Giant Forest Village
The giant sequoia trees are first encountered on the approach from the south at Giant Forest Village - a small cluster of buildings that is dwarfed by the surrounding trees. Some of the sequoias have become unstable due to root damage caused by building development and hence visitor services in this area have been reduced, including transfer of lodging to Wuksachi Village, 7 miles (11 km) north. The sequoia forest extends mainly east of the village, and is accessed by a 3-mile (4.8 km) side road plus many interconnecting foot trails. These range from 1 to 5 miles (8.0 km) in length, leading to various named individual trees and clusters of particular importance. The area is generally quite sheltered and receives high rainfall, which is one reason why the sequoia attain such size, but these conditions are also ideal for mosquitoes, which are abundant in the forests most of the year. These provide the only real hazard - the paths are generally quite level and well shaded from the sun.
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