Sequoia Trail of 100 Giants Closed Next Few Months

Visitors to Sequoia National Forest won't be able to hike the Trail of 100 Giants for at least the next few months.
The trail, one of the more popular recreation sites in Sequoia National Forest and the Giant Sequoia National Monument, will be temporarily closed so Forest Service workers can remove damaged and dead trees.
The damaged trees were discovered earlier this spring, when forest officials reopened the area.
Art Gaffrey, the forest's supervisor, said the closures happen periodically at all the Forest Service's recreation sites.
"Every year, before we open an area back up, we go in and check things out," Gaffrey said. "It's part of our yearly safety inspections."
Gaffrey said about 180 trees have been marked as hazardous. None of the marked trees is a sequoia. He also said the affected trees died from various causes, such as drought, bug infestations or old age.
Fires are a concern, but Gaffrey said the main reason for the closure is to clear out unsafe trees for visitors. Gaffrey said it's possible the Forest Service will replace the dead trees with saplings.
It's unknown when the trail will reopen. Gaffrey said the Forest Service is considering reopening portions of the trail if they are deemed safe.
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