Calaveras Giants

Hike Among Giant Sequoia Redwoods in Calaveras Big Trees State Park

07.20.2022

Contending as some of the tallest, mightiest, and most muscular spectacles in the state are the hulking (and beautiful) trees just twenty minutes up the road from the gold country town of Murphys in Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Grab your fleece, a snack, and a bottle of water, then hit the trail for spectacular groves of giant sequoia redwoods.

The most popular trail here is the North Grove, where you can wax wondrous among the trees. To escape the crowded North Grove, go eight miles deeper into the park on Memorial Parkway Road to the South Grove.

It’s a 3.5- to 5-mile round trip (depending on your route; pick up a map on-site in the visitors center or the front building). We recommend a loop hike out to the Agassiz Tree—at 25 feet in diameter and 250 feet tall, it’s the grand giant of these grand giants. 

TIP: There are plenty of fire roads in this park as well, ideal for mountain bikers and dog-walking.

BONUS: For California State Parks Week (June 14 - 18, 2023), Calaveras Big Trees State Park is hosting the Fire and the Forest Community Guided Hike (June 16), among other events.

Calaveras Big Trees State Park is about twenty minutes east of Murphys on Highway 4.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. A man takes a break at a temple spot on a hike at Dragon Mountain in Milptas

    Dragon Quest

    The newly reopened, 4-mile out-and-back hike at Dragon Mountain in Milpitas mixes the physical with the spiritual for a serene hiking experience.

    View
  2. Keough's Hot Springs

    Soaking Up History

    When you slide into the soothing water of Keough’s Hot Springs, you’re bathing in a piece of Owens Valley history.

    View
  3. woman hiking Buck Gulch Falls Novato

    Buck Wild!

    Tucked back beyond the residential ranch-style homes and golf courses of Novato in the North Bay is a wild and wondrous 30-foot waterfall that springs to life in the rainy season. Buck Gulch Falls in Novato’s Ignacio Valley Preserve is in peak flow right now, and it’s a short and Middle-earthy hike to reach it.

    View
  4. Grover Hot Springs

    State Park Soaker

    Set in an alpine meadow at 6,000 feet and surrounded by the 10,000-foot granite peaks of the Sierra, Grover Hot Springs State Park—just outside the town of Markleeville—has its very own hot springs.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. Right now there's a banner and bonus view of a rare lake formation that appears only after big rains.

    View

  2. Hot, Wet, and Wild!

    At Wild Willy’s Hot Springs, you can soak up a primeval landscape that’s amazingly close to Mammoth Lakes and Highway 395—it just feels a few geological epochs away.

    View

  3. It's a Waterfall Life

    Tahquitz Canyon’s crystalline stream and lush stands of desert lavender, honey mesquite, and leafy sycamores is home to an easy day hike with a big bonus: a 60-foot waterfall that runs with remarkable gusto after winter rains.

    View
  4. Redding Ironman Whiskeytown lake
    Sponsored

    New Year, New Goal: IRONMAN 70.3 Northern California

    2026 is off and running! And swimming. And biking. Don't get left behind! Commit to one of the upcoming year’s most exciting endurance events—IRONMAN 70.3 Northern California in Redding.

    View