Dorst Creek Campground
By Mariah
The 22 miles of winding roads made the kids and the dog car sick, but it was worth it, the Sequoia’s are amazing, giant and ancient. We settled into our site, #210 at Dorst Creek Campground which is just 5 miles Northwest of Lodgepole Village, I definitely prefer Dorst over Lodgepole, Dorst Creek Campground is isolated, untouched and backs right up to the national forest. Lodgepole was a bit crowded with their store and souvenir shop, plus it didn’t offer as many trees or natural beauty that Dorst Creek did. Our site was especially isolated as we were at the end of a loop with no one beside us. Upon arrival we were warned of bears and told to keep everything in the bear lockers provided, they weren’t kidding we saw bears every night! The kids were thrilled to see the bears in their natural habitat, some of the other campers were afraid and freaking out. It was a little annoying to hear the screaming when the bears showed up. A lot of people complained about the bears, but we enjoyed them, however, you really can’t keep anything in your car, several cars were broken into by the bears because they left food, lotion, or other toiletries in their vehicles. MY thought is if you don’t feel like seeing bears and you are afraid why go camping? Why not stay in the Hyatt and get room service instead? It’s camping, it’s natural and we are the ones invading the bear’s territory so be considerate, keep your food locked away and let the bears have the right of way and everything will be fine.
The Sequoia National Forest has tons of little creeks and rivers to play in, the water is freezing so a quick dip is all I ventured to do, the kids played in them all day though. They are not marked with signs; we just parked and hiked down. Dorst Creek campground doesn’t have a shower, so this was our way of bathing. Dorst Creek Campground has restrooms, but no lights so make sure to bring a flashlight! The temperature in the Sequoias can change rapidly so be sure to dress in layers, even in the middle of the summer I found myself freezing one minute and hot the next. The campsites are spacious, the people friendly, stars were abundant, and most of all it was clean and natural. Plan on having at least a week to enjoy the splendor of this land, this is a trip I will definitely do again
Highlights-
General Sherman tree- We were there during the summer and it was a little crowded, but worth it. This tree and others are ancient, they have seen civilization come and go, they have survived fires, and drought and still they continue to thrive. Standing at the bottom of the tree is humbling, it really makes you wonder, and I found myself wondering of all the Indians that used that tree as shelter, wondering how a tiny seed can produce such massiveness. It is said that the diameter of the General Sherman is as large as a common city street, below are the statistics, but you have to see it for yourself!!
Estimated age: 2300-2700 years
Height Above Base: 274.9 ft
Maximum Diameter at Base: 30.5 ft
Height of First Large Branch: 130 ft
Diameter of Largest Branch: 6.5 ft
Volume of Trunk: 52,500 cubic feet
Location Map
Hiking-
Crescent Meadow Trail led us on a simple hike to Hale Tharp’s Tree house. Hale Tharp is known as the first non Native American to settle in the area, he built a house out of a fallen tree and it was adorable. It was a little crowded on the trail; nevertheless, the children loved it. I enjoyed the Crescent Meadow and its vibrant colors, vivid, crisp green grass dotted with bright red flowers and gentle yellow daises, it truly was a beautiful place. On the way to the Crescent Meadow Trail we drove on top of a fallen tree and through a fallen tree that has been turned into a tunnel, the kids found this amusing.
The John Muir Trail is more than 200 miles long, it runs through three national parks; Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park it runs in conjunction with the Pacific Crest Trail. Since I was with the kids, we didn’t hike too far, but it was amazing, the sunlight trickled through the trees casting shadows that danced in the wind. We didn’t see a single person along our hike which was shaded and quiet; all of a sudden we came to a clearing with a group of trees that were in a circle it seemed as though they were holding hands, this was quite a sight and again I was humbled by the beauty and enormousness of the trees.
