Full Guide to Hiking Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove

Hiking up to Mariposa Grove with our kids was our favourite thing on our last trip to Yosemite National Park. The Giant Sequoias are amazing!

This Christmas we spent some time in Yosemite National Park. We drove around in Yosemite Valley and visited some beautiful waterfalls, and then on our last day, decided to hike up to the Mariposa Grove to see some of the giant Sequoias.

Mariposa Grove is the biggest sequoia grove in Yosemite, and absolutely amazing place! We have visited there multiple times but this time we also did the hike up there which is considered to a moderate in difficulty.

It was quite a hike, but doable even with the kids, and so worth it! We had so much fun and the grove is just beautiful during the winter. If you don’t mind having little challenges here and there on your hiking trail, I would definitely recommend this hike.

MARIPOSA GROVE

The beautiful Mariposa Grove is a home for over a 500 giant sequoias. The grove was first protected in 1864 when President Lincoln signed legislation to reserve it to public use, resort, and recreation. It was later added in Yosemite National Park in 1906 and has since become one of the most visited spots in the park.

Sequoias are the world’s largest trees and can grow to be over 3,000 years old. They can be found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. At the moment, there are less than 80,000 trees left as they too have been affected by global warming and wild fires.

Sequoias are closely related to Coastal Redwoods also found in California, and in Oregon. While the Sequoias are the largest trees, the Coastal Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world.

Mariposa Grove is located at the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza with a big parking area is actually right after the South Entrance close to Wawona.

From April to the beginning of November, you will be able to hop on a shuttle which will take you from the plaza up to the grove. The rest of the year, you will have to hike all the way up, just like we did.

HIKING TO the MARIPOSA GROVE

Washburn Trail

The Washburn Trail starts from the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza and is two miles each way. So count on hiking at least four miles plus whatever you want to hike within the grove. The elevation gain is about 500 feet, so on the way there you will be hiking uphill.

Hiking conditions will vary depending on the month and time of day. We were there in December, so the trail had both snow and ice, but it was also muddy and wet at times. Snowshoes and skies are allowed on the trail, but for us there was just not enough snow for that. We were not even able to pull our daughter in a sled as we had first planned.

The climb starts by crossing a bridge over a little creek. Then you just follow a well-shaded dirt trail all the way up. There were several fallen tree trunks that we had to climb over or go under along the way, and barely visible icy spots. Some areas had more snow, so good hiking shoes came in handy.

Overall, we thought this was a fun hike. Yes, it was probably a little too long for a five-year old but she made it OK. Our ten-year old however did excellently. If you haven’t been hiking with kids before, you can find some tips from here.

There were plenty of spots to sit and rest along the way, and once you get to the end, then the Mariposa Grove Arrival Area has restrooms and benches. There were also quite a few other hikers on this trail, so you most likely won’t be alone.

Just don’t forget that during the winter months, it gets dark quite early. We returned to our car at dusk and there were still several people heading up with kids even at that time. This would be a tricky trail in the dark, because of all the obstacles and slippery spots, so I would recommend at least bringing a head lamp if you head out late.

Grizzly Giant Loop Trail

Once you reach the grove, there are a few different trails that you can take to see the Sequoias. The shortest and quickest is the Big Trees Loop Trail which is only 0.3 miles (0.4 km) long. This trail had many beautiful trees, but if you want to see the biggest ones in the park, the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail is for you. It forks half-way along the Big Trees Loop Trail.

The signs at the Mariposa Grove Arrival Area indicate that you need two to three hours for Grizzly Giant Loop Trail and that it’s a moderate hike. I’m not sure I totally agree with that.

The trail is two miles (3.2 km) and it was fairly easy terrain even with some snow on the trail. The elevation gain was about 300 feet (91 m). Even with a five year old hiking with us and stopping for pictures here and there, we were not able to spend two hours on this trail. But I guess it depends how leisurely you want to take it. Compared to Washburn Trail this was definitely easy peasy!

The most notable trees are the Bachelor and Three Graces, Grizzly Giant and California Tunnel Tree. It is said that the Bachelor and Three Graces have grown so close together that their roots are interwined. It is likely that if one of them would fall, it would take down others with it.

The Grizzly Giant is the oldest and biggest tree in the Mariposa Grove, and it is estimated to be 2,995 years old. It is simply stunning as it stands alone in the middle of the trail.

The California Tunnel Tree was cut in 1895 to let horse carriages go through it. There was also another tunnel tree in Mariposa Grove called the Wawona Tree, but it fell during a winter storm in 1969.

The Wawona Tree, now known as the Fallen Tunnel Tree can be found at the upper Mariposa area along the Perimeter Trail. In spite of the tunnel cut through it, the California Tunnel Tree is still alive and growing. You can’t drive your car through it like the Chandelier Tree in Leggett, but you can definitely walk through it.

Going back down to the parking lot was faster and much easier than going up to the grove. We enjoyed the time in nature, even though we didn’t really spot any animals this time.

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Yosemite National Park is such a beautiful place and I fully understand why it has become so popular. There is so much to see and hundreds of trails to choose from. Out of all the nine California national parks, it is definitely the most famous. Here are all our tips how you can explore the park and what you should see there:

• Top Yosemite Sights You Can’t Miss on Your First Trip
• Easy hikes to Yosemite’s Waterfalls
• Yosemite National Park – Exploring Tioga Pass

We are not huge fans of crowds and therefore enjoyed this visit during the winter even more than our visits in the summer time. It was also easier to find a place to stay than during the high season. We stayed in Oakhurst in Yosemite Southgate Hotel & Suites, only 30 minutes away from the southern entrance. Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp is also close by.

There are also some guided tours to Yosemite from San Francisco:

Have you visited Yosemite or have you seen Sequoias somewhere else? What was your favourite part of the park?