Hiking the Long Meadow Loop Trail in Sequoia National Park
Distance: 2.8 miles / 4.5 km
The Long Meadow Loop Trail is a trail not often hiked by most who visit Sequoia National Park, but this is truly what makes the trail so special when it comes to looking for wildlife in Giant Forest!
With that in mind, I honestly don’t think that Long Meadow Loop is an adventure worth prioritizing if it’s your first time visiting Sequoia National Park, as there are many other must-see trails that come to mind over Long Meadow that should be hiked in order to truly see the Giant Sequoias for which the forest is aptly named.
Nevertheless, the Long Meadow Loop Trail can make for a great early morning or late evening hike if you’re someone interested in seeing/ photographing the wildlife in the park!
Long Meadow Loop Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Long Meadow Loop Trail is located at the Wolverton Trailhead, down the road from the popular General Sherman Tree Trail.
In my experience, the Wolverton Trailhead is more often than not utilized by backcountry hikers rather than day hikers. However, it’s worth noting that Wolverton is one of the largest parking areas in Sequoia National Park, which can make it a great place to leave a car where its easiest and ride the free Sequoia shuttle to other, more popular areas within Giant Forest.
Google Maps Directions: Long Meadow Loop Trailhead (Wolverton)
Hiking Checklist - Sequoia-Kings Canyon
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.
That being said, bear spray is purposefully excluded from this list because, while the Sierra Nevadas are home to a large black bear population, bear spray is not allowed in either Sequoia or Kings Canyon National Park.
Hiking the Long Meadow Loop Trail
The Long Meadow Loop Trail begins on the Lakes Trail for the first 0.1 miles (0.2 km) before splitting off into the trail that circles the meadow.
Lakes-Lodgepole Junction
At this first split, go right to continue on the Lakes Trail, as the trail to the left leads down to the Lodgepole area, along with the General Sherman Tree.
Read My Separate Post: General Sherman Tree Trail
Long Meadow Loop-Lakes Junction
Then, almost immediately after the first junction, the Long Meadow Loop splits away from the Lakes Trail, beginning the roughly 2.1-mile (3.4 km) loop around Long Meadow.
Wolverton Creek
If you choose to hike the Long Meadow Loop early or late in the day, as I recommend to see wildlife, wet areas like Wolverton Creek and others along the meadow can be exceptionally buggy.
In fact, the entire Long Meadow Loop is one of the buggiest hikes in Giant Forest, which is why I recommend carrying this cheap bug net for hikes like this, as it can truly make the trail that much more enjoyable!
A millipede might not be the wildlife encounter that most hikers hope for, but they are quite common throughout the Sierras!
How to See Black Bears When Hiking in the Sierras?
Personally, I find that open areas like this are much easier for spotting Black Bears, as they can be quite easy to miss in denser areas of the forest.
By this, I mean that if you’ve never seen a Black Bear in the forest before, you might be surprised by how small they really are. Bushes only a few feet in height can easily hide them as you walk right by.
Therefore, it’s important not only to look for movement among the trees but also to listen for sounds that are obviously not hikers, such as sticks breaking or heavier-than-normal breathing. I’ve jokingly said that bears sometimes sound like horses in the forest!
While I realize that saying all this isn’t as comprehensive as it could be, I could honestly write an entire article about how to improve your chances of seeing bears in bear country, as I seemingly have no trouble finding them wherever they may be.
This wetter area toward the far side of Long Meadow is a nice sign that the easier side of the loop is about to begin.
For this reason, I like to hike the Long Meadow Loop clockwise, as the eastern half is slightly more tedious to hike than the western half.
Long Meadow Loop-Alta Connector Junction
Other than the intersections near the trailhead in the beginning, the only other junction on the Long Meadow Loop is the short Alta Connector Trail.
Here, go right to continue back to the Wolverton Trailhead. However, I think it’s worth mentioning that the Alta Connector is a great option for those interested in shortening the long hike to Alta Peak, which officially begins much further away at the Giant Forest Museum.
Once the hike breaks out of the forest canopy, it typically gets much easier and less buggy than the sections around the east and south sides of Long Meadow.
Then, just as I thought I wasn’t going to see much in the way of wildlife this hike, I randomly decided to look to my left and saw a beautiful mom and her cub up the slopes above the trail.
They were making no noise, and there was really no reason, other than pure chance, that I decided to look in their direction, which hopefully shows how easy it can be to miss an opportunity like this, as an inconspicuous bear may always be right next to you in Sequoia!
Finally, the end of the Long Meadow Loop reaches a short service road that connects to Wolverton Road shortly after.
Here, go right down the service road, then right again on Wolverton Road to return to the Long Meadow Loop Trailhead.
Sequoia National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
