Kings Canyon National Park Will Welcome Trekkers to 99th Annual Christmas Tree Trek

As the holiday season approaches, the official Nation's Christmas Tree Trek will take place Dec. 8, 2024.

Woody Smeck, Superintendent for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, center, joined by two park rangers place a memorial wreath at the base of the General Grant Tree in Kings Canyon National Park to observe the 93rd Annual Trek to the Nation s Christmas Tree Ceremony. / Ron Holman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Home to the Nation's Christmas Tree, otherwise known as the General Grant Tree, Kings Canyon National Park will be hosting the 99th annual trek to visit this landmark. On Dec. 8, 2024, entry into Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park will be free in order to celebrate the long-time tradition that honors the Grant Tree.

Every second Sunday of December marks the special day that people from all over the world come together to honor this natural landmark.

The official ceremony of 2024 is set to take place at 2:30 p.m. local time, so trekkers are encouraged to begin their journey 30 minutes prior to the event.

The history behind the Nation's Christmas Tree dates back to the Coolidge administration. On April 28, 1926, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the towering, natural landmark as the Nation's Christmas Tree. Since that day, the magnificent tree has been granted many special designations.

The tree stands 268 feet tall and 107 feet wide, and has remained in its place for millennia. Its lowest branch measures 130 feet above the ground.

30 years after its initial designation, the General Grant Tree was made a National Shrine by Congress in memory of the men and women in the Armed Forces. Nov. 11, 1956 became a special day of remembrance, coinciding with Veteran's Day.

The Christmas tree portion of this tree's history appeared at the same time as the trek, when a young girl conveyed her inner desires that the enormous tree would make a lovely Christmas tree. Two men, R.J. Senior and Charles E. Lee, then decided to make their way to the landmark every winter. With this, the tradition of the Trek to the Tree was born.

After nearly a century, people gather to keep this tradition alive and spend time at this magnificent landmark. The nearest city to the Nation's Christmas Tree was even recognized by the Post Office Department as the Nation’s Christmas Tree City. Sanger, Cali. was forever changed on October 1, 1949.

Sanger's Christmas Festival Celebration always ends with this trek and tribute. Standing in awe of what nature can produce has become a staple in Sanger's community, and the same sentiment has slowly made its way across the United States.

The National Park Service adds something special to the ceremony; displaying a wreath at the base of the tree each year.

A full history of the redwood can be found, here.