Tunnel Log
I went back up the road some distance from the Tunnel Log with a zoom lens to try and give a sense of the scale of it and its surroundings. I didn't quite succeed with what I wanted from this shot - tomorrow's image will give a better sense of the proportions of the surrounding trees.
The fallen Tunnel Log of Sequoia National Park came into being after an unnamed giant sequoia fell across the Crescent Meadow Road in late 1937 as a result of natural causes. The following summer, a tunnel was cut through the fallen tree as a visitor attraction.
When it fell, the giant sequoia had stood 83.8m tall and had a diameter at its base of 6.4m. The tree's age when it fell has not been determined, but probably exceeded 2,000 years. The tunnel, which remains in use today, is 5.2m wide and 2.4m high, ample for the car in the picture above. There is a bypass for taller vehicles. The tunnel is almost exactly 2,000m above sea level.
Sequoia National Park was established on 25 September 1890. The park is named for its giant sequoias, the famous ones such as the General Sherman Tree, being accessible by road. But what is probably not realised by most visitors is that 84% of Sequoia and the adjacent Kings Canyon National Parks are designated wilderness, accessible only by foot or by horseback. The backcountry includes Mount Whitney (4,421m), the highest point in the lower 48 states.
Tunnel Log
I went back up the road some distance from the Tunnel Log with a zoom lens to try and give a sense of the scale of it and its surroundings. I didn't quite succeed with what I wanted from this shot - tomorrow's image will give a better sense of the proportions of the surrounding trees.
The fallen Tunnel Log of Sequoia National Park came into being after an unnamed giant sequoia fell across the Crescent Meadow Road in late 1937 as a result of natural causes. The following summer, a tunnel was cut through the fallen tree as a visitor attraction.
When it fell, the giant sequoia had stood 83.8m tall and had a diameter at its base of 6.4m. The tree's age when it fell has not been determined, but probably exceeded 2,000 years. The tunnel, which remains in use today, is 5.2m wide and 2.4m high, ample for the car in the picture above. There is a bypass for taller vehicles. The tunnel is almost exactly 2,000m above sea level.
Sequoia National Park was established on 25 September 1890. The park is named for its giant sequoias, the famous ones such as the General Sherman Tree, being accessible by road. But what is probably not realised by most visitors is that 84% of Sequoia and the adjacent Kings Canyon National Parks are designated wilderness, accessible only by foot or by horseback. The backcountry includes Mount Whitney (4,421m), the highest point in the lower 48 states.