Sight · Yosemite National Park
The quiet sequoia grove saves its climb for the way back.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
“Merced Grove's trailhead is ahead, for a walk to the smallest and most secluded of Yosemite's three sequoia groves. About twenty mature giants stand down in the forest, beyond sight of the parking area.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yosemite National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yosemite audio tourRecorded for this place
Merced Grove“Merced Grove's trailhead is ahead, for a walk to the smallest and most secluded of Yosemite's three sequoia groves. About twenty mature giants stand down in the forest, beyond sight of the parking area.”
Plays as you drive up to Merced Grove in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“We just drove through Yosemite and it made our trip listening to this app as we drove through. Like having a tour guide in the car with you.”
Guide
Merced Grove is the smallest of Yosemite’s three giant sequoia groves, with about 20 mature trees in a tucked-away stand. It’s a good choice if you want to walk among the trunks; this is a hike-in stop, not a roadside look. There are no sequoias visible from the parking area.
The trail is 3 miles round trip, with an NPS estimate of 1.5 to 3 hours. It follows an old road downhill into the grove, then climbs 520 feet on the return. Visitors often find that uphill stretch the hard part, so leave enough energy for it. There’s a vault toilet by the trailhead parking, but no drinking water there or in the grove. Fill up before setting out; pets and bicycles aren’t allowed on the trail.
Once you reach the grove, you can walk among its mature sequoias. For a photo that shows their scale, include the lower trunk and a person standing nearby if you have someone with you.
An old ranger patrol cabin is part of the grove. Park superintendents also used it as a summer retreat; no construction date is documented in the sources reviewed.
Dogwoods bloom here in spring. After heavy snowfall, the Crane Flat area trails can be used on skis or snowshoes, but they’re ungroomed and snow can be icy, crusted or deep.
Wildlife
732 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,747 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
332 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
276 sightingsPikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
677 sightingsYellow-bellied MarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yosemite. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateMerced Grove Trail3 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.8 mi awayA secluded sequoia grove rewards the steep uphill return.
ModerateTuolumne Grove Trail2.5 mi · 2 hr · 2 mi awayThe walk-through Dead Giant makes the steep return worthwhile.
EasyCrane Flat Lookout Trail3 mi · 1.5 hr · 2 mi awayA steady climb to a 1931 fire lookout with wide views.
EasyCarlon Falls Trail2.9 mi · 1.5 hr · 4.5 mi awayA shady river walk ends at a cascade tucked in the forest.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayCrane Flat Fire LookoutA 1931 fire tower and broad views, with a working helibase nearby.
Campground · 2.2 mi awayCrane Flat CampgroundForest camping near Yosemite Valley and two giant sequoia groves.
Sight · 2.2 mi awayTuolumne GroveTwo dozen sequoias are worth the 500-foot climb back.
Gas station · 2.4 mi awayCrane Flat Gas StationFuel, groceries and a useful break at Yosemite's northern road junction.
Campground · 3.7 mi awayHodgdon Meadow CampgroundA west-side base, with Yosemite Valley about 45 minutes away.
Visitor center · 3.9 mi awayBig Oak Flat Information StationGet wilderness permits, maps and useful advice before heading deeper.
Entrance station · 3.9 mi awayBig Oak Flat EntranceThe park’s colorful sign is just beyond the Highway 120 fee booths.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
