Calaveras Big Trees State Park
Map SatelliteHere, in the only State Park where the Sequoia (Big Tree), Sequoiadendron giganteum, is found, are two of the largest of the 75 or so remaining groves of the tree. These groves, which are some 16 kilometers (10 miles) apart, occupy some 100+ hectares (250+ acres), with the South Grove approximately three times as large as the North Grove. (The latter, formerly the Calaveras Grove, is the type locality of the Sequoia.) The tree with the greatest diameter in the Park measures 6.7 meters (22 feet), and the tallest exceeds 93 meters (310 feet). A fallen, still undecayed tree probably stood over 105 meters (350 feet) high. Some of the older trees may be approaching 3,000 years of age.
Much of the remaining section of the Park is mixed conifer forest, though there are open meadows and, along the creeks and river, riparian vegetation. The forest includes white fir, Abies concolor, sugar pine, Pinus lambertiana, ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa, incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens, and black oak, Quercus kelloggii. The understory includes dogwood, Cornus sp., hazelnut, Corylus cornuta var. californica, and azalea, Rhododendron occidentale.
Animal life is abundant and typical; of note is the pileated woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus.
The North Fork of the Stanislaus River, which here has cut a gorge in the granite, traverses the Park.
Integrity: A few trees have been logged. Development includes trails, campsites, buildings, etc.
Use: Research, educational, light recreational.
Ref: Rundel, Philip, 1971. Community Structure and Stability in the Giant Sequoia Groves of the Sierra Nevada, Calif. Am. mid. Nat. Vol. 85, pp. 478-492.
September 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
