We searched and found the Lone Giant Sequoia near Fish Camp! I had heard of it but had never ventured into the Miami Motorcycle Trails Area and was curious what was there. Don’t let the word “motorcycle” scare you off from venturing into this off road vehicle area. We only saw one on our adventure. If you are looking for a hike or drive that is close by, this one could be for you!
Where: Sierra National Forest
Distance: 8.67 Miles (about 4.2 Miles round trip to the Lone Sequoia Tree)
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Range: 4,277′ – 4,695′
Date: February 15, 2013
Highlights: Finding the Lone Sequoia is definitely the highlight of this trip, but viewing a pretty cascading waterfall makes you go ahhh. This hike, which you could also drive with a 4WD, is really easy and would make a nice snowshoe hike if the snow cooperated.
Miami Motorcycle Trails, located on the Sierra National Forest, consists of over 60 miles of motorcycle trails and is suitable for 4WD vehicles with good clearance. Starting on Hwy 41, south of Fish Camp near the Madera Mariposa County line, the first part of the trail is an all weather surface. There are many trails that take off from this main road that you can walk or ride.
We parked at the parking lot or pull out at Road 6S24 and walked about 1.5 miles to where the road crosses Miami Creek. From this point you can look upstream and see a nice cascade of waterfalls. It was a pretty site today with the snow along side the creek.
It was pretty icy on the bridge and we had to watch our footing. We continued another .6 miles up the road to the Lone Sequoia Camp Ground. The directions that we had to locate this lone Giant Sequoia were not the best but it is very easy to find. From the picnic table, there is a seasonal creek that runs along the east side. The directions that we had said to continue upstream about 100 yards and you will see the tree. I don’t think it is quite that far but if you follow the creek up, you can’t miss it.
Photo by Gail Gilbert
How do you take a picture of a really big tree with a lot of undergrowth around it?
From the bottom looking up, of course!
My hiking partner for the day, Gail, helps put the size in perspective. I tried to research how big this tree was but am sorry that I couldn’t find anything.
We saw some nice reflections of the forest in the pools in the creek.
And a reflection of the Lone Sequoia in one of the pools.
The Lone Sequoia had many cones laying around it’s base but it is doubtful that any of them would result in a tree. I could not find any seedlings and the overgrown undergrowth would not be conducive to regeneration.
We continued up the road a couple of miles, just to see if we could find a good vantage point with a view for lunch but couldn’t so headed back, stopping back at the Lone Sequoia Campground for lunch at the picnic table. We had some good exercise, saw something we hadn’t seen before—that Lone Sequoia. It was another great day in the outdoors and not far at all from our homes.
