Redwood Meadow Grove (Sequoia National Park)

Last updated
Redwood Meadow Grove
Redwood Meadow.jpg
Redwood Meadow, surrounded by a mix of California Incense Cedar and Giant Sequoias (September 1st, 2025)
Geography
Location Tulare County, California, United States
Coordinates 36°32′N118°38′W / 36.533°N 118.633°W / 36.533; -118.633
Elevation5,561 feet (1,694 m)
Administration
Governing body National Park Service
Ecology
Ecosystem(s) Sierra Nevada lower montane forest

The Redwood Meadow Grove is a complex of groves of Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) located near the confluence of Cliff Creek and the Middle Fork Kaweah River in Sequoia National Park, in Tulare County, California. [1] It is not to be confused with the Long Meadow Grove (also called Redwood Meadow Grove) in the adjacent Sequoia National Forest.

Contents

It is one of the most remote groves of Giant Sequoia accessible via a maintained trail. [2]

Geography

The area is home to a National Park Service ranger station and infrastructure for keeping horses. It is the intersection point of multiple trails which access Atwell Mill Campground, Silver City, Bearpaw Meadow High Sierra Camp and the Middle Fork Trail along the Kaweah River [3] [2]

It is located close to the Little Redwood Meadow Grove and the Granite Creek Grove of Giant Sequoias, which lie to the northeast. [3]

Ecology

The Redwood Meadow Grove is not a single, contiguous stand of Giant Sequoias like some higher elevation groves, but instead a complex of multiple smaller groups of trees scattered throughout a hillside and bench just above the confluence of Cliff Creek and the Middle Fork Kaweah River. [2] At 5,561 feet (1,694 m) above sea level, the Redwood Meadow grove is somewhat low in elevation, and is thus found in a mixed forest of Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii), Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis), California Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) and Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), among other species. [2] [4]

Black-tailed deer, American black bear and a variety of other fauna inhabit the area, which lies in one of the most biodiverse elevation zones in the Sierra Nevada. [5] [6]

Sequoia Groves are generally found in areas with consistent moisture either from snowmelt or streams. Though there is not surface water in the meadow in most seasons, the Sequoias benefit from and rely on the abundance of groundwater in and around the meadow. [7]

The 2023 Redwood Fire burned through the grove at a relatively low intensity, reducing fuels and increasing resilience to future drought and fire cycles. [3] [4] [8]

See also

References

  1. "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Redwood Meadow Grove". www.redwoodhikes.com. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  3. 1 2 3 "Redwood Fire confine and contain suppression operation (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  4. 1 2 Alliance, Sierra Nevada (2023-08-31). "Parks utilizing confine and contain suppression strategy for redwood fire in Sequoia National Park Wilderness". Sierra Nevada Alliance. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  5. "Mammals - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  6. North, Malcom; Collins, Brandon; Safford, Hugh; Stephenson, Nathan (2016). "Montane Forests" (PDF). fs.usda.gov. United States Forest Service. p. 553. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  7. "Giant Sequoias and Climate - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  8. "Giant Sequoias and Fire - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.