The Congress Trail — Attraction in Exeter

The Congress Trail is one of the connecting paths through the Giant Forest that starts near the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park. The trail is just under 3 miles in length and mostly paved through mostly barren forest with a few streams and lots of sequoia trees to see.

We visited in April 2019 while the trail was mostly under snow, making it challenging at times to remain on the trail. Stick to the beaten paths made by previous hikers, from time to time you see asphalt so you know you are on the right path.

During the hike, you pass what seems like hundreds of giant sequoias and plenty of lovely scenery. Some famous trees are seen along the trail including the McKinley, General Lee, President as well as the clusters of sequoias like The House and Senate groups.

In the end, we really enjoyed the Congress Trail and seeing the sequoias in the area. Would happily repeat this hike the next time we're in the...

The Congress Trail is one of the most-visited paved trail in Sequoia National as it has many big sequoias in such a short distance. It is also wheel-chair accessible. At the trail you can see the World's Largest Tree- "General Sherman Tree".

We did not do the whole 3 mile loop trail, we only covered the Sequoia Tunnel and the General Sherman Tree.

There is a parking lot and also running shuttle (during shuttle season only) to reach at the trailhead. The only hiccup was the wait for the return shuttle, which took about 20-30 minutes. Since one shuttle couldn't accommodate everyone, we had to wait for another.

Despite this minor inconvenience, the experience was unforgettable. Don't miss the chance to witness this...

We visited in 7/11/21 around 10am and the park was super hot at ~100 degrees during the day.

For reference in my party is just my husband and I, we are from Florida. He is 200 lbs, 6ft tall, not active, no health issues. I am 114lbs, 4’11 ft tall, moderately active, no health issues. I also carried a backpack weighing ~5lbs and the walk was really challenging for me. I think it was the heat and altitude that was wearing me out.

If you are coming from Salinas the parking lot you will see to the right is just for disabled parking. The public parking lot is half a mile down to the right side which will take you to the General Sherman and Congress Trails.

This was definitely worth the hike...