Hiking the Sugar Pine Trail in Sequoia National Park
Distance (One Way): 1.5 miles / 2.4 km
The Sugar Pine Trail, named after the Sugar Pine trees that can drop cones ranging anywhere from 12 - 24 inches (0.3 - 0.6 meters) on average, is an adventure not often experienced by most who visit Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park.
This is because the Sugar Pine Trail isn’t known for its many Sequoia trees or panoramic views. Rather, it’s typically treated as a connector hike between Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow, given that most visitors hike the Sugar Pine Trail to create longer loops in Giant Forest, with the option of riding the free Sequoia shuttle back to the starting trailhead.
Nevertheless, the Sugar Pine Trail is a great, uncrowded Giant Forest adventure—especially for those interested in seeing Bobcat Point, a panoramic viewpoint above the Middle Fork Canyon that few go out of their way to see!
Sugar Pine Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Sugar Pine Trail is located at either the Moro Rock Trailhead or Crescent Meadow, the two trail termini.
That being said, the Moro Rock Trailhead is typically much more difficult to find parking, being that Moro Rock is one of the most popular day hikes in Giant Forest.
Therefore, it may be easiest to park up the road at the Hanging Rock Trailhead or start at Crescent Meadow to avoid an unnecessary walk to the start of the hike.
Google Maps Directions: SP Trailhead (Moro Rock) / SP Trailhead (Crescent Meadow)
Hiking Checklist - Sequoia-Kings Canyon
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.
That being said, bear spray is purposefully excluded from this list because, while the Sierra Nevadas are home to a large black bear population, bear spray is not allowed in either Sequoia or Kings Canyon National Park.
Hiking the Sugar Pine Trail
On this day, I chose to hike the Sugar Pine Trail from west to east, beginning at the joint Sugar Pine-Moro Rock Trailhead.
To the left of the most popular trailhead up Moro Rock, the Sugar Pine Trail begins descending downhill, as it leaves one of the busiest areas in Sequoia National Park behind.
Upon beginning the hike from Moro Rock, the Sugar Pine Trail traverses the steep slopes of the Middle Fork Canyon, offering views that extend far up into the high Sierras on a clear day!
At roughly 0.3 miles (0.5 km), the Sugar Pine Trail passes through the largest Sequoia grove on the entire hike—most of which is located slightly off the trail and unseen by almost all that visit Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park.
After the hidden grove, the Sugar Pine Trail simply traverses in and out of several small drainages as it nears the junction with Bobcat Point.
For exposed trails like this, and many others throughout Sequoia and Kings Canyon, I could not recommend hiking in a hooded sun shirt more in order to stay safe at these upper elevations.
Sugar Pine-Bobcat Point Junction
After roughly 1.0 miles (1.6 km), the Sugar Pine Trail reaches the junction for Bobcat Point.
Here, go left to continue on the Sugar Pine Trail, which is the fastest route to Crescent Meadow, about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) away.
Alternatively, the hike out to the two main viewpoints along the Bobcat Point Trail is absolutely worth going out of the way for, especially if you’re hiking late in the day during golden hour!
Depending on the time of year and time of day you visit, these low-lying areas can be particularly buggy, much like the Long Meadow Trail just north of here.
For this reason, I highly recommend carrying this cheap bug net with you, as it can make an adventure like the Sugar Pine Trail that much more comfortable when the mosquitoes are at their worst!
Crescent Meadow
The end of the Sugar Pine Trail is also the beginning of the world-renowned High Sierra Trail, which extends from here to the Mineral King Loop and on to the summit of Mt. Whitney in Lone Pine, in the eastern Sierra.
On top of this, other amazing day hikes include the Crescent Meadow Loop, the Log Meadow Loop to Tharp’s Log, and the Trail of the Sequoias—all of which branch out from this one trailhead in Giant Forest.
With that in mind, visitors hiking west to east, as I did, have the option to continue hiking further or take the free Sequoia shuttle back to Moro Rock.
To learn more about all of these different trails, I encourage you to check out my separate articles linked below.
Read My Separate Posts: Crescent Meadow Loop / Tharp’s Log / Trail of the Sequoias
Sequoia National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
