Travel/POI: Sequoia National Park (紅杉國家公園), California - Tunnel Rock, Hospital Rock, Moro Rock Trail, Hanging Rock

Sequoia National Park is an American national park in California and is notable for its giant sequoia trees. The park was established as America's second national park on September 25, 1890 by President Benjamin Harrison. Created to protect the giant sequoia trees from logging, Sequoia National Park was the first national park formed to protect a living organism: Sequoiadendron giganteum. I am very curious about why the entrance sign to Sequoia National Park uses a Native American image. If you are interested in knowing the answer, you can read this article about Sequoia's Historic Park Entrance Sign. We have visited Sequoia National Park four times, in 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2024. I will be using a mix of photos from these four years in this post. Please note that the Generals Highway closed for public travel between the parks from January 1 to mid-March. It may also close due to the storms. Check the NPS website before you plan your trip. We entered the park through its southern entrance near the town of Three Rivers at Ash Mountain in 2017, 2023 and 2024. We stopped by Foothills Visitor Center first.
紅杉國家公園是位於加州的美國國家公園，以巨大的紅杉樹而聞名。1890 年 9 月 25 日由本傑明·哈里森總統建立公園，成為美國第二個國家公園。紅杉國家公園是為了保護巨杉樹免於砍伐而創建的，是第一個為保護生物(巨杉)而建立的國家公園。我很好奇為什麼紅杉國家公園的入口標示是用個美州原住民的頭像，有興趣想知道答案，可以看看這篇[紅杉歷史公園入口標誌]的文章。我們來這裏造訪過四次，2017，2019, 2023 及 2024. 我將在這篇文章中混合使用這四年的照片。請注意，1 月 1 日至 3 月中旬，將軍 (Generals) 高速公路會關閉公園之間的公共交通，它也可能因暴風雨而關閉，所以在規劃您的旅程之前，請先查看國家公園網站。2017 年和 2023 年，我們從灰山 (Ash Mountain) 三河鎮附近的南入口進入公園。我們先去了山麓 (Foothills) 遊客中心。

From the last two photos (taken on 2017.04.26 and 2023.10.08), you can see river water in 2023 was more rapid than 2017.

After passing the Foothills Visitor Center, driving along the Generals Highway, we arrived at the next viewing point Tunnel Rock. Tunnel Rock, this granite boulder, created a tunnel over the Generals Highway until the road was rerouted. Cars can no longer drive under it.
過了山麓遊客中心後，沿著將軍(Generals)公路行駛，我們到達了下一個觀景點隧道岩 (Tunnel Rock)。隧道岩這塊花崗岩巨石，在將軍公路上形成了一條通道，直到道路改道，汽車現在不能再在它下面行駛穿過。

The next stop is Hospital Rock. This spot along the Kaweah River supports a diverse mix of animals, plants, and trees. The richness of this landscape made it an ideal location for Pah-din, meaning a place to go through, a village that was home to 500 Potwisha Native Americans. In this place, several large granite boulders provided temporary shelter or space for tribal gatherings. Archaeological evidence shows settlement as early as 1350, and bedrock mortar sites and pictographs remain. In 1860, a pioneer Hale Tharp's brother-in-law, John Swanson, sustained an injury to his leg and was transported to the locale where the injury was treated by local Indians. Hale Tharp gave the spot its name after a second similar incident. The English name “Hospital Rock” was first used in 1873 after James Everton recovered from a gunshot wound at the site. Now, Hospital Rock is a public archaeological site with a picnic area and a short trail that leads to a waterfall nearby.
下一站是醫院岩 (Hospital Rock)。卡威河 (Kaweah River) 沿岸的醫院岩地區生長著多種動物、植物和樹木。富饒的田野使其成為 Pah-din 的理想所在地，原住民語言的Pah-din 是“要經過的地方”的意思，這個村莊居住著 500 名 Potwisha 美洲原住民。在這個地方，幾塊巨大的花崗岩巨石為部落聚會提供了臨時庇護所/空間。考古證據顯示早在 1350 年就有人定居在此，基岩研缽遺址和象形文字仍然存在。1860 年拓荒者黑爾·薩普 (Hale Tharp) 的妹夫約翰·斯旺森 (John Swanson) 腿部受傷，被送往給當地的印第安人接受治療。在發生第二次類似事件後，黑爾·薩普給了這個地方這個名字。英文名稱“醫院岩”於 1873 年首次使用，因為當時詹姆斯埃弗頓 (James Everton) 在此從槍傷中康復。現在醫院岩已成為公共的考古遺址，設有野餐區和一條通往附近瀑布的短步道。

Photo Date: 2017.04.26, 2024.09.10 Location: Hospital Rock

Moro Rock, a dome-shaped granite monolith, is located in the center of the park, at the head of Moro Creek, between Giant Forest and Crescent Meadow. The name "Moro Rock" derives from a blue roan mustang of color the Mexicans call moro, owned by one Mr. Swanson of Three Rivers in the 1860s. Because of its prominence with a 6,720-foot peak, Moro Rock can be seen at many spots in the park.
摩洛岩 (Moro Rock) 是一塊圓頂形花崗岩巨石，位於公園中心、在摩洛溪源頭、也就是在巨型森林 (Giant Forest) 和新月草甸 (Crescent Meadow) 之間。「摩洛岩」這個名字來自一匹藍色花毛的野馬 (墨西哥人稱之為摩洛)，它是 1860 年代三河 (Three Rivers) 的斯旺森 (Swanson) 先生所擁有的。由於摩洛岩的山峰高達 6,720 英尺，因此在公園的許多地方都可以看到它。

The next stop Amphitheater Point at 4,390 feet is located between Hospital Rock Picnic Area and the Giant Forest Museum. This viewpoint offers stunning views of Moro Rock and the steep elevation change from the foothills to granite peaks.
下一站露天劇場點 (Amphitheatre Point) 海拔 4,390 英尺，位於醫院岩野餐區和巨型森林博物館之間。從這個觀景點可以欣賞摩洛岩的壯麗景色以及從山麓到花崗岩山峰的陡峭海拔變化。

Photo Date: 2023.10.08 Location: Amphitheater Point
The photo on the left was taken on 2023.10.08. The right one was taken on 2017.04.26. The landscape looked different in different seasons.
These photos were taken on 2017.04.26. It is interesting to see snow still on the top of the mountain in the background but we wore short sleeves.

Hanging Rock trail is a 0.3-mile out-and-back trail near Moro Rock. It is generally considered as a moderately challenging route which is steep but not hard. It offers a nice scenic view looking out into the Kaweah River Valley as well as a view of Moro Rock from the side.
懸岩步道 (Hanging Rock Trail) 是一條靠近摩洛岩步道 (Moro Rock Trail) 來回 0.3 英里長的步道。它通常被認為是一條中等挑戰性的路線，雖然陡峭但並不困難。在此可俯瞰卡威河谷（Kaweah River Valley）的美麗風景，以及從側面欣賞摩洛岩的景色。

Then we came to Moro Rock Trail. This 0.5-mile out-and-back with 183 ft Elevation gain trail is worth exploring. The Moro Rock’s summit offers one of the great views of the southern Sierra. From the top, you’ll see the Great Western Divide peaks, the San Joaquin Valley, and the wilderness of Sequoia National Park. The rock was first climbed by pioneer cattleman Hale Tharp and his family in the 1860s, and they found getting to the top a difficult scramble. After the Giant Forest became a part of Sequoia National Park in 1890, the rock gained attention as a tourist destination. By 1903 the soldiers who looked after the park in those early days had built a wagon road that allowed visitors to get to the northern base of the rock. Ascending the rock, however, still required a risky scramble. Finally, in 1917, a set of wooden steps was built up the narrow ridge that led to the summit. This stairway deteriorated significantly by the late 1920s, and was replaced in 1931 by the present Moro Rock Stairway, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Unlike the earlier stairway, the new stairway adopted a design policy of blending with the natural surfaces to the greatest extent possible. The 797-foot-long stairway was designed by National Park Service landscape architect Merel S. Sager and engineer John Diehl, following natural ledges and crevices. It has 400 steps that lead to the summit of Moro Rock. In 1978, in recognition of its superlative design, the Moro Rock Stairway was added to the National Register of Historic Places as an example of rustic design by the National Park Service. Today (2023), more than ninety years later, Moro Rock remains one of the best-loved features of Sequoia National Park. During summer, free shuttles run to this trailhead. On summer weekends, the road closes to private vehicles, so you'll have to take the shuttle to the trailhead. In winter, ski trails lead to the Moro Rock parking area, but the staircase itself is closed due to hazardous conditions. For more information on shuttles, please visit: Park Shuttles.
然後我們來到了摩洛岩步道。這條來回 0.5 英里有著 183 英尺的海拔增益路線是值得造訪的。摩洛岩的頂峰是南部鋸齒山脊(Sierra)的絕佳景觀之一。從山頂可看到大西分水嶺(Great Western Divide)山峰 、聖華金(San Joaquin)河谷和紅杉國家公園荒無人煙的地區。1860 年代拓荒者牧牛人黑爾·薩普(Hale Tharp)及其家人首次攀登這塊岩石，他們發現登頂很困難。1890 年巨型森林成為紅杉國家公園的一部分後，這塊岩石倍受關注，因為它成為旅遊之地。到 1903 年，早期看守公園的士兵建造了一條馬車路，讓遊客可以到達岩石的北部底部，然而攀登岩石仍是冒險之舉。最後在 1917 年在通往山頂的狹窄山脊上建造了一組木台階，但這木樓梯在 1920 年代末期嚴重損壞，於 1931 年被平民保育團 (Civilian Conservation Corps) 所建造現今的摩洛岩石樓梯取代，與之前的樓梯不同的是新樓梯採取了與自然最大融合的設計策略。這條 797 英尺長的樓梯由國家公園管理局景觀設計師 Merel S. Sager 和工程師 John Diehl 沿著自然壁架和裂縫設計，共有近 400 級階梯通往摩洛岩頂峰。1978 年為了表彰其優秀的設計，國家公園管理局的摩洛岩石階梯被加入到國家歷史名勝名錄中，作為質樸設計的典範。九十多年後的今天 (2023)，摩洛岩仍然是紅杉國家公園最受歡迎的景點之一。夏季期間有免費接駁車開到步道起點。夏季週末道路禁止私家車通行，因此您必須搭乘接駁車到步道起點。冬季有滑雪道到摩洛岩停車場，但樓梯本身因危險而關閉。有關接駁車的更多信息，請查看：接駁車

You can see the smoke far away coming from the controlled burn on 2023.10.08.
Photos above were taken in 2023. I was so impressed by a dad carrying a toddler on his back walking up the stairs to the summit (see the last photo).
Photos below were taken in 2017. The fog came quickly and you can’t see much at the summit.

Flashback 回顧

On June 8, 2019, we first went to Kings Canyon National Park next door and then to Sequoia National Park, so we saw a different entrance sign.
2019 年 6 月 8 日我們先去了隔壁的國王峽谷國家公園，再到紅杉國家公園，所以看到的入口標置也不同。

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References 參考資料

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