Sentinel, Giant sequoia at Giant Forest Museum Plaza, Sequoia National Park, US

Sentinel is a giant sequoia in the Giant Forest Grove of Sequoia National Park, California, standing directly in front of the Giant Forest Museum. It has a full canopy and two prominent burn scars at the base of its trunk, and its calculated volume ranks it as the 43rd largest giant sequoia in the world.

The Sentinel grew for centuries inside the Giant Forest before the area was set aside as a national park in 1890. That moment marked one of the first times the US government moved to protect a forest on this scale.

The tree stands directly in front of the Giant Forest Museum, so its trunk frames the building's entrance. The museum explains the Giant Forest's giant sequoias, and the Sentinel itself serves as an outdoor landmark for visitors arriving at the exhibits.

The Sentinel is reached by paved, flat paths that are accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. It sits just outside the Giant Forest Museum, so it is a natural first stop when visiting that part of the park.

A ruler is embedded directly into the pavement of the plaza, showing the exact width of the trunk at ground level. Visitors can stand next to the markings and compare their own height or arm span to the tree's actual size.