Tharp's Log, Hollowed sequoia log shelter in Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park, Tulare County, United States

Tharp's Log is a shelter built from a hollowed giant sequoia log in the Giant Forest section of Sequoia National Park. The structure includes windows, a door, and a fireplace installed within the natural tree trunk to create a livable space.

Hale Tharp reached the Placerville goldfields in 1852 but became a cattleman, moved to the Kaweah River area in 1856, and explored the mountains with Potwisha guides. In 1869 he brought a cattle herd into the Giant Forest and used a fallen sequoia, hollowed by fire along 55 of its 70 feet, as a summer ranch cabin. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 8 March 1977.

The name honours Hale Tharp, the cattleman described as the first non-Native American to enter the Giant Forest, who drove a herd there in 1869 and used the fallen trunk as a summer ranch cabin. John Muir called the shelter a "noble den". The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 8 March 1977.

You can reach this location via the Congress Trail in the Giant Forest area of the park, and you should be prepared for seasonal access changes. Weather and snow conditions can significantly affect your visit.

This building is the only surviving pioneer dwelling in the Sierra Nevada constructed directly from a fallen giant sequoia. This resourceful adaptation shows how early settlers creatively used natural materials for shelter.