Wawona Tree

Overview

This is the famed tunnel tree of Mariposa Grove—once a living giant sequoia with a man‑made passage cut through its trunk in the 1880s. It toppled during the heavy winter of 1968–69 and was left in place for ecological reasons. Today you’ll see the original tunnel in a massive fallen trunk along the Guardians Loop Trail, a short, satisfying detour while exploring the grove’s big-name trees.

What You’ll See

• A cavern-like tunnel through the downed sequoia—still large enough to walk through and photograph.
• The forest-scale perspective: lying on the ground, the tree’s size is undeniable and makes for memorable context shots with people for scale.
• A living forest around a fallen giant; the log itself continues to provide habitat and nutrients as it decays.

A Bit of History

Tunneling through sequoias was once promoted to lure early tourists. This tree became one of the era’s iconic photo ops before the practice was abandoned because of the damage it caused. The Wawona Tree later fell under a heavy snow load; managers kept it where it landed to let nature take over. It’s now widely referred to as the Fallen Tunnel Tree.

How to Visit

Reach it via Mariposa Grove’s established trails—most visitors fold it into a broader loop of the grove and spend less than an hour here. There are no facilities at the tree itself, so plan to use restrooms and services at the grove’s access points. If you want a walk‑through tunnel tree that’s still standing, the nearby California Tunnel Tree in the same grove scratches that itch. Also in the park, Tuolumne Grove has a historic (dead) standing tunnel tree.

Common Mix-Ups

This is not a drive‑through. Driving through a tree is something you’ll see at Tunnel Log in a different park altogether. In Yosemite today, you cannot drive through any living sequoia.

Wildlife & Ecology

Downed sequoias are anything but dead to the ecosystem. This log hosts insects and small critters and helps new plants establish—worth a slower look if you’re into the details of forest life.

Best Time to Visit

You’ll get the smoothest experience by hitting it earlier or later in the day to sidestep photo queues. Soft, angled light filtering through the grove makes the textures of the bark and tunnel pop. Plan it as a brief stop while doing the Guardians Loop.