Yosemite - Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias — Attraction in Oakhurst

Mariposa Grove is a sequoia grove located near Wawona, California, United States, in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of giant sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature examples of the tree. Two of its trees are among the 30 largest giant sequoias in the world. The grove closed on July 6, 2015, for a restoration project and reopened on June 15, 2018.1]

The Mariposa Grove was first visited by non-natives in 1857 when Galen Clark and Milton Mann found it. They named the grove after Mariposa County, California, where the grove is located.[2]

The giant sequoia named Grizzly Giant is between probably 1900–2400 years old: the oldest tree in the grove.[3] It has a volume of 34,010 cubic feet (963 m3), and is counted as the 25th largest tree in the world. It is 210 feet (64 m) tall, and has a heavily buttressed base with a basal circumference of 28 m (92 ft) or a diameter of 30 feet (9.1 m); above the buttresses at 2.4 m above ground, the circumference is only 23 m. Grizzly Giant's first branch from the base is 2 m (6 ft) in diameter. Another tree, the Wawona Tree, had a tunnel cut through it in the nineteenth century that was wide enough for horse-drawn carriages and early automobiles to drive through. Weakened by the large opening at its base, the tree fell down in a storm in 1969.

Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on June 30, 1864, ceding Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley to the state of California. Criticism of stewardship over the land led to the state's returning the grove to federal control with the establishment of Yosemite National Park.

The Mariposa Grove Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The grove was threatened by the Washburn Fire in...

A definite must-see at Yosemite Park. (Mid-August Trip)We arrived around 15:00 with a private vehicle and paid $35 for a 3-day pass. There was only one car in front of us at the entrance station but it probably was due to the late afternoon arrival. To note: You are not allowed with private vehicles to drive to the trails. They have shuttles for that which run every 15-20mins. When the shuttles aren't running it's a 2mi(3.2km) hike to where the trail begins. Once at the entrance of the trails, we took the easier Grizzly Giant trail since we have 2 children which was about 2mi that brought us directly in front of Grizzly Giant herself and rounded thru the California Tunnel Tree. Then heading back towards the shuttle station. We walked but for families with smaller children and strollers it's more manageable with a durable stroller but a word of caution some areas on the trail are pretty rocky and there's one part where there are big stone steps(approx 10 of them) where strollers won't work (a bit of heavy lifting will be required). That's shortly after the California Tunnel Tree but you can always just turn around from there and retrace back. All in all for a brisk walk you can enjoy a spectacular + breathtaking experience amongst these historic trees with informative placards and stations...

I'm giving it a 4-star not because it's not beautiful but just the park services are not on par with the what should have been doing. From the parking lot down the hill to the the trails for looking at the giant sequoia trees is about a mile up hill! But the park services stopped the shuttle bus saying the road was broken but when we finally walked up there, it's really nothing broken on any part of the road, just a little melting water at the VERY END of the shuttle services :( . A lot people was discouraged by the walk (4 miles at least round trip for looking at some good landmark sequoias) and had to just turn around without being about to see the trees after a long drive to there! Very disappointing park services! Just think about it! Four miles a least you have to walk! It's brutal for park services stopped the shuttle services! However for those who would afford a long walk up the hill, the giants are magnificent! Plus for the hiking lovers it's definitely a must go place in the park. You will love to see the Sequoias! Unfortunately, because of the shuttle stops, we gave up our plan to hike to the very end of the Wawona point and missed the majestic fallen tunnel tree. We were only able to make as far as the Grizzly Giant and the California...