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Sequoia National Park Facts & Worksheets

Sequoia National Park is a forested area in the Sierra Nevada, California USA

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The Sequoia National Park is a forested area in the Sierra Nevada, East-Central California, in the United States of America. It encompasses 629 square miles (1,629 square km), adjacent to another National Park called Kings Canyon National Park.

See the fact file below for more information on Sequoia National Park or alternatively, you can download our 32-page Sequoia National Park worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY

  • The 23rd United States President Benjamin Harrison signed legislation on September 25, 1890, establishing the second national park of America, the Sequoia National Park. The name Sequoia was derived from the giant plant sequoia. Also known as Sequoiadendron giganteum in its scientific name. National Park was added to its name in honor of the acknowledgment of then-President Harrison.
  • The Park was legislated to be a National Park to protect the groves of big trees such as the Giant Sequoia Plant, the most abundant plant in the park.

BACKGROUND

  • The Sequoia National Park is the first national park granted to protect a living organism. Former President Benjamin Harrison signed the legislation of the Sequoia National Park to protect the Giant Sequoia Plants, belonging to the large tree families, from logging.
  • After one week of legislation, the United States Cavalry Troops from the Presidio of San Francisco, along with Colonel Charles Young, who was the first African American military superintendent, were assigned to protect the Sequoia National Park from 1891 through 1913.
  • It is also known as the “Giant Forest.” The park had limited access to the people due to the forest structure. Still, during the leadership of Captain Charles Young, the park became accessible to tourists through the completion of the road in August 1903. Tourists could then access the Giant Forest with wagons. 
  • The Sequoia National Park is the second national park next to Yellowstone National Park. The Sequoia National Park and the Kings Canyon Park are adjacent. The Kings Canyon Park is adjoining the North and North West of the Sequoia National Park, while Mount Whitney, the highest mountain adjacent to 48 states, connects to the eastern boundary of the National Park.
  • In the 32nd United States of America, President Franklin D. Roosevelt legislated another park on August 1, 1890, highlighting the Kings Canyon’s glacial-formed splendor. The park is named the Kings Canyon National Park, administered together with Sequoia National Park after World War II.

LIVING ORGANISMS FOUND IN SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK

Giant Sequoia Plant 

  • The Giant Sequoia Plant, also known as Sierra Redwood and Sequoiadendron giganteum in scientific terms, belongs to the cypress family. 
  • It is a coniferous evergreen tree that is the most gigantic, in volume, of living creatures. It is also the largest bulk tree. 
  • Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), commonly known as Sierra redwood, is a coniferous evergreen tree belonging to the cypress family (Cupressaceae) that is the largest of all trees in bulk and the gigantic living creature by volume.
  • The Giant Sequoia Plant ranges from 900 to 2,600 meters (3,000 to 8,500 feet) in height. The trees are found along the western slopes of Sierra Nevada in California. 
  • The plant Giant Sequoia is believed to be the oldest living creature, but it was later found out that bristlecone pine and clonal king’s holly plant were more aged. The Giant Sequoia Plants are only less than 4,000 years old.
  • The leaves of the Giant Sequoia Plants lie close against the branches and are uniformed scalelike and awl-shaped. The tree’s body looks like a giant rolled cinnamon with its reddish-brown colored bark that is commonly fire-resistant. The tree’s shape is pyramidal, and the cones take about two months to mature. 

The General Sherman Tree

  • The General Sherman Tree is the largest tree in the Park. The German Sherman tree is about 83.8 meters (or 249.7 feet) in height. The diameter of the base of the three is about 11 meters (36 feet) and 5.3 meters in diameter when measured 60 feet above the ground. The tree is believed to be about 2,300 to 2,700 years old. 

Other Living Organisms in the Park

  • Big trees are not the only living organisms in the Park. Small trees can also be found in the park, such as ponderosa pines, sugar pines, white first, and incense cedars. Wildflowers in the meadow and various shrubs can also be seen in the park. Wildlife animals are also inhabitants of the part. Mule Deer, Coyote, Black Bear, squirrels, gray foxes, and various species of snakes. 

PARTS OF A TREE TRUNK

  • Outer Bark – The outermost layer of twigs, trunk, and branches of a tree.
  • Inner Bark – It is located between the outer bark and cambium.
  • Pith – It is found at the center of the trunk in tiny dot spots
  • Cambium – The Cambium is a thin layer of tissue present on the inside of the bark. This tissue consists of growing cells that add a new layer to the tree trunk that creates the ring forms on the trunk.
  • Sapwood or Xylem – It is the layer made up of networks of living cells. Sapwood or Xylem is the younger tissue of the trunk that dies over the years.
  • Heartwood – This is the dead and older xylem which contains oils, sugar, and dyes that are found in the center part of the trunk. Heartwood is darker than the xylem due to its age.

NATIONAL PARKS

  • Formerly known as General Grant National Park, it is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. 
  • The park was greatly expanded and renamed Kings Canyon National  Park on March 4, 1940. It has a rugged glacier-carved valley of more than a mile and a half. It covers about 461,901 acres.
  • Yellowstone National Park was the oldest official national park in the US on March 1, 1872. It is located in the western United States, mainly in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. 
  • The geothermal features and the wildlife are the most attractive in the park. It covers about 3,468.4 square meters. 

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK ATTRACTIONS

Moro Rock

  • Moro Rock is a granite dome rock formation that is famous to hikers in Sequoia National Park. In 1931, the National Park Service constructed a stairway towards the top of the mountain so tourists may hike the top and appreciate the view.

Hospital Rock 

  • The largest quartzite rock in the Park. Archaeological evidence shows an early settlement in 1350 that was inhabited by Potwisha Native Americans. Pictographs and Bedrock mortar can be found in this area. It is now well-known to tourists as a picnic area near a waterfall.

Sequoia National Park Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Sequoia National Park across 32 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Sequoia National Park which is a forested area in the Sierra Nevada.

  • Sequoia National Park Worksheets
  • Sequoia National Park Worksheets
  • Sequoia National Park Worksheets

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  • Sequoia National Park Facts 
  • Where am I?
  • Match my Words
  • Identify my Parts
  • Which President?
  • Fact-Checking
  • Visualize a Tree
  • Who’s that Wildlife
  • Differentiate the Parks
  • Back to History
  • 5 Facts About Me

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Sequoia National Park famous for?

It is the first of its kind to be declared a national park in order to protect the giant Sequoia trees from logging.

What are some fun facts about Sequoia National Park?

The park protects some of the oldest trees in the world as well as two famous rock formations, the Moro Rock and the Hospital Rock.

What other living organisms are found in the Sequoia National Park?

Apart from the giant sequoia trees, the park also has smaller trees like pines and cedars. It also houses a myriad of wildflowers and shrubs and serves as home to various wildlife big and small such as the Black Bear, Coyote, Mule Deer, Gray Fox, Squirrels, and many others.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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