Packsaddle Grove is a medium sized sequoia grove on Giant Sequoia National Monument

Giant Sequoia National Monument

The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the southern Sierra Nevada in eastern central California. It is administered by the United States Forest Service as part of the Sequoia National Forest and includes 38 of the 39 Giant Sequoia groves that are located in the...

. This compact grove offers a rare look at a truly old growth forest

Old growth forest

An old-growth forest is a forest that has attained great age , and thereby exhibits unique ecological features. An old growth forest has also usually reached a climax community...

where California condors have, and may once again live. The main access to this grove is via dirt roads and cross-country hiking. The terrain is steep, so it's a difficult hike. You can only visit this grove in the summer when the roads are open. The main option for seeing this grove is to hike cross-country through it. It is a fairly wet grove because it straddles Packsaddle Creek and its tributaries. The largest known sequoia in this grove is the Packsaddle Giant, which has the fourth-largest ground perimeter of any sequoia at 107 feet (32.6 m). Near the giant is the Candelabra Tree. Another interesting tree in this grove is the General Lee Tree, also known as the Ghost Tree. This tree would be one of the largest trees, except for its broken top. However, it is growing a new top, or leader.

Noteworthy trees

Some of the trees found in the grove that are worthy of special note are:

• Packsaddle Giant: The largest tree in the grove at 32156 cubic feet (910.6 m³)
• Candelabra: This tree has a volume of 26341 cubic feet (745.9 m³), It has many large limbs that lead to a great crown of foliage.
• Ghost Tree: A once much larger tree, but still a great sight to see. This tree has a volume of 25047 cubic feet (709.3 m³).