Packsaddle Grove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Packsaddle Grove |
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 Location in California
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| Geography | |
| Location | Tulare County, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 35°55′26″N 118°35′34″W / 35.923889°N 118.592778°W |
| Elevation | 6,760 ft (2,060 m) |
| Ecology | |
| Dominant tree species | Sequoiadendron giganteum |
Packsaddle Grove is a special place where giant sequoia trees grow. It's a medium-sized group of these huge trees located in the Giant Sequoia National Monument in California. This grove is quite wet because it's near Packsaddle Creek and other small streams.
This compact grove gives you a rare chance to see a truly old-growth forest. This means the trees have been growing for a very long time without much human interference. Amazing birds like the California condor have lived here, and might even return someday.
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Discovering Packsaddle Grove
How to Visit Packsaddle Grove
Getting to Packsaddle Grove can be a bit of an adventure! You usually need to use dirt roads and then hike cross-country. The paths can be steep, making it a challenging walk.
You can only visit this grove during the summer months. This is when the roads are open and safe to travel on. The best way to explore the grove itself is to hike right through it.
Amazing Giant Trees
Packsaddle Grove is home to some truly incredible giant sequoia trees. These trees are known for their massive size and long lives. Here are a few of the most famous ones you can find here:
Packsaddle Giant
The Packsaddle Giant is one of the most impressive trees in the grove. It holds about 32,156 cubic feet (910.6 m3) of wood. Imagine how big that is! It also has the fourth-largest base (ground perimeter) of any sequoia tree, measuring about 107 feet (33 m) around.
Even though its exact spot isn't shared with everyone, the Packsaddle Giant is the biggest giant sequoia found south of another famous tree called Stagg.
Candelabra Tree
The Candelabra Tree is another magnificent giant sequoia. It contains about 26,341 cubic feet (745.9 m3) of wood. This tree gets its name because it has many large branches that spread out. These branches create a huge, beautiful crown of leaves at the top, looking a bit like a giant candelabra.
Ghost Tree
The Ghost Tree is also sometimes called the General Lee Tree. This tree was once much larger than it is now. It has a heavily broken top, but it's amazing because it's growing a brand new top shoot! This shows how resilient these giant trees can be. The Ghost Tree has a volume of about 25,047 cubic feet (709.3 m3).
