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Freeman
Creek Grove
Botanical
Area
The proposed
1,425 acre Freeman
Creek Grove
Botanical
Area
contains the
largest unlogged
Sequoia
Grove
outside of a
national
park. It is
the
easternmost
grove and
can be
accessed in
summer off
of the
Western
Divide
Highway or
Lloyd
Meadows Road
in the
Sequoia
National
Monument. Most of the
big trees
are south of
Freeman
Creek.
There are
several
remarkable
sequoias to
see in this
grove. Over
700 sequoias
10 feet or
more in
diameter at
breast
height grow
in this
incredible
grove. The
29th largest
tree in the
world the
Goshawk Tree
grows here. The President
George Bush
Tree is
easily
accessed
along the
trail. It
was named
after
President
Bush Sr
declared
giant
sequoias
protected
after a long
battle by
the Sierra
Club to stop
logging near
these
magnificent
trees. Some
other named
trees are
found in the
grove: the
Telescope
Tree, aka
Castro Tree,
Freeman
Shaft, Loren's Tree,
Ride-through
tree, and
the Freeman
Stub.
The base
rock is an
unusual
basalt
outcrop in
an area that
hasn't had
any volcanic
activity in
millions of
years. The
geology of
the area is
a mix of
sedimentary
rock,
metasedimentary
rock,
granite, and
the basalt.
The grove is
below the
Needles
lookout and
near the
Forks of the
Kern.
How to Get
There:
From
the Highway
99 in Ducor take
County Route
SM56 east
about 20
miles to
California
Hot Springs.
Turn north
on to Parker
Pass Road
(Mountain 50)
drive toward Johnsondale
turning onto
Lloyd
Meadows Road
(22S82).
From Kernville
take Sierra
Way
(Mountain
99)
northwest
about 20
miles to
just beyond Johnsondale. Take
Lloyd
Meadows Road
(22S82)
about 16
miles to the
eastern end
of Freeman
Creek Grove.
Turn left
onto the
dirt road
20S78
leading to
the grove.
Another
route from
the San
Joaquin
Valley is on
State
Highway 190.
Take Highway
190 east
about 15
miles until
the junction
with Western
Divide
Highway
(County
Route
SM107).
Quaking
Aspen
Campground
and the
trailhead
for 33E20
are also at
this
junction.
All
information
copyright
Nature Ali
2007. All
rights
reserved.
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