Mariposa Grove Trail to Wawona Point

Start at Mariposa Grove Arrival Area & Trailhead. Park at the Welcome Plaza and take the free seasonal shuttle; it generally runs from late April into November when weather and road conditions allow. The lot has about 300 spaces and can fill by late morning. When the shuttle is off, add a 2-mile walk each way on Washburn Trail or Mariposa Grove Road, with about 500 feet of climbing on the approach. The 7-mile trail distance starts at the Arrival Area, so that access walk makes the day about 11 miles. There are no food services at the plaza or in the grove. Water is available at the plaza year-round and at the Arrival Area in summer, but not along the trail. Dogs aren’t allowed on grove roads or trails.

This route follows a broad, relatively smooth way into the upper reaches of the grove. Along the climb you pass the Bachelor and Three Graces, the Faithful Couple, and the Clothespin Tree. The big trees are the reason to linger; the point of continuing past the grove is the overlook at the end. If you want to spend less time hiking, the 2-mile Grizzly Giant Loop is its own route, with the Grizzly Giant and California Tunnel Tree, and about 300 feet of gain.

The 6.5-mile Guardians Loop is a different upper-grove circuit. Its loop visits features such as the fallen Wawona Tunnel Tree, Telescope Tree, and Mariposa Grove Cabin. The Wawona Point hike continues to a separate destination: the historic overlook above the grove. Choose the Guardians Loop for more time among upper-grove landmarks; choose this one if reaching the point is part of the goal.

The trail ends at a panoramic overlook above Wawona Meadow, with forest and distant ridges beyond. The stone wall and pine at the edge make a useful foreground if you want the valley to read clearly in a photo. Take a few minutes here before turning around; the return follows the same corridor through the grove.

People have used this route to reach the grove for generations. The 1864 legislation that protected Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley for public use came before Yosemite National Park was created; the grove became part of the park in 1906. The grove later closed from 2015 until June 2018 while a restoration addressed roads, trails and buildings too close to giant sequoia roots, along with problems in the grove’s water flow.

Giant sequoias can live for more than 2,000 years, and fire is part of how their seedlings get established. Fire clears competing firs and cedars and exposes bare mineral soil where seeds can take root. That history helps explain why caring for the grove means protecting its ecology as well as making the trees accessible to visitors.