Big Trees Loop Trail

Big Trees Loop Trail is a 0.3-mile loop through giant sequoias on flat pavement and boardwalk. Allow 30 to 45 minutes. It’s a good short walk for seeing the lower grove; the Fallen Monarch, a fallen sequoia with an enormous exposed root plate, gives the circuit a clear destination.

The loop starts at Mariposa Grove Arrival Area. Ordinary vehicles can’t drive or park there: park at Welcome Plaza and take the seasonal shuttle. When the shuttle isn’t running, reaching the grove is a separate two-mile walk each way on Washburn Trail or Mariposa Grove Road, with about 500 feet of gain each way. Those miles aren’t part of the loop. Vehicles displaying a disability placard can use designated accessible spaces at the Arrival Area when the road is open.

Stay on the paved and boardwalk path and behind the fencing. The Fallen Monarch’s broad root plate and nearby panels about giant-sequoia life and ecology are the short loop’s main reason to stop. The paved area beside the roots gives you room to see their scale without stepping off the path. The grove holds more than 500 mature giant sequoias; it was protected by the 1864 Yosemite Grant before becoming part of Yosemite National Park in 1906. Restrooms are at the Arrival Area, drinking water there is available in summer only, and there’s no food service in the grove. Pets aren’t allowed anywhere in Mariposa Grove.