Giant Forest – Sequoia National Park

We woke up on a misty Tuesday morning to start our drive into Sequoia National Park.
Since we were only spending a day in the park we knew we wanted to hit up the Giant Forest & the General Sherman Tree (that post is coming soon); everything else was up for exploration and fun! The night before we actually were able to spend about an hour in the park before sunset and we were told upon entering that we could only go as far as Hospital Rock since afterwards we would need snow/ice chains for our tires. They gave us a map of the park, a bulletin full of places to see, and then a list of places we could go rent chains for our vehicle. The next morning we ended up stopping at the Chevron station and rented tires for Eddie’s truck ($100 deposit and you get $60 back when you return the chains) and head on to enter the park. We didn’t think to check the current condition portion of the website before arriving the day before which would have told us if we needed chains, YES EVEN IN MARCH! If you are planning a trip to the park be aware that certain things are closed during winter seasons and plan accordingly.

Maybe most people don’t know this but if you are active duty military (and their dependents) you can get a FREE yearly pass for ALL National Parks/forest. Eddie and I have gotten passes over the last two years and it has been so helpful for all of the trips (Acadia, The Grand Canyon) we’ve gone on independently and together – they actually have a little FAQ section that goes over what all the pass covers.

Giant Forest Museum 

We stopped in here to read more about the history of the park, the giant sequoias, an the environment in which they thrive. I literally wanted to buy a sweatshirt, hat, ornament, etc but settled for this gorgeous patch and enamel pin to remind me of our time there. We also picked up the “Travel Stamps: U.S. National Park Series Album & Guide” book to start collecting our National Park stamps as it’s one of our marriage goals to hit all the National Parks!

The Giant Forest

To say I was overwhelmed with awe would quite possibly be an understatement.
This place was magical on a whole other level – then add in the snow, it was like fairies were going to bust out of the trees and swarm around us. With the chance for rain/snow later in the day and it still being winter conditions up in the park the amount of people was minimal; which was perfectly ideal for Eddie and I. There were many times where it was just the two of us being able to soak in all the beauty together without another person walking by so this was like a dream come true.
Standing next to these monstrous trees completely humbled me. I was so small and young in comparison to these magnificent trees that all I could do was stare at them as my wonder and curiosity grew. It reminded me how precious, short, and remarkable our human lives are. It challenged me to talk with Jesus and have that in-depth where am I in life conversation. It challenged me to look at my husband and see where I could be praying for him, serving, and strengthening our marriage. This forest, these trees stirred up a lot of heart stuff in a way I wasn’t fully expecting; and yet I’m so thankful they did.