Giants

Freeman Creek Trail

After being bummed out with Trail of 100 Giants I did some research, and according to National Park Services there are at least 40 Sequoia Groves recognized in the Sierra Nevadas. And lucky for me, there’s one not too far. Freeman Creek Grove is a smaller, more spread out grove with a trail that runs between Lloyd Meadows Road and the Western Divide Highway.

I started on the Lloyd Meadows side. It was easy to find thanks to the signs for the President Bush Tree. Freeman Creek Trail starts off pretty mellow. I had to cross a few small streams, but otherwise it was easy. The Bush Tree is pretty close to the beginning of the trail. It’s pretty impressive.

As the trail continued, it definitely started getting steeper. What’s crazy is how well the younger Sequoias blend in with the rest of the forest. I’d be hiking along and suddenly there would be a pair. The grove is more spread out than the Trail of 100 Giants, but it was beautiful. The flowers were still blooming, there was a small pond, and the creek was close for most of the trail.

Sadly, I got a late start, so I made it just shy of the end, but I will be going back. A word of advice, start on the Lloyd Meadows side. It was a happy accident on my end, but totally the best way because it’s the lower side, and when you are getting tired, you’ll be going down instead of struggling up the steep parts when your already getting tired!