What the tallest tree in the world looks like and why it costs 5 thousand dollars to visit it

The coastal sequoia, named after the titan from Greek mythology Hyperion, was recognized as the tallest tree in the world by the Guinness Book of Records. It reaches a height of 116 meters and continues to grow, but it is forbidden to see this natural wonder in person.

Hyperion was discovered in 2006 in Redwood National Park in California. Since then, visitors have been trying to get to it, causing serious environmental damage. Because of this, the park administration decided to introduce harsh penalties: violators can be fined $5,000 or even imprisoned for six months, CNN reports .

In 2006, naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor discovered this giant tree in an isolated part of Redwood Park. They were amazed by its enormous size.

Using a laser rangefinder and fiberglass tape, the researchers measured the height of Hyperion and found that the tree reached 115.55 meters from base to top. However, despite the fact that its age is about 600-800 years, the sequoia continues to grow and now its height exceeds 116 meters.

Hyperion is located in the depths of the park, where there are no trails, but this did not stop adventurers from trying to get to it through dense thickets, causing damage to the environment.

"Despite the difficult path, the popularity of this tree among bloggers, travelers, and websites has led to significant environmental degradation of Hyperion," reads an official statement from Redwood National Park.

"Garbage is being left behind, and people are making extra trails to get to the restrooms. They leave used toilet paper and waste, which causes a lot of damage," the environmentalists added.

The park representatives also pointed out that there is limited mobile communication and GPS signal in this region, which makes it difficult to rescue lost or injured tourists.

In view of these difficulties, it was decided to restrict access to the area around the record tree and impose fines on violators.

In addition to Hyperion, California State Park is home to one of the world's largest trees, Helios, Icarus, and Daedalus. The height of these coastal redwoods is 110, 113 and 114 meters, respectively, according to Wikipedia.

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