Hiking Among Giant Sequoias in Mariposa Grove
Located near the southernmost entrance of Yosemite National Park is the Mariposa Grove which is home to more than 500 sequoia trees. The grove contains sequoia trees over 200 feet tall and 90 feet in circumference. We decided to find out what it is like to experience being in the grove with the giant sequoia trees towering above us.
Near the trailhead is the first opportunity to get close views of the sequoias.
A little further distant the full trees can be seen. The nearest people on the walkway are finding interest on the ground.
Like these flowers.
The tree lying on the ground is the Fallen Monarch tree which has been down for centuries. Tannic acid in the wood suppresses the initial growth of fungi and bacteria which greatly slows the decay of the tree.
The roots of sequoias spread out near the surface typically about six feet deep and can fan out more than 150 feet.
The Mariposa Grove was found in 1857 by Galen Clark and Milton Mann who named the grove after Mariposa County, California, where the grove is located. In 1864 President Lincoln signed an Act of Congress which led to the protection of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove.
There are other trees besides sequoias which include Incense Cedar, White Fir, Ponderosa Pine and Sugar Pine some of which are seen here.
Next we come to the Bachelor and Three Graces trees. This is a group of four giant sequoias, three smaller graces growing very close together, with a fourth larger bachelor a little more distant. The roots of all are intertwined but I will leave it to your imagination as to what that might suggest.
Some flowers with a tiny tree background.
The Grizzly Giant is probably the most recognizable and popular sequoia of the Mariposa Grove. Besides being one of the largest trees it is estimated to be 1,800 years old. One of its limbs is 7 feet in diameter which is larger than the trunk of any non-sequoia in the grove.
The tree has a blacked area near its base. Fires have historically burned here once every five to twenty years on average.
More flowers this time blue.
The California Tunnel Tree is the only tree still standing in Yosemite with a tunnel carved through it. This was done in 1895 to allow horse-drawn tourist-bearing stagecoaches to pass through.
One last look up at the giant sequoia trees before we leave.
Our visit to the Mariposa Grove was in June 2019. In January 2021 there was a giant windstorm in Yosemite which toppled 15 of the giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove. While the area reopened the shuttle bus did not run to the Mariposa Grove in 2021 which meant there was a 1.5 mile hike to get to the grove from the parking lot. So if you decide to visit the Mariposa Grove be sure to check what the current access is.
More Information:
U.S. National Park Service information on the Mariposa Grove
Mariposa Grove Wikipedia Article
Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau information on visiting the Mariposa Grove
