Visiting the world's tallest tree could land you in jail for six months

The world's tallest tree, according to Guinness World Records is now out of bounds for visitors due to the damage caused by tourists.

So anyone caught attempting to get an up-close look or found near the tree named Hyperion could face up to six months in jail and be hit with a $5,000 (£4,103) fine, California's Redwood National Park confirmed in a statement.

Reaching an impressive height of 380ft (115.92m), the coast redwood is thought to be around 600 and 800 years old.

Although the tree is located off-trail, it didn't stop tourists who battled their way through the dense undergrowth to visit Hyperion - but this has impacted the environment.

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“Hyperion is located off trail through dense vegetation and requires heavy 'bushwhacking' in order to reach the tree," the national park's website reads.

“Despite the difficult journey, increased popularity due to bloggers, travel writers and websites of this off-trail tree has resulted in the devastation of the habitat surrounding Hyperion."

There is also an image that displays the consequences to tourists walking on the tree's base as the caption read: "Visitors stepping on Hyperion has resulted in the degradation of the tree’s base. The area around the tree no longer has ferns due to trampling."

This is a concern since the Redwood roots are "incredibly shallow" so trampling on this area can negatively affect the trees.

While the park says it has also found trash and human waste littered in the direction of Hyperion which threatens the habitat.

"As a visitor, you must decide if you will be part of the preservation of this unique landscape - or will you be part of its destruction?" the park questioned and added there are "hundreds of miles of trails" that offer amazing views of huge redwood trees.

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