Grizzly Giant Accessible Trail

This is the out-and-back from the placard-accessible Grizzly Giant parking area to the Grizzly Giant and California Tunnel Tree. The mapped round trip is about 0.32 miles, and 30 to 45 minutes leaves time to look at both trees. A published trail figure gives 0.26 miles; the connected path to the Tunnel Tree measures a little longer, so use the mapped distance for planning. This is the short accessible visit, separate from the 2-mile Grizzly Giant Loop that starts at the Grove Arrival Area.

The compressed-dirt track winds through the sequoias and is relatively flat and wheelchair accessible. It reaches the Grizzly Giant, Yosemite's largest sequoia, then continues to the California Tunnel Tree, where visitors can walk through the opening cut in its trunk. Interpretive panels explain giant sequoia ecology. Mariposa Grove holds more than 500 mature giant sequoias; the 2018 restoration focused on improving access while protecting tree roots and the grove's hydrology.

Driving to the Grizzly Giant lot requires a disability placard, and Mariposa Grove Road is seasonal. Other visitors use the free shuttle from the Welcome Plaza when it is operating. When the road is closed and the shuttle is not running, reaching the Grove Arrival Area adds a 2-mile walk each way and about 500 feet of climbing, followed by any walking within the grove. A vault toilet is near the Grizzly Giant. Water is available at the Welcome Plaza year-round and at the Arrival Area in summer; there is no food service in the grove. Dogs are not allowed on park trails. Bears may be present, so do not approach or feed wildlife and keep food with you or properly stored.