USA Road Trip · Day 7 | 21| Sequoia National Park, California

I had heard about the largest trees in America and I needed to see one for myself. This was the national park I had been anticipating the most — and I had never seen big trees like this before in my life.

Of course, we were also going to leverage our America the Beautiful Pass — best investment of the whole trip, honestly.

🍳 Huckleberry Breakfast & Lunch
Inspired by Huckleberry Finn · ~5 min from the motel

Just a 5-minute drive from the motel. After checking out, we stopped at this lovely restaurant — inspired by, you guessed it, none other than Huckleberry Finn! Such a nice touch. The server was warm and accommodating, and the restaurant was spacious with a restroom (toilets are very important to me when I travel, hence I keep mentioning it in this blog 😄).

What I Ordered:

• ½ lb Ribeye Steak with Bayou Beans — $20 (₱1,222) | Ordered medium well — next time, medium rare!
• Iced Coffee (Refillable) — $5 (₱305.63)
• Mardi Gras Beignets — $8.99 (₱549.50) | Southern fritters with sweet vanilla filling

I had my steak medium well but realized throughout this trip that ordering medium rare is always the better call — the juiciness is just on another level. Regardless, the meat was tender and the price was very reasonable for a steak of that size.

📌 Dining Tips

• American servings are enormous — one plate can easily be shared between 2 to 3 people, so pace your orders.
• Don’t expect rice; potatoes are the staple carb here, served every way imaginable — mashed, hashed, roasted, fried.
• Most drinks are refillable, so you’ll always get your money’s worth on beverages.

🌲 Sequoia National Park

🎟️ We arrived at 10:22 AM local time. Lewds was asked to present his ID at the entrance when he showed the America’s Beautiful Pass. Smooth entry — no issues!

Our first stop was the Sequoia sign along the General’s Highway, where we spotted massive trunks that had been burned — a reminder that fire is actually a natural and essential part of the giant sequoia ecosystem. Without it, the cones can’t open and new trees can’t grow.

Then we made our way to the main event: the General Sherman Tree Trail.

General Sherman Tree — Fast Facts:

• Height: 275 ft
• Base Diameter: 36 ft
• Volume: 52,500 cubic feet
• Age: approximately 2,200 years old

In 1879, former Civil War soldier James Wolverton discovered a colossal sequoia in California and named it after his beloved commander — General William Tecumseh Sherman.

The General Sherman Tree is the largest living tree on Earth by volume — not the tallest, not the widest, but nothing contains more wood than this one. Standing in front of it, camera in hand, it still doesn’t look real. Thank God the camera was able to capture it!

⚠️ Heads up for seniors: The trail goes downhill first — easy enough — but coming back up is a real workout. Our Auntie Liding took 40 minutes to come back up what was only a 5-minute trek going down. Be mindful, bring water, or let them rest at the top while you go down and come back.

✨ Unexpected Encounter — Meeting the Amish

While resting at the entrance, we crossed paths with a group of Amish people — a traditional Christian community known for living simply and deliberately without modern technology. The women wore plain long dresses and white bonnets; the men in broad-brimmed hats and suspenders. No phones, no cameras — just present in the forest. They were warm and friendly, and it was one of those completely unexpected, quietly memorable moments you only get on a road trip.

🏛️ Giant Forest Museum & Sentinel Tree

After the Sherman Tree, we headed to the Giant Forest Museum to browse souvenirs and learn more about the park’s history and ecology. The museum does a beautiful job of putting the sequoia’s scale into perspective — comparing the trees to buildings, animals, and human lifespans.

🌳 Sentinel Tree
Located near the Giant Forest Museum, the Sentinel Tree is one of Sequoia’s notable giant sequoias — estimated to be around 2,100 years old and standing over 254 feet tall. It’s easy to walk past without fully registering its scale — until you stop and look up.

We then drove through more of the park, windows down, necks craned upward. I have videos of just how massive these trees are — I’ll be sharing those soon so you can see for yourself!

📍 Last Stop & The Drive Home

Our final stop was the Indian River Trailhead, where we took a few more photos and soaked in the last of the forest quiet before hitting the road.

Then we drove back to Temecula to rest. We had a very good reason to get home — Yves is getting married soon! The giants of Sequoia were an incredible send-off.

📌 Good to know: The sun sets around 8:00 PM in America during May. Daylight Saving Time plus summer’s longer days means the sun clocks out much later than back home in the Philippines. Coming from a 6:00 PM sunset — this one genuinely catches you off guard!

Final Thought on Day 7:

I came to see big trees. I didn’t expect to feel small in the best possible way. Sequoia doesn’t just show you the largest living things on Earth — it puts your whole life into a very quiet, very beautiful perspective. If you have the America the Beautiful Pass, this park is non-negotiable.

Tags: Sequoia National Park | California | General Sherman Tree | National Parks | Road Trip USA | America the Beautiful Pass |