Sierra Mountains: Land of Giants

Heading back to Northern California felt like such a treat after the last visit I had. And, with the Sierra Mountains within reach, there is no doubt that road tripping through this area is absolutely life-changing.

I can give you a brief summary of my unforgettable experience.. Camping. On the Beach. Coastal Redwoods. Sunsets. Epic.

Ah, yes! Start off this adventure with a bang! Where else but the Sierra Mountains.

Where are the Sierra Mountains?

The Sierra Mountains are a major mountain range located in the Western region of the US. These mountains run along the east coast of California, and extend from the Mojave Desert (think where California, Nevada, and Arizona meet) all the way up into Oregon.

The entire region has countless jaw-dropping avenues, and places to explore. Home to the world’s largest trees, some world-recognized lakes, and even some volcanic fields that you can experience first hand!

First stop:

Yosemite National Park

Good start, right? Yosemite National Park is one of the most sought after National Parks in terms of visiting. Especially after the recent film Free Solo was introduced to the general public, which in my opinion is also a major component of the sport of climbing becoming the number one growing sport in America.

But if you aren’t really into the documentary type films as I am, Find Me is another indie film that highlights Yosemite National Park, and a few other big names within the National Park Service (NPS). This movie was actually a big dose of inspiration for me to get out and explore.

Back to the park.

To say this park is humbling would be an understatement. There are a lot of places that can be seen and you have that ‘gasp’ moment while others around you exclaim their “ooh’s and aah’s”. But Yosemite was different. That first sight down Yosemite’s Tunnel View, and I was actually speechless.

Never thought “poetic” was a word I’d use to describe a physical object or place. But here it is, this place, it’s… poetic.

Speechless to the point where I had to pull over, get out and just stare. No words. No cameras. Nothing but myself and the wild enormity of the Sierra Mountains before me.

The landscape, history, nature, and value just leave you completely… speechless.

Hiking throughout the park feels of a mere dream. Towering above the trees, a view of El Capitan and it’s Dawn Wall, the scenic wonder Half Dome and the stellar waterfalls that pour into the valley from what seems to be the heavens above.

Imagine this: camping in the Sierra Mountains, and waking up to the sun casting its beautiful golden glow across some of the most iconic mountain-scapes the US has to offer. It is actually phenomenal.

To access some of the resources I use to find Sierra Mountain camping opportunities click here.

I still don’t know how to talk about Yosemite National Park. As unforgettable as it is, as beautiful and incapacitating; I still struggle to express it all. A photographer next to me had the perfect summary as he took a breathtaking photo of the valley. He turned, looked at me and said simply:

“A captionless capture”

I can say this.. In Norse mythology (Vikings), they believed in Valhalla, a place of remarkable wonder and home to the Norse Gods and Goddesses where only the chosen got to enter upon death. If I had to imagine such a place, Yosemite is the physical interpretation I’d develop.

Leaving Yosemite left me with a hefty dose of derealization. The days I spent in the park felt like a dream outside of reality, and I’d be stoked to make a return to this park.

Now, if you haven’t heard about the Majestic Mountain Loop, it is definitely worth a click on the link and checking it out. It is basically this majestic (if you will) drive that tours you through Yosemite and its neighboring National Parks throughout the Sierra Mountains.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

The rad thing about the Majestic Mountain Loop drive is that you get to explore all three of these parks (Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia) all together, essentially in one shot. You don’t even have to exit your vehicle if you don’t want to, because this drive provides some of the most beautiful panoramas of the Sierra Mountains without having to be a peak bagger.

Now to describe the Sequoia trees sprawled about these parks.. ENORMOUS. Historic. Elegant.

Sequoia National Park was the second National Park established (1890. Yellowstone National Park being the first.), and it wasn’t until 50 years later that Kings Canyon was added to NPS.

“Hey Adam, what’s with Kings Canyon?”

Kings Canyon is the real hero here. Due to its steep cliffs and other ecological factors, Kings Canyon has been the guardian, and home of the Sequoia trees. Driving through, you don’t really realize that the whole landscape before you is all a part of Kings Canyon. But thanks to the glaciers that passed through however many years ago, forming most of the Sierra Mountains, we have one of the most historically charming pieces of nature to admire. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The purpose of Kings Canyon’s establishment as a National Park was to preserve and protect the massive Sequoia trees in the natural way it has for the countless years prior.

The Sequoia Tree

These historic giants are some of the coolest trees I have seen with my own eyes. Aside from their colossal existence, these trees have made some pretty incredible adaptations to become as they stand today. And by colossal; take the General Sherman Tree for example. One of the most famous Sequoia trees worldwide, stands 275ft tall, has a 102ft base circumference, and a total estimated weight of 6,167 tons.

One helluva tree.

One of the most interesting things (to me) is that these trees have developed a natural fire resistance (thank you, thickest bark on earth). Now obviously fire resistant doesn’t mean fire-proof, so what happens when a Sequoia tree is at potential threat of dying? These trees have adapted to disperse their nutrients back into the ground for surrounding trees to continue to flourish.

That is totally mind-boggling.

We should be thanking the Sierra Mountains

Really, we have the Sequoia trees to thank for National Park Service. If it wasn’t for two of these behemoths toppling over somewhere in the mid-to-late 1800s, the NPS would have never been established. Upon the passing of the act “Yosemite and Big Tree Grant”, Yellowstone was established as a National Park, and the Sequoias not long after.

The Sierra Mountains truly are a land of giants. Giant Trees, Giant Canyons, Giant Waterfalls, and Giant Mountains.

PS: You know the tree on the National Park Service Emblem? That my friend, is a Sequoia.

So here is to you, Sequoiadendron Giganteum. And all of the good you have done for the world.

Cheers!