Mariposa Grove

Mariposa Grove is where Yosemite’s giant sequoias show off – and they’ve been doing so for thousands of years. More than 500 of the planet’s largest living things thrive here, with names as memorable as their size: Grizzly Giant, Clothespin Tree, and Fallen Monarch.

Native peoples held the grove in reverence, and it still inspires awe. President Lincoln thought so too – he signed the Yosemite Grant in 1864 to protect Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley, the first federal act to preserve scenic land for public use. In a way, this is where the entire national park idea took root (and what sturdy roots they are).

And oh, what strange and wonderful trees thrive here! Hike to Three Graces, with roots so intertwined that should one tree fall, the other two would topple as well. Apart from the three is a more solitary sequoia dubbed The Bachelor. Next visit Grizzly Giant, grove patriarch, blackened and scarred and estimated to have sprouted 2,700 years ago; it’s likely the oldest sequoia in Mariposa Grove. For most visitors, the famed tree is the official “tourist turnaround.”

But wait, there’s more. Not far from the Grizzly Giant is California Tunnel Tree. No nineteenth century visit was complete without a stage ride through a tree with a tunnel in its midsection. It’s hike-through not drive-through these days. Onward you go down the trail to the Faithful Couple, two large trees fused together for 50 feet or so along their lower trunks, but separated above. Don’t miss the curious Telescope Tree; look up the trunk to see the sky,

Likely you’ll have plenty of company on your walk. The enormous trees – combined with easy access, close proximity to the park’s south entrance, a gift/snack shop, and a narrated open-air tram tour no less – really draw a crowd.

Still, walking among these monarchs feels less like a hike and more like a pilgrimage. Sunlight filters through cinnamon-colored bark, chickarees scold from the branches, and you can almost hear history whisper in the canopy.