Notes:  Chief Sequoyah is the 29th largest giant redwood, the 14th largest tree in Sequoia National Park, and the 10th largest tree in Giant Forest. In 1928, Sequoia National Park superintendent Colonel John R. White named the tree to honor Chief Sequoyah of the Cherokee Nation who, in the early 1800s, created the Cherokee alphabet. In July 1931, the Appropriation Committee of the United States Department of the Interior formally dedicated the tree as Chief Sequoyah during a ceremony beside the tree.

Although some claim Austrian botanist Stephan F. L. Endlicher named the giant redwood genus Sequoia (reassigned to Sequoiadendron in 1939) in 1847 to honor Chief Sequoyah, others suspect Endlicher derived the name from the Latin word Sequor (to follow in sequence) because the median number of seeds per cone scale (a characteristic used to classify various conifers) among giant redwoods followed, in sequence, those of other conifer genera.

Drive: Chief Sequoyah 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 58 mi (93 km) on California State Route 198 (Generals Highway), past Four Guardsmen, and turn left into the Pinewood Picnic Area parking lot.

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 28 mi (45 km) on California State Route 198 (Generals Highway) and turn right into the Pinewood Picnic Area parking lot.

Hike: From the parking lot, walk south across California State Route 198 (Generals Highway) to an unpaved road marked Authorized Vehicles Only. Hike south/uphill 0.2 mi (0.3 km) on the unpaved road to the junction with Rimrock Trail. Turn left at the trail junction and hike east 0.7 mi (1.1 km) on Rimrock Trail to Lincoln near the junction with Alta Trail. Turn left at the trail junction and hike northeast 0.3 mi (0.4 km) on Alta Trail, through McKinley trail junction and past McKinley and General Lee, to the second junction with Congress Trail. Turn right at the trail junction and hike east 0.2 mi (0.5 km) on Congress Trail to President which stands beside the trail on your left. From President, hike north/uphill 140 ft (43 m) to Chief Sequoyah.

View Chief Sequoyah Tree location in Google Maps

Panoramas: Click panoramas to take a virtual tour of Chief Sequoyah Tree

Photos: Pictures of Chief Sequoyah Tree taken from different sides