Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias

Mariposa Grove is the largest of Yosemite’s three giant-sequoia groves, in the park’s southern end, with more than 500 mature trees. All the grove trails begin at the Arrival Area. For a short visit, take the flat, accessible Big Trees Loop; the upper grove is a bigger commitment, but brings a longer walk through the sequoias and a panoramic overlook.

Most visitors park at Welcome Plaza by the South Entrance and take the free seasonal shuttle. The lot has about 300 spaces and can fill by late morning, so aim for an earlier arrival on busy days. There’s no ordinary parking at the grove itself. When the shuttle isn’t running, walk about two miles each way on Washburn Trail or Mariposa Grove Road, with roughly 500 feet of climbing each way. Vehicles displaying a disability placard may drive to the Arrival Area and continue to accessible parking near Grizzly Giant.

Big Trees Loop is a flat, paved-and-boardwalk 0.3-mile loop, usually a 30–45-minute visit and wheelchair accessible. The 2-mile Grizzly Giant Loop climbs about 300 feet and takes roughly 1.5–2 hours; it passes Bachelor and Three Graces, Grizzly Giant, and California Tunnel Tree. The strenuous Guardians Loop is a 6.5-mile round trip through the upper grove, generally a 4–6-hour hike. Wawona Point adds a long climb of about 1,200 feet for a broad view. The longer routes are not the same accessible outing as the lower loop.

Water is available year-round at Welcome Plaza and in summer at the Arrival Area, but nowhere farther into the grove. Restrooms are at the plaza and Arrival Area, with a vault toilet near Grizzly Giant; the cabin restroom is flush in summer and vault in winter. There’s no food service at Welcome Plaza or in the grove; the Depot at the plaza sells books, maps, and gifts. Pets aren’t allowed on the grove road, trails, or shuttle. In winter the road closes to vehicles, but remains open to hikers, skiers, and snowshoers; trails can be snowy or icy.

Galen Clark and Milton Mann are credited with bringing the grove to wider attention in 1857. Clark later wrote newspaper accounts about the trees, counted and measured them, and spent much of his life advocating for Yosemite and protecting its Big Trees. NPS notes that Clark wasn’t the first person to see the grove, but was the first known to count and measure its trees. Ralph Waldo Emerson visited in 1871 with Clark and John Muir and named one sequoia the Samoset Tree. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln signed the law granting Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove to California for public use; the grove became part of Yosemite National Park in 1906.

A 2015–2018 restoration removed roads and parking from sensitive habitat, restored wetlands and water flow, and added natural-surface trails with boardwalks and bridges. A restoration survey counted 5,803 sequoias of all sizes; 81 percent of juvenile trees and 68 percent of saplings were within 100 feet of wetlands. The grove is also habitat for more than 70 wildlife species, including pallid bats, Pacific fishers, and spotted owls; those are part of the ecosystem, not guaranteed sightings.

The lower route passes the Fallen Monarch, Bachelor and Three Graces, Grizzly Giant, and California Tunnel Tree. Bachelor and Three Graces make a distinctive clustered-tree composition; the wide-angle view from Wawona Point is a rewarding goal only if you’re up for the strenuous climb.