Gav Grayston 
Stepping into this forest and you feel as if you’ve been shrunk.
There are many places to see the giant redwood trees. After driving the Tioga Pass, we stopped off at Tuolumne Meadows, which was broadly on route to where we were heading, Yosemite Valley.
The weeks before our visit the area had been engulfed in a forest fire. Fortunately, this was now over, and Tuolumne Meadows was open again, though the place smelt of burnt wood and evidence of the fire was all around.
This burnt trunk was due to a very recent forest fire.
As we learnt, forest fires are part of the natural cycle within this region, and many of the trees rely on regular fires to keep them healthy. Rangers will even set areas alight as managed fires in order to encorage re-growth.
Hard to get the scale of these Giant Sequoia trees in this photo
The Giant Sequoia trees are immense.
A tunnel through a tree
Gnarly roots on this overturned Sequoia
Despite the recent forest fire, wildlife was still abundant.
Wildlife still abundant. Snapped this surprised deer in the forest.
The chipmunks were great to watch.
Next stop: Yosemite Valley.
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USA West Coast Fly-Drive Series
Why you should do a family road trip
A family road trip is a great way for your kids to see a bit more of the world. Though it's not always easy... Read more >
Booking a Fly-Drive Holiday
Tips on booking a Fly-Drive family holiday. Read more >
Our Route
The route and itinary for our family road trip in the USA. Read more >
Airport Hacks
Airport hotels, airport parking, and flight delays. Read more >
Vegas, Desert, and Mountains
Our first few days saw us acclimatise in Las Vegas, before heading out through the desert and Death Valley, before eventually reaching the Sierra Nevada mountains. Read more >
Mammoth Lakes
We step out of our hotel and are taken by the magnificent beauty of the Sierra Mountains. Read more >
Tioga Pass
The views over the Sierras could have been taken straight out of a copy of National Geographic Read more >
The Giant Redwoods
These trees are immense. You feel as if you have shrunk when walking among them! Read more >
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite is beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. Read more >
Welcome to San Francisco
Arriving in San Francisco was.... interesting Read more >
Alcatraz
A visit to 'The Rock' is a must when visiting San Francisco Read more >
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Gav Grayston Contributor
Father to 3 kids, who loves getting out and about (hiking, running, camping, cycling, canoeing...) Co-founded Get Out With The Kids to help other parents enjoy the outdoors with their family.
Looking forward to hearing about the San Francisco leg of your trip!
Hi Becca – hopefully in a few weeks.
And where did you go after the Giant Redwoods?!!
The fantastic Yosemite Valley…. coming soon!
I would love to see these magnificent giants one day. Thanks for the post.