Many of us have done it including yours truly. We have tilted our heads back, mouths agape, as we are taking in the massive heights of the skyscraper’s in New York City , Chicago or Dubai.
Yosemite National Park has many opportunities for us to get sore necks as well; El Capitan, Half Dome and Yosemite Falls. These features simply take your breath away with their massive size but Mariposa Grove is another must see, neck bending site near Wawona at the southern entrance to the park.
Mariposa Grove- Image from Sunset.com
Mariposa Grove is the largest grove of giant sequoia trees within Yosemite and site of some of it’s most famous trees including two of the 25 largest trees in the entire world.
The tree named the Grizzly Giant is the oldest tree in the grove, estimated to be about 2400 years old (older by some estimates). It stands 210 feet tall and has a 30 foot diameter at it’s base.
The grove’s Washington Tree is even larger than that. The Wawona Tunnel tree was probably the most famous in the grove because of the tunnel carved through it’s trunk for a road to pass through. Unfortunately the tree fell over in 1969 but the tree remains an attraction. There is still a tunnel through the California tree whose tunnel was carved into the tree in 1895 as a way to attract visitors to the grove.
To get to Mariposa Grove, travel south from Wawona on Wawona road until you reach Mariposa Grove road. There is a parking lot at the end of the road but this can fill up pretty quickly during the summer months. A better option is to take the free shuttle from Wawona which stops at Mariposa Grove often during the day. There are over 500 trees in the 250 acres of the grove so be prepared to walk around, looking up most of the time.
Tags: Mariposa Grove, Redwood Trees, Sequoia Trees, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite sights
