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
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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.

Better Than a Selfie Stick
Part of the fun of a hike is taking pictures, and a flexible JOBY smartphone tripod takes it to the next level. You can use it as a selfie stick, as a regular tripod, but more importantly, as a flexible tripod that can attach to tree branches and other objects. It’s not expensive, and it’s something you can use when not hiking too.
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If something goes wrong and you get lost, sprain your ankle, or get delayed, you might be caught out after dark. And one of the top items that search and rescue departments recommend you carry is a light. Now smartphones have lights, but they drain the battery quickly. It’s better to invest in an expensive yet high-quality headlamp like the Black Diamond Astro 250. It takes AAA batteries, can last 200 hours, and has an emergency strobe. Carry it with you off the trail to use in emergencies as well.
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Here’s my complete gear list that I personally use, have tested, and recommend, updated October 2021.

My October 2021 Top Gear Picks

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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.

Explore Map on CalTopo View a Printable PDF Hike Map Download the Hike GPX File

If you try to download the GPX file and your browser adds a “.txt” or “.xml” extension to it, simply rename it as a “.gpx” file.

How Are You Going to Navigate This Hike?
If you are a hardcore hiker and/or hike in extreme conditions, I recommend getting a dedicated GPS like a GPSMAP 66sr or 66i, or a wrist-based GPS with maps like the Garmin Fenix 6. If you only hike in fair weather and a touchscreen is fine, or just want a solid tool, I highly recommend downloading the smartphone app, Gaia GPS. It’s a piece of cake to use and very powerful, just make sure your phone is in airplane mode so the battery doesn’t drain. You can also check for wildfires, weather, snow, and choose from dozens of map types with a premium membership (HikingGuy readers get a big discount here). Note that I also carry a paper map with me in case the phone dies or gets smashed.

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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