MANISTEE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — In the harsh northern Michigan winter, this descendant of the giant stands in a snow-covered meadow overlooking Lake Michigan.
Michigan’s state champion giant sequoia has to be seen to be believed – and that’s even truer when the snowflakes fall around it.
Giant Sequoias at Lake Bluff Farm
It’s 78 years old and thriving at Lake Bluff Farms, 2890 Lake Shore Road in Manistee Township. Planted in 1948, it is the largest known giant sequoia east of the Rockies, standing approximately 116 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter.
Giant Sequoias at Lake Bluff Farm
For those of us who have never seen a giant sequoia or sequoia in person, walking up to this massive tree is a bit of a shock. Even on your second or third viewing, this mammoth will take your breath away with its quiet beauty. The huge trunks are covered with deeply grooved cinnamon-red bark. Its huge branches stretch out in all directions and are covered with blue-green needles.
Giant Sequoias at Lake Bluff Farm
This hardy redwood is one of three surviving redwoods planted in 1948. The other two were nearby and it was easy to recognize their resemblance to the champion. They are each about 100 feet tall. Lake Bluff is also home to 30-foot-tall “little redwoods” and metasequoias.
Related: Three places to see Michigan’s largest dawn redwood, a species once thought extinct
At five feet in diameter, it’s a fraction of the size of a western giant sequoia, but still much larger than most other trees you’re likely to encounter in Michigan.
Giant Sequoias at Lake Bluff Farm
The tree has a sign on it and is protected by a low chain to prevent visitors from touching the trunk.
Michigan’s state champion giant sequoia is an anomaly that has baffled scientists. How or why this tree thrives so far from its habitat is unknown.
The natural range is the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, an area that is much warmer and drier than northern Michigan.
Related: This half-mile snowshoe trail offers dazzling views of Lake Michigan from high cliffs
Giant Sequoias at Lake Bluff Farm
Several years ago, Lake Bluff Farm planted 15 giant sequoia clones donated by the Archangel Ancient Tree Archives. The saplings look lush and leafy, and some are already about 7 feet tall.
One of them is a clone of the Michigan champion. The other is a clone of the Amos Alonzo Stagg tree, located in the Alder Creek Grove of Giant Sequoia National Monument in California; it is the fifth largest tree in the world. There are also several clones of the Cascade Tree, which has the largest trunk of any redwood. It was lost in a wildfire.
Although Manistee’s giant sequoia is the largest east of the Rockies, it is much smaller than California’s giant sequoias, which average 250 to 275 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet in diameter. By age 50, they will be 100 to 150 feet tall.
Jim Cowan, the nonprofit’s president, said cloning Michigan’s champion giant sequoias could allow the trees to be planted around the world. This is important because these trees absorb up to 10 times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than other trees.
Giant Sequoias at Lake Bluff Farm
Related: Northern Michigan’s giant sequoias have to be seen to be believed
Lake Bluff Farm also features a botanical garden, bird watching areas, hiking trails, Lake Michigan access and vacation rentals. It is open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free; donations encouraged.
Lake Bluff Farm is owned and managed by a nonprofit organization. The property is open to the public. It includes two walking trails, an arboretum with about 80 tree species, and a 1936 farmhouse available for short-term rentals. It is also considered a top ten birding destination in the state. A popular attraction at the hotel is the Lake Michigan observation deck.
Giant Sequoias at Lake Bluff Farm
There is a small parking lot on the northwest corner of the hotel and plenty of parking on the other side of Lake Shore Road (follow the signs). The parking lot is not plowed and there are no on-site restrooms during the winter.
After parking, follow signs to Michigan’s Champion Sequoia. It is located in the northeast corner of a field and overlooks the spectacular Lake Michigan.
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