Notes: The Four Guardsmen, also known as the Four Guardians and the Gateway Group, is a colonnade of four giant redwoods which spans California State Route 198 (Generals Highway) near the southern edge of Giant Forest. As the first group of giant redwoods visible to motorists driving north on Generals Highway from the Sequoia National Park entrance station, the Four Guardsmen form a striking, natural gateway to Giant Forest. George Welsh named the trees in 1919 while surveying the route for Generals Highway.

The original two-way, single-lane Generals Highway passed between the two lowest/westernmost trees. In 1939, after the narrow passage had become a traffic bottleneck, engineers added another lane between the two middle trees and split the highway near the Four Guardsmen into two one-way lanes to ease congestion.

The Four Guardsmen should not be confused with another Four Guardsmen group in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park.

Drive: The Four Guardsmen are 217 mi (349 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 55 mi (88 km) on California State Route 198 (Generals Highway), past the Sequoia National Park entrance station (entrance fee required), to Four Guardsmen.

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, past the Kings Canyon National Park entrance station (entrance fee required), and turn right onto California State Route 198 West. Drive south 31 mi (50 km) on California State Route 198 (Generals Highway) to Four Guardsmen.

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Photos: Pictures of Four Guardsmen Trees