Redwood Mountain Overlook

Mature sequoias with rounded tops and younger "spire-top" sequoias

Quick Facts

Location:

Generals Highway, Sequoia National Forest

Amenities

5 listed

Audio Description, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Wheelchair Accessible

This overlook is just west of the Redwood Mountain Road, along the Generals Highway. Before you lies one of the largest groves of giant sequoia trees in the world. From this overlook, you can see the tops of sequoias, the canopy of the Redwood Mountain grove.

It was here that park scientists began to understand the importance of fire in the ecology of forests. The trunks of large giant sequoias trees are almost always marked by fire scars at ground level, and their lower branches have been burned away. Their living limbs and needles grow hundreds of feet above the forest floor, where they are safe from most flames. Fire is necessary in order for sequoia cones to open and release their seeds. It is also necessary to clear away underbrush and give trees the space and sunlight they need to grow. Scientists and park managers have developed ways to use fire to maintain healthy ecosystems within the parks, including natural (lightning) fires and prescribed burns.

Redwood Canyon also houses thousands of dogwood trees. In spring and early summer, white blossoms cover their branches. In autumn, their foliage turns red, brown, and yellow. Light filtering through the leaves or blossoms creates an ever-changing atmosphere, so the experience of the canyon shifts with the seasons.