Mariposa Grove


Mariposa Grove is a sequoia grove located near Wawona, California, United States, in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of giant sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature examples of the tree. Two of its trees are among the 30 largest giant sequoias in the world. The grove closed on July 6, 2015, for a restoration project and reopened on June 15, 2018.
The Mariposa Grove was first visited by non-natives in 1857 when Galen Clark and Milton Mann found it. They named the grove after Mariposa County, California, where the grove is located.
The giant sequoia named Grizzly Giant is between probably 1900–2400 years old: the oldest tree in the grove. It has a volume of, and is counted as the 25th largest tree in the world. It is tall, and has a heavily buttressed base with a basal circumference of 28 m or a diameter of ; above the buttresses at 2.4 m above ground, the circumference is only 23 m. Grizzly Giant's first branch from the base is 2 m in diameter. Another tree, the Wawona Tree, had a tunnel cut through it in the nineteenth century that was wide enough for horse-drawn carriages and early automobiles to drive through. Weakened by the large opening at its base, the tree fell down in a storm in 1969.
Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on June 30, 1864, ceding Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley to the state of California. Criticism of stewardship over the land led to the state's returning the grove to federal control with the establishment of Yosemite National Park.
The Mariposa Grove Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Noteworthy trees

Some of the trees found in the grove that are worthy of special note are:

Mariposa Grove Museum

The Mariposa Grove Museum, also known as the Mariposa Grove Cabin, is a large cabin that was built in 1930. The cabin sits in the shadow of two prominent giant sequoia trees: General Grant and General Sheridan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The museum features numerous historic photographs and details the history of Mariposa Grove. Restrooms are also available inside.