Packing for Adventure

Every Sequoia tree is special in its own way, and we felt drawn to seeing as many as possible, especially those of renown.

Since we had already seen many of the 10 largest, we wanted to see more. Some of the trees were not located conveniently enough, but Boole Tree is. It’s just outside of the National Park boundary and pretty close to Kings Canyon National Park.

This was our biggest “adventure” of the day, if your definition of adventure includes getting lost, running into a random herd of cows, and getting up close and personal with the Boole Tree, the 6th largest tree in the world. That said, see if you can learn from our mistakes!

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Don’t follow Google Maps to get there

We had downloaded an offline map of the whole Kings/Sequoia area off Google Maps. Even with that, Google Maps tries to take you to the Chicago Stump, and then it takes you in a maze of really rough terrain and wants you to backtrack and take roads that aren’t really there. There appears to be active tree logging in this area, so some of the roads it suggests are blocked by recently logged trees.

INSTEAD- follow the map provided by the National Park. Don’t turn down an off road unless you see the sign that gives arrows to Converse Basin, Stump Meadow, and Boole Tree Trail.

Have 4WD or at least high clearance

We had read reviews saying that you need 4WD to get to the trail, and we drove a Chevy Silverado. The trail Google Maps took us to where we got lost for a good half hour was ROUGH terrain and we were glad to have the truck. Once we found the right road we were surprised by the reviews about the rough terrain as it seemed pretty clear. However the last 0.8 miles or so to the trailhead is bad and you need good clearance to get through.

If you don’t have a car that can handle it but want to see Boole Tree, you could walk that last bit to the trailhead, which would make the total hike 3.6 – 4.1 miles instead of 2-2.5 (we did the two mile out and back instead of the whole 2.5 loop).

Wear SHOES, not Flip Flops

I often wear my trusty Croc flip flops on short easy hikes- they have good traction and are comfortable and I don’t get blisters or get too hot. I wore them here, but there were muddy spots and I was unable to avoid one of them, so the remainder of my hike was sludgy and slippery.

Chris, however, also wore flip flops and managed to stay dry the whole time.

*The trail to the Boole Tree is NOT Croc Flop approved!*

Wear PANTS, not shorts

There were lots of sharp brambles we passed through and I wished I wasn’t wearing shorts.

Pros & Cons of Visiting the Boole Tree

PROS:

• The Boole Tree itself is spectacular!
• You can touch the tree, and even go inside of it! There are a few “rooms,” though I only entered one of them.
• We had the whole tree to ourselves! We didn’t see a single soul until we were close to our truck on the way back.

CONS:

• It was difficult to get to.
• It was muddy in parts.
• The trail leading up to the tree is not particularly beautiful until the final descent.

Overall, I’m very glad we did this hike and spent time with the Boole Tree. It took us a little over an hour to get there and back from the parking lot. There’s an outhouse available if needed. The hike was rated as moderately difficult, which I didn’t believe when we started. But it is steep and muddy, and we ended the adventure dirtier and bloodier than we’d started. But the payoff was worth it: quiet and peaceful time spent with an ancient giant.

If we ever get the opportunity to go again, we’ll gladly take it and be much better prepared!

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