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Writer's pictureDan

Battle of the Big Trees: Redwood vs. Sequoia


The big trees are mesmerizing--you've probably seen quite a few trees in your life, and at this point, seeing a forest might not be all that special to you. If you've never seen the massive sequoia or redwoods of California though, I can almost guarantee your first look, and the first time you get to stand at the base of one, will leave you in awe.


I know what you're thinking: "here goes Dan, writing about trees again, ignoring his electric bill and hygiene for the third month straight" and you might not be wrong about some of those things, but--these are the biggest trees on the planet though, which is worth some consideration.

Grove in Sequoia National Park, with Dan for scale.

As you meander up the General’s Highway into Sequoia National Park, you’re going to begin to spot some very enormous trees with some very red (well, more orange actually) bark. Are those redwoods?--the massive trees that are a California staple, served as the backdrop of the Forest Moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi, and even have a mention in Woody Guthrie's song This Land is Your Land? Well, I sure thought they were redwoods; I mean, their bark seemed pretty red to me. Maybe you’re a botanist, or an arborist—wait the internet tells me an arborist is actually a tree surgeon. A quick follow up reveals that the title of arborist actually doubles as tree surgeon and one who studies trees, among other things. So while one arborist shares the same title as another, their jobs might actually be very different. Like the redwood and giant sequoia share a name and some similarities, they’re actually quite different as well.

A quartet of giant sequoia found in Kings Canyon National Park.

So about that name: giant sequoia and coast redwood: I know what you’re thinking--how similar, Dan! Don't click off of this just yet though: I mean their genus names: Sequoia sempervirens (redwood) and Sequoiadenron giganteum (giant sequoia)—yep, they each have sequoia in their name. Thank God they threw giganteum in there, or I wouldn’t stand a chance. They each can have amber-colored bark, stand taller than many other trees, can live for over 2,000 years, are fire-resistant, and are only naturally found in California (and a tiny bit into Oregon for those redwoods).

The redwoods of California's Muir National Monument.

The differences though? Coast redwoods are only found, well, on the coast. Taking advantage of fog rolling in off of the ocean, redwoods can grow to be over 380 feet (115 meters), much higher than the tallest known Sequoia which sits at 311 feet (95 meters). The tallest sequoia is unnamed, while the tallest redwood (because of course you want to know) is 380.1 feet (115.85 meters) and named Hyperion. Where to find it? Redwood National Park of course—except its location is kept secret, for its own good.


Redwoods are taller, but also skinnier than their sequoia cousins.

When it comes to width, the sequoias have the redwoods beat. The General Grant in King’s Canyon National Park comes in at 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter, making it the widest tree in the world. While redwoods are taller, the largest tree by volume record belongs to the General Sherman in Sequoia National Park. Not only is it the largest tree by volume, but it’s the largest living organism on the planet (sorry, blue whales and brontosaurus).

The General Sherman Tree: the largest living thing on the planet.

Long story short, the sequoia and redwood are more like cousins, as opposed to siblings; and listen, this isn’t a boxing match though: both trees are gigantic, and spectacular in their own rights. Maybe you already knew the difference, and this blog was a waste of your time. Maybe you just want to see the trees, and don't car about whether they're related or not--that's fair enough, so get yourself out to the coast or Sierra Nevada mountains and take a look at these big trees. Check out my guides for Sequoia National Park, or Kings Canyon National Park, which are chock full of giant sequoia trees.


Find redwoods in Redwood National and State Parks, Muir National Monument, and the Big Sur Coast, while you'll spot sequoia in Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, and Yosemite National Park, among other places. Happy trekking!

Sequoia cluster in Sequoia National Park.

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