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Snow Tree
Cloaked in the snows of California’s Sierra Nevada, the 3,200-year-old giant sequoia called the President rises 247 feet. Two other sequoias have wider trunks, but none has a larger crown, say the scientists who climbed it. The figure at top seems taller than the other climbers because he’s standing forward on one of the great limbs.
Michael Nichols, NGM Staff. Mosaic composed of 126 images
Compositing: Ken Geiger, NGM Staff
Climbing team: Jim Campbell Spickler, Giacomo Renzullo, Cameron Williams, Nolan Bowman
Technical team: Nathan Williamson; Marty Reed, Humboldt State University (HSU)
Science: Steve Sillett, HSU

Order large-format prints of this photo at NationalGeographicArt.com.
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Highlights
A tree-climbing scientist and his team have learned surprising new facts about giant sequoias by measuring them inch by inch. Read the magazine cover story.
Enjoy photographer Michael Nichols’s moody views of the General, one of the world’s largest trees.
Photographer David Liittschwager provides a glimpse of the diverse species that call a giant sequoia home in this interactive gallery.
A 1917 photo shows a camping party using a fallen sequoia as a picnic spot and parking space.
Explorer Mike Fay took an 1,800-mile hike through the redwood forest, seeking its salvation. Read the October 2009 magazine story.
Time yourself as you piece together this photo puzzle of a 300-foot California redwood.
Read National Geographic's first coverage of redwoods from the May 1899 magazine issue.