Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias Hike Guide

In This Guide	Turn-by-Turn Mariposa Grove Hike Directions & Video Parking, Maps, and Planing Information Tips on What to Expect on the Mariposa Grove Trail
Total Distance	7 miles (11.3 km)
Hike Time	4 Hours (Total)
Difficulty (?)	Moderate
Total Ascent (?)	1,590 feet (485m)
Highest Elevation	6,810 feet (2076m)
Fees & Permits	Park Entry Fee
Dogs Allowed	No
Alerts & Closures (?)	Yosemite National Park
Park Phone	209-372-0200

Nestled in the southern, less-visited part of Yosemite National Park, the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias hike takes you on a tour through a grove of 500 mature Giant Sequoia trees, including some that are 2,000 years old. The Mariposa Grove was first protected by Abraham Lincoln in 1864, added as a National Park in 1906, and in 2019 reopened after an extensive restoration. The 7 mile Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias Trail hits all of the major attractions in the grove. It’s got a little bit of uphill, but in general, is pretty easy and offers great scenery for the effort.

Where is the Mariposa Grove Trail?

Overall Map Mariposa Grove — The Mariposa Grove is in the southern part of Yosemite National Park, along Rt-41, about an hour’s drive from the Yosemite Valley.

Okay, so parking and getting to the trailhead can be tricky, so please read this section carefully.

Your best move, which I highly recommend, is to get to the Mariposa Grove at sunrise and do the hike then. If you arrive before 730am, you can drive right up to the trailhead and park in the small lot there. Use the trailhead address for the Welcome Plaza below, and then go straight up Mariposa Grove Road until you reach the parking area and bathrooms. You’ll beat the crowds and enjoy the grove and Giant Sequoias peacefully.
If you get here after 730am, the park closes the entrance gate to Mariposa Grove Road, and you have to park at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Center (address below). There is a huge parking lot with 300 spaces, but it can still fill up by mid-morning, which gives you an idea of the crowds that will be at the grove. If the lot is full, people come and go all the time, so just wait for a spot to open. From the Welcome Plaza you take a shuttle bus to the trailhead (and back). The buses run every 10-15 minutes.
In the winter Mariposa Grove Road is closed (check current conditions here). You can walk the 2 miles up the road to the grove after parking at the Welcome Plaza.

Use this trailhead address:
Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza, Wawona Road, Yosemite National Park, 95389, CA

Mariposa Grove Trail 6 — Here’s the parking lot at the trailhead. I’m here at sunrise, the only car in the lot on a weekend in July. This is the best time to visit.

Mariposa Grove Trail 3 — If you take the shuttle from the Mariposa Grove Welcome Center, it will drop you off here at the trailhead.

Mariposa Grove Trail 2 — There are bathrooms at the trailhead.

Mariposa Grove Trail 5 — There are water refill stations at the trailhead and at the bathrooms.

Gear for the Hike

I recommend light hiking gear for this hike. Having a backpack and at least 1L of water will make the hike enjoyable. The trail surface is good but can get muddy, so trail runners or hiking shoes are a good move. You can also do this in fitness clothing if you don’t have hiking gear. It’s a longer hike, so take some snacks. The vita at Wawona Point is a great place for a picnic.

The La Sportiva Spire boots feel like comfortable sneakers but offer the protection of hiking boots. They’re great on everything from short hikes to longer hikes of 10+ miles. You don’t want to skimp on your feet.
Reviews & Lowest Prices: Women – Men

I test a lot of gear, and for short to medium day hikes, travel, and everyday use, the Osprey Stratos (men) and Osprey Sirrus (women) are consistently the best. They’re lightweight, hold a hydration bladder to make drinking water easy, have lots of pockets to organize gear, and most importantly, are incredibly comfortable. Check out the reviews; they are impressive.
Reviews & Colors Here: Osprey Stratos (men) and Osprey Sirrus (women)

If you’re not familiar with the Garmin InReach technology, it allows you to send and receive text messages where you don’t have cell phone signals. You can also get weather reports and trigger an SOS to emergency responders. Even if you don’t have an emergency, sending a quick message telling a loved one that you’re okay or are running late is well worth the cost. The Mini fits in your palm and weighs next to nothing. Read my review and see the lowest prices and reviews at REI (or Amazon).

Here’s my complete gear list that I personally use, have tested, and recommend, updated September 2020.

My September 2020 Top Gear Picks

No company pays me to promote or push a product, all the gear you see here is gear I use and recommend. If you click an a link and buy gear, I get a small commission that helps offset website expenses. There is no cost to you.

Mariposa Grove Trail Maps

This hiking guide follows the route of the Mariposa Grove Trail, the longest hike in the grove. The trail has a fair amount of twists and turns, so saving this guide on your phone or printing it out will be helpful. If you have a GPS, I strongly recommend loading my GPX track (below) and bringing it along. It’s good to cross-check your position on the GPS if any part of the trail confuses you.

Download the Hike GPX File View a Printable PDF Hike Map

Your best move to navigate this hike is to take a paper map, compass, and a GPS device. Load the GPX track from this hike onto your GPS to ensure that you’re on the trail. I’m a big fan of GPS watches; I just glance down at it to cross-check my position and use paper when I want a deeper dive. The GPS watch that I’m using now is the Fenix 6 Pro Solar (price: REI or Amazon). It’s pricey but has a great battery, accurate GPS, and tons of other wellness, fitness, and smart-watch applications. For a more affordable option, check out the value-packed Garmin Instinct (price: REI or Amazon), a similar watch without some of the features. There are also great smartphone GPS apps like GaiaGPS. If you end up getting GaiaGPS premium, I’ve arranged for a 20-40% discount for my readers.

Elevation Profile

Mariposa Grove Trail Elevation — The route has ups in downs, but in general, you’ll be climbing until you reach Wawona Point, and then heading back down. The section between the California Tunnel Tree and the Telescope Tree feels most like an uphill, but compared to the other hikes in Yosemite NP, the climbing here is much easier.

3d Map

Quick Hike Brief

Mariposa Grove Trail 12 — Wildlife abounds at the Mariposa Grove but tends to scatter as the crowds come in. Here’s a female mule deer close to the Fallen Monarch tree.

“He is the best mountaineer I ever met, and one of the kindest and most amiable of all my mountain friends.” – John Muir on Galen Clark, First Guardian of the Mariposa Grove

One of the first gringos to show up here in 1857 was Galen Clark. Galen Clark was instrumental in getting the Mariposa Grove protected, and then acted as guardian and tour guide here until his death.
The Mariposa Grove was first protected under the Yosemite Grant Act, signed by Abe Lincoln in 1864 during the Civil War. The first park commissioner was Frederick Law Olmsted who designed New York’s Central Park.
Giant Sequoias are the largest living tree, but not the tallest or oldest. The tallest are the coastal redwoods and the oldest are the ancient bristlecone pines which are a few hours away. The tallest tree in the park is 290 feet and the oldest is 1,800 years old. Still not too shabby.
Cars used to be able to drive through the grove and you can imagine the damage that was done. The grove was closed in 2015 for a massive restoration. The trails you see now were opened in 2018.
Don’t leave the trail, take any cones, or pick any bark off the trees. Help protect this special place.

Mariposa Grove Trail Directions

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