North Grove Trail

The North Grove Trail loops through the historic heart of Calaveras Big Trees State Park, home to the grove of giant sequoias that sparked worldwide attention in 1852 when Augustus Dowd became the first non-Native American to document these colossal trees and bring news of their existence to the outside world. The Discovery Tree, a massive sequoia stump left by early loggers who felled it to prove its size to an incredulous public, anchors the north end of the grove and serves as a sobering reminder of the exploitation that followed discovery. The remaining standing sequoias in the North Grove are among the most accessible giant sequoias in California, their cinnamon-red bark glowing in filtered forest light as visitors move through the grove on a well-maintained interpretive loop. Giant sequoias are the world largest living organisms by volume, with some specimens exceeding 300 feet in height and 30 feet in diameter at the base, and even the smallest trees in the grove dwarf every surrounding white fir and sugar pine. The forest understory is rich with dogwood, azalea, and bracken fern, and the grove blooms spectacularly in spring when mountain dogwood opens its white bracts beneath the sequoia canopy. Steller jays, mountain chickadees, and white-headed woodpeckers are common throughout the grove year-round. Snow can close roads in winter, but the grove itself is accessible on snowshoes or cross-country skis when conditions allow.