Calaveras Big Trees State Park, located about three miles east of Arnold CA on state highway 4 is one of California’s oldest State Parks. The stand of giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) that contains the tree known as “the Discovery Tree” was discovered in 1852. The State Park system was established in 1928 through a bond election, and the Calaveras North Grove was acquired through private donations and funding from the Calaveras Grove Association and the Save-the-Redwoods League and placed under state protection in 1931.
Our campsite was in the North Grove Campground, directly alongside Highway 4. From early morning to late evening, our conversations were punctuated by the roar of passing trucks, trailers, SUVs, motorcycles, and even fire engines. Not my idea of peace and quiet… but in the evenings the traffic died down quickly and by bed time only an occasional car or truck broke the silence.
Campsite
And darkness. Living here in the metropolitan Bay Area, I cannot see many stars because of light pollution. I might be able to see 25-50 first- and second-magnitude stars. And I cannot see the Milky Way under any conditions. From the middle of the marshy meadow in the center of the campground loop, I could see “billions and billions” of stars. The Milky Way was visible in all its glory. It was truly awe inspiring to lay on my back and look up and contemplate the vast distances and unimaginable numbers of stars within my vision.
Equally awesome are the giant sequoia trees, the world’s largest trees. The stump of one tree cut in the ’20s was used as a dance floor for logger’s dances. There were two excellent examples immediately adjacent to our campsite. They were each about 9 feet in diameter and I’d estimate the height as close to 150 feet. There were no branches on the immense trunks until about 45-50 feet from the ground.
Giant Sequoia Trees in Our Campsite
A sequoia stump in our campground had a large and rather unusual fungus growing from its side. There was some evidence of abuse, so I’m not certain this is the original posture/position or if it’s the result of being kicked/stepped on.
Giant Fungus
The underside contained “gills” or “feathers” such as are found on the underside of the cap of domestic mushrooms, so I assume it grew like this. It’s about 8 inches across the longest dimension of the cap, and perhaps 6 or 8 inches from the base of the stem to the frilled edge of the cap.
I saw no other examples of similar fungi during our hikes, but we were on busy trails with lots of people.
We drove through the park to the South Grove, where a larger and more diverse stand of giant sequoia trees exists. This grove wasn’t incorporated into the State Park until 1954. The Oak Hollow Campground, about half way between the North Grove and the South Grove seems much quieter and less busy than the North Grove Campground and my be my destination when I visit this park again.