Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California.

The Needles are a series of granite spires atop a narrow ridge above the Kern River.

The northern section surrounds General Grant Grove and other parts of Kings Canyon National Park and is administered by the Hume Lake Ranger District.

The southern section is directly south of Sequoia National Park and is administered by the Western Divide Ranger District, surrounding the eastern half of the Tule River Indian Reservation.

The McIntrye Grove, a short distance to the south from Cedar Slope, was heavily damaged.

[17] Satellite image analysis showed that 50% of that area was burned at moderate or high intensity: over 1,000 giant sequoia were estimated to be destroyed in the forest.

The forest has been the scene of extensive illegal marijuana cultivation with the involvement of Mexican drug cartels.

The USAF established restricted airspace and armed guards prohibited entry, including firefighters, and a helicopter gunship circled the site.