Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park

At the southern end of the park near Wawona lies the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoas. This is another excursion out from Yosemite Valley that is well worth the trip indeed. A shuttle bus operates during the summer months looping out from Wawona. You’re strongly advised to use this by all guides, as parking at the grove is very limited and generally discouraged. Once at the Grove many trails criss-cross the site and are really the best way to appreciate the massive trees in all their glory. There’s always the towed trailer for the infirm and chubsters, but do yourself a favour and hit the trails.

Just west of the south entrance of Yosemite is Mariposa Grove. There's a two mile road, which may be closed, depending on the traffic, that leads to the Grove. There are more than 200 Sequioas in the area. The Grizzly Giant, one of the most popular, is over 2,000 years old and is one of the oldest living things on earth. Its slightly younger and less popular than the somewhat famous General Sherman tree located in Sequoia National Park, but its still very impressive.

There are several short trails that wind their way around the area. The trail leads past several of these fallen giants, including the Fallen Monarch and the Wawona Tunnel tree, which was gutted in the 1800s to create a drive through road for horse drawn wagons.

This is one of the most well known portions of Yosemite, probably second in appeal only to Yosemite Valley. Its a fun area to explore and a great place to stop off, especially if you've been driving from the south for a long time. But there are other striking and more unique sites up the road as you head towards Yosemite Valley and Tuolomne.

There are only a few places that giant sequoias grow. If you are near Yosemite, you should definitely take a drive to Mariposa Grove. It is about a 30 minute drive from the valley floor of Yosemite, and contains approx 500 giant sequoias. Easy walking trails, and shade provided by the trees make this an enjoyable few hours. I know this photo can't possibly give you the feeling of the enormous size of these trees, so here are some of the vitals for the Grizzly Giant (biggest sequoia here).

Age: 2,700years
Height: 209 feet
Diameter of First Large Limb: 6.0'

Well, admittedly, my visit to Yosemite was focused on the most visited section of the park, the Valley floor. However, on our second day in the park we made the roughly 35-45 minute drive down toward the Wawona Hotel and the Mariposa Grove. The size of these trees does not translate on film and even in person, it's hard to comprehend the girth of the these giants.

First, a clarification. The giant sequoias that you see here are also know at Sierra redwoods, so the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Giant Sierras are not to be confused with the coastal redwoods of California and can only be found here in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

There are actually three separate groves of giant sequoias in Yosemite. Besides Mariposa, there are also the Merced and Tuolumne groves, but Mariposa is by far the most visited.

Sequoias are the biggest and one of the oldest species of trees. Sequoias can be thousands of years old.

Apart from Sequoia National Park, these trees can also be found in Yosemite NP. Mariposa Grove in the south of Yosemite NP is an area where Sequoias can be found.

Mariposa Grove is especially interesting for those people who want to see Sequoias but just couldn't squeeze in Sequoia National Park in their trip.

The Mariposa Grove is a great place to see the Giant Sequoias. There is a parking area and then a tram that takes you up on a tour. You'll learn about the names, why these trees are so fascinating and stop at the visitor center. You have the option of walking as well.I mapped these trees for a summer and learned so much about them. Most interesting, to me, are the twins and groups of trees that end up growing together. Also, the shallow root system and the tiny cones (please don't take any) The trees also reproduce by being burned, the cones open that way...so it's common to see a lot of the trees with burn scars. This doesn't hurt them, just opens a tunnel in some cases through the bark. These giant trees have were cut down originally because people thought since they were massive, they must be good lumber. Not true--I think some people even tried to make pencils out of them. Anyway, the history of the groves and the trees is very fascinating and you can get the chance to learn all of that on the ride and in the visitor center. It's also interesting to find out why they only grow in these particular areas...they aren't spread out all over the Park.

Grizzly Giant is estimated at 2,700 years of age. Among the huge sequoias of Mariposa Grove, it stands out like a giant. The most distict feature of Grizzly Giant is its huge limbs. Some of its limbs are more than 7 feet in diameter. Just its limbs are thicker than most sequoias in the Grove.

Visit the Mariposa grove which is 36 miles south of the valley. here you can see the giant Sequoia trees in all their glory. These giants of the forest are awesome.
Depending on the time of year you visit there is a trailer ride which will take you from the parking area up the road thru the grove.