The Mariposa Grove Of Giant Sequoias: Yosemite

 

Dale Matson

Giant Sequoia Center

Hike Route

 

The trail to the grove from the parking lot is 2 miles with 600’ of gain outbound. Total time out for me was 2:37. Just remember, the RT hike is 4, plus the tree viewing miles since the grove is huge.

         Yosemite has two Giant Sequoia groves. One, just above Crane Flat is the Tuolumne Grove and the other is the Mariposa Grove near the South entrance. Take note, the outbound hike at the Tuolumne Grove is downhill One of the first sights I had in Yosemite was the Mariposa Grove when I arrived in 1992. It is actually only about 1.5 hours from my home in Fresno but I have not been there in many years. It was closed in 2015 for restoration which cost 40 million dollars and was the most expensive renovation in Yosemite history.

         I decided to go there today and hiked the trail from the shuttle parking lot. You can also walk up the road (the shuttle busses are not running). I noticed a mountain biker climbing up the road to the grove and this seemed like a good idea for next time. If you are handicapped, you can still drive up the road to a (now) small parking area. I got my first Yosemite coffee cup in the gift shop at the grove which is no longer there. I believe this trail was not there before the restoration. Before the restoration the gate to the grove was closed in winter and I used to ski up there for photos.

I got my day pass (good for a week) for today and drove up. I parked in the shuttle parking area and hiked to the trailhead. I arrived there about 8:30am. As Yosemite trails go this would be considered easy to moderate. There were already folks finishing up as I began my hike. I saw fresh deer track on the trail.

I was impressed with the difference from years ago when I got to the grove. The small statue of the Fischer seemed a little odd and will probably be stolen sooner or later. But…the trees were the same and the light was fairly good for some of my photographs. I used my Sony A7R4 with the Sony 16-35mm GM 2.8 lens exclusively. It is not easy to get a full Giant Sequoia in the frame horizontally even at 16mm. Most of my photographs are thus vertical.

Those who visit Yosemite should make a point of seeing these beautiful huge trees. There is drinking water and bathrooms at the grove and a potty just off the trail about half way.