Frequently Asked Questions About Yosemite

GIANT SEQUOIAS

Where are the giant sequoias ("redwoods"/"big trees")?
What's the difference between a giant sequoia and a redwood?
Where is the famous Wawona Tunnel Tree ("drive-through tree")?

Where are the giant sequoias ("redwoods"/"big trees")?
The Mariposa Grove is near the South Entrance on the Wawona Road (Hwy 41). Visitors can drive to the grove when the Mariposa Grove Road is open (summer through fall). During busy summer months, visitors are encouraged to park at the Wawona Store and ride the free shuttle bus to the Mariposa Grove. In winter and early spring, the Mariposa Grove Road is closed and visitors must park at the South Entrance and walk 4 miles (roundtrip) to and from the grove. During summer, the Mariposa Grove Museum is open in the Upper Grove. Trailers and buses over 40 feet are not allowed at any time. Motor homes over 23 feet are not allowed between 9 am and 6 pm (during the hours of the free shuttle).

The Tuolumne Grove is near Crane Flat on the old Big Oak Flat Road (Hwy 120 West). To access the grove, park in the Tuolumne Grove Parking Area, located on the Tioga Road (Hwy 120 East), 1 mile east of Crane Flat. Then walk 2 miles roundtrip into the grove (600-foot elevation change).

The Merced Grove is west of Crane Flat on the Big Oak Flat Road (Hwy 120 West). To access the grove, park at the Merced Grove Trailhead and walk 4 miles roundtrip into the grove.

What's the difference between a giant sequoia and a redwood?
Both trees are in the same tree family and closely related. However, they are different species: giant sequoia (sequoiadendron gigantea) and coast redwood (sequoia semprevirens). The coast redwood is the world's tallest tree, attaining heights of 365 feet. In terms of total volume of wood, the giant sequoia is the world's largest tree. The giant sequoia is also one of the fastest growing and oldest trees - some are around 3,000 years old.

Location: Giant sequoias are found in a 250-mile belt between Placer and Tulare Counties on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Coast redwoods are found along a 500-mile belt stretching from southwest Oregon to Monterey County, California and from 10-30 miles inland on the fog-covered side of the Coast Range. There is one coast redwood in the Indian Village which makes a great teaching tool.

Elevation: Giant sequoias range from 5,000 to 7,000 feet. Coast redwoods range from sea level to 2,500 feet.

Bark: The bark of coast redwoods is 8-12 inches thick; not as deeply fissured as giant sequoias; bark is reddish colored. The bark of giant sequoias is up to 2 feet thick, deeply fissured, more reddish than coast redwoods. Both are fire resistant.

Size/Growth: Coast redwoods include the tallest tree in the world; they primarily reproduce through stump sprouting. The sequoia is the largest tree in the world by volume; it reproduces only from seed germination aided by a forest floor prepared for new sequoia growth by fire.

Where is the famous Wawona Tunnel Tree ("drive-through tree")?
The most famous tunnel ("drive-through") tree is the Wawona Tunnel Tree in the Mariposa Grove. It fell during the heavy snow winter of 1968-69 because it was weakened by the huge hole cut in the living tree and the extensive road paving over its fragile roots.

Also in the Mariposa Grove is the California Tunnel Tree, a still-standing walk-through tree near the Grizzly Giant. The hole was originally cut for horses and carriages to pass through. The California Tunnel Tree is located 0.75 mile from the parking lot.

There is also the stump of a large tunnel tree in the Tuolumne Grove. This tree was already dead when the tunnel was cut through it. The grove is not open to vehicles. It is one mile from the trail head.