Mariposa Grove — Local services in Oakhurst

If you arrive at the Yosemite from highway 41, Mariposa Grove is right behind the park's south entrance.

It has two parking lots: The larger parking lot next to Mariposa Grove Welcome Center, which has very clean bathrooms and other facilities. The small inner parking lot for handicapped visitors. (NOTE: There is a 1.9 mile walk from the larger to the smaller parking lot, which is where the trails start) Due to Covid-19, the shuttle service that takes you between the two is unavailable. If you arrive at the park early (before 7:30AM), the park rangers allow you to drive to the inner parking lot without a handicapped plate.

Once you arrive the inner parking lot, there are four loop trails to choose: Big Trees Loop Trail: an easy 0.3 mile trail to watch giant sequoia trees, like Fallen Monarch Grizzly Giant Loop Trail: a moderate 2 mile trail with 300 feet elevation to see trees like: Bachelor, three Graces, Grizzly Giant, and California Tunnel Tree, etc Mariposa Grove Trail: a 7 miles round trip with 1200 feet elevation to Wawona Point Guardians Loop Trail: a 6.5 miles round trip to the upper portion of the grove

Most visitors take the Big Trees Loop or Grizzly Giant loop. Unless you can save the 3.8 mile round trip between outside and inner parking lot, it might be difficult for most people to attempt the Mariposa Grove or Guardian Loop trails because the whole trip will be 10 to 11 miles.

There is not food service nor working water machines, so be sure to bring your own...

The Mariposa Grove was reopened in the summer of 2018 after several years of restoration works in this area of Yosemite National park. You can now visit the grove, spending time around the giant sequoias that live here. You can easily spend a few hours, a full day or more taking in the trails of the Mariposa Grove.

A new system of transportation is now in place whereby you park at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza 2 miles away from the Grove. Free shuttle service is available, departing every 10 minutes and taking visitors to the Arrival Area at the Lower Grove. From here you can begin hikes that take the Lower and Upper Groves of Mariposa.

During our recent visit in late April, we were able to join a Ranger walk that lasted around 1 hour. The ranger made 8-9 stops along the first stretch of the Grizzly Giant and Lower Mariposa Trails, providing in depth information about the sequoias, the grove and the Yosemite National Park in general. This was highly educational and something we'd really look forward to participating in again.

After the Ranger talk and walk continued along the Grizzly Giant trail which loops back to the Arrival Area. From here there are other short loop hikes you can take or you can wait to board the free shuttle back to the Welcome Plaza where you vehicle is parked.

Note: Visit the Yosemite National Park website for information about the various easy and challenging hikes in the Mariposa Grove as well as times and frequency of the Mariposa...

Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park is a fantastic and free place to visit. Free that is once you have purchased your pass and/or park access reservation.

Only a few minutes drive from the South entrance to Yosemite, Mariposa Grove is serviced by a large carpark and, a free shuttle bus that takes visitors up to the starting point of the Sequoia Trail.

Once off the shuttle bus you are free to roam around a broad selection of long and short walks around the forest. At the bus drop off point there are also public toilets should the need arise.

A trail map is available to enable you to choose your route then off you go.

The giant sequoias are world famous and when in Yosemite, it would be criminal not to come and see these majestical giants of nature.

They really are a sight to see and you are certainly standing in the presence of giants during your time here.

The California Tunnel Tree and the Giant Grizzly are two of the famous sequoias and these are spectacular to see however, as you continue to walk, many more equally wonderful trees present themselves around every corner.

Sadly, fires regularly tear through these woodlands but as tragic as this seems, this is all part of the sequoias life cycle enabling them to keep growing stronger and stronger.

Mariposa Grove is a great place to visit and I would highly recommend you spend some time here...