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All the United States California Three Rivers Tharp’s Log

Tharp’s Log

A 19th-century cabin built into a hollowed-out Sequoia tree.

Three Rivers, California

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cynthiaphung
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Tharp’s Log.   daveynin/cc by 2.0
The part of the cabin made from the Sequoia log.   cynthiaphung / Atlas Obscura User
Tharp’s Log.   cynthiaphung / Atlas Obscura User
  mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
The trail to Tharp’s Log in Crescent Meadows.   cynthiaphung / Atlas Obscura User
The view of meadow and Giant Sequoias from Tharp’s Log.   cynthiaphung / Atlas Obscura User
Tharp’s Log.   cynthiaphung / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This curious cabin is nestled along the Crescent Meadow Trail in Sequoia National Park's Giant Forest. Hale Dixon Tharp, who is considered to be the first non-Native American to enter the Giant Forest, built the structure.

Yokut guides first led Tharp to the Giant Forest in 1858. He established a summer cattle ranch next to a nearby meadow. There, he also transformed a fallen Sequoia tree into a cabin.

Fell used fire to hollow out 55 feet of the 70-f00t-long trunk. He built the front of the cabin into the log, and used the felled tree as part of the structure. The rustic abode even contains a fireplace, a door, and windows. 

Tharp’s Log had been used as a shelter by many early pioneers, including John Muir, America’s most well-known conservationist, who called it a “noble den.” In 1875, Muir stayed at the cabin as he was exploring the forests in his early years. Today, hikers can take a short hike in Crescent Meadow to see this cabin, which still contains an old bed, table, and bench. 

Related Tags

National Parks Architectural Oddities Trees Houses Trails Hiking Architecture Homes Plants

Know Before You Go

You can take a shuttle from the visitor center in Sequoia National Park to the Crescent Meadows. Once there, it is a short one-to-two-mile hike to Tharp's Log.

Community Contributors

Added By

cynthiaphung

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe, mocchiatto

  • Kerry Wolfe
  • mocchiatto

Published

October 3, 2019

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Sources
  • http://famousredwoods.com/tharps_log/
  • https://www.hikespeak.com/trails/crescent-meadow-sequoia/
  • https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7008541/crescent-meadow-tharps-log-trail
Tharp’s Log
Sequoia National Forest
Three Rivers, California, 93271
United States
36.560411, -118.74275
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