Notes: In summer 1903, local civic leaders proposed naming this tree to honor then-Captain (later Colonel then Brigadier General) Charles Young, the first acting superintendent of Sequoia National Park. However, Young insisted they name the tree after influential author and educator Booker T. Washington, whom he had met earlier that year, instead. Sometime after Young and his men formally dedicated this giant redwood, the name tag they had attached to the trunk fell off, and the tree faded into obscurity.

In 1999, Floyd Thomas of the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio contacted Sequoia National Park curator Ward Eldredge to seek help relocating the tree. A year later, after park historian William C. Tweed suggested he search along Crescent Meadow Road near Moro Rock, Eldredge finally located the long-forgotten giant redwood using an old photograph.

On August 23, 2003, park officials re-dedicated the tree with a new sign, and, on August 28, 2004, they dedicated another giant redwood, located nearby, as Colonel Young Tree which, on July 28, 2024, was renamed General Young Tree to commemorate the posthumous promotion and legacy of Brigadier General Charles Young.

Booker T. Washington should not be confused with Washington which grows nearby in Giant Forest or with another Washington tree which grows in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park.

Drive: Booker T. Washington is 218 mi (351 km) southeast of San Francisco near Fresno.

Northbound: From U.S. Interstate 5 North, transfer to California State Route 99 North toward Bakersfield. Drive north 97 mi (156 km) on California State Route 99 and transfer to California State Route 198 East toward Visalia. Drive east 57 mi (92 km) on California State Route 198 (Generals Highway), past Four Guardsmen, and turn right onto Crescent Meadow Road.

Southbound: From U.S. Interstate 5 South in Sacramento, transfer to U.S. Highway 50 East toward South Lake Tahoe. Drive east 1.7 mi (2.7 km) on U.S. Highway 50 and transfer to California State Highway 99 South. Near Fresno, transfer to California State Route 180 East. Drive east 56 mi (90 km) on California State Route 180, and turn right onto California State Route 198 West. Drive south 29 mi (47 km) on California State Route 198 (Generals Highway) and turn left onto Crescent Meadow Road.

Drive south 0.7 mi (1.1 km) on Crescent Meadow Road to the parking spot on the right/west side of the road, near 36.55588 -118.77015, located 0.1 mi (0.2 km) north of the Auto Log parking lot. If you see the sign for the Auto Log parking lot, turn around and drive back to the parking spot near Booker T. Washington or park in the Auto Log parking lot and walk north 0.1 mi (0.2 km) on Crescent Meadow Road to Booker T. Washington.

Road Warning: Crescent Meadow Road is open from late May to early November depending on snow levels. During summer (late May to early September) Sequoia Shuttle bus operations, Crescent Meadow Road is closed to private vehicles on weekends and holidays from 9:00 AM through late afternoon. When Crescent Meadow Road is closed, park in the lot near Giant Forest Museum and walk Crescent Meadow Road to Booker T. Washington or take the free Sequoia Shuttle (Gray Route 2) from Giant Forest Museum to the Moro Rock parking lot and hike from there to Booker T. Washington.

Hike: From the parking spot, hike east 70 ft (21 m) to Booker T. Washington.

View Booker T. Washington Tree location in Google Maps

Panoramas: Click panoramas to take a virtual tour of Booker T. Washington Tree

Photos: Pictures of Booker T. Washington Tree taken from different sides