Giant Sequoia trees are quite common in California’s Sequoia National Park and a Californian tour is not complete without a visit. The tree in this picture fell in 1937 and blocked the road. Rather than move the gargantuan tree, someone had the bright idea to just cut a hole through the darned thing instead. Thus was born Sequoia National Park’s infamous Tunnel Log. The tree itself measures 84m (275 feet) tall. The tunnel, built in 1938, is 5.2m (17-feett) wide and cuts through tree’s 6.4m (21 feet) diameter.
To me it is almost a shame that the road is still open to traffic rather than having the space closed and used as something of a study center for children to learn about the forest and the growth rings of trees. Many of these trees are older than the United States of America and that makes the forest tops on my list of places to visit out west. Supposedly the tallest tree in the park is kept a secret by those who know so that it can reign over the forest in peace.
IF YOU GO: If you do visit the Sequoia National Park then don’t forget to see the Moro Rock as well. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. You can always Tour California with Titan Travel, 16 day Californian Holidays from only £1685. Or fly to Los Angeles with British Airways from £680 return in August.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user Sowerspics via a creative commons license.
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