Deer Creek Grove is a small giant sequoia grove located in the Deer Creek watershed of the Giant Sequoia National Monument in the western Sierra Nevada of California, near the end of a steep 0.8 mi (1.3 km) trail south from the end of Deer Creek Mill Road. It is the southernmost giant sequoia grove, about halfway up a pine-covered mountain that rises above a valley of grassy foothills and containing a scattering of old-growth giant sequoias on a sheltered east-facing slope.[1]

Deer Creek Grove
Map showing the location of Deer Creek Grove
Map showing the location of Deer Creek Grove
Geography
LocationTulare County, California, United States
Coordinates35°52′19″N 118°36′12″W / 35.87194°N 118.60333°W / 35.87194; -118.60333 (Deer Creek Grove)
Elevation5,900 ft (1,800 m)
Ecology
Dominant tree speciesSequoiadendron giganteum

While the present day distribution of this species is limited to a small area of California, it was once much more widely distributed in prehistoric times, and was a reasonably common species in North American and Eurasian coniferous forests until its range was greatly reduced by the last ice age.[2]

Over half the grove burned in the Windy Fire in 2021.[3]

Noteworthy trees

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  • Wishbone Tree - a giant sequoia featuring a hole big enough to ride a horse through. The hole was formed by an intense wildfire sometime in the distant past.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Deer Creek Grove". www.redwoodhikes.com. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
  2. ^ James E Eckenwalder. Conifers of the World, The Complete Reference. p 586. Timber Press 2009. ISBN 9780881929744
  3. ^ Alonzo, Denise (November 3, 2021). "Sequoia grove damage assessments continue". U.S. Forest Service. Archived from the original on 2021-11-08.
  4. ^ "Sequoia National Forest - Special Places". Sequoia National Forest. Archived from the original on 2014-07-24. Retrieved 27 November 2019.