaunt from my home in Reno and since I was lucky enough to secure a campsite reservation inside Yosemite Valley, I thought it might be a good opportunity to turn the long drive into a two-day camping affair. Arriving in Yosemite at my campsite in the Upper Pines campground, I got camp set up and simply relaxed through the evening taking in the magnificence of the valley. I got to bed early and woke up to a brisk morning. In no particular hurry, I got some tea and oats going before breaking camp and hitting the road for the Nelder Grove area south of the park. 


Exiting Yosemite through the southern entrance, the turn onto Sky Ranch Road is about 10 miles beyond. A twisty-turny ascent up into the foothills leads to a signed gravel road. A few miles through the woods on a mildly rough road and I arrived at the Shadow of the Giants trail head. Parking is very limited, but luckily my jeep is able to park where other cars are timid to try.

The trail itself is only about a mile and half-long, and I had intended to do a much longer hike through the entire Nelder Grove, but given the time and the long drive home, I decided to shorten my hike. In addition, the other trees of the Grove are spread out over a large area and I would be hiking nearly 11 miles to see just a few more trees. The trees along this nationally recognized part of the grove are middle-aged as far as giant sequoias go. None are nearly as big as General Sherman or even the Grizzly Giant, but even so, there is no mistaking the girth of a giant sequoia. All in all, there about a dozen trees visible along the trail, the largest approximately 25 feet in diameter and 275ish feet tall. Most of the trees have very little fire damage, which is somewhat rare in my experience. 

The short loop trail returns me to the parking area and I head back out and start back for Yosemite. A very quick hike, but seeing a giant sequoia is always an experience and well worth the time involved.