Yosemite-Big-Trees In Mariposa Grove
The road is open during the summer and fall months. It is closed when there is snow. When it is closed you may walk the road and enjoy this beautiful place. It is a great snow play area for the kids!
When you get to the end of the road, you will come to a parking lot. From there you can take a tram ride through the grove! You will have a guide tell you all about the history of these Giant Sequoias and Redwoods. Audio headsets are available in several languages if you do not know english. This guided tour is about 1 hour and 15 minutes long. The average height of the large Sequoias is about 275 feet and some have been found to be more than 325 feet high! There is a magnificent smell in the air from these beautiful Sequoias and Rewoods! The outside of these giants are very thick. They are a spongy bark and made with tannin-rich wood. This bark retards forest fires and enables the sequoias to survive most forest fires. The Grizzly Giant is the oldest of the yosemite-big-trees here in this grove. It is estimated to be 2,700 years old! The Grizzly Giant is 224 feet high. Its circumference of its limbs 20 1/2 feet around. The large elbowed branch is 95 feet off the ground! The base of this Grizzly is almost 31 feet across. The top of this tree has been struck several times by lightning. The trunk has been scarred by countless fires...but it still stands! How do you know how the yosemite-big-trees are? When it is cut down (or falls down) we examine the rings. One ring represents one year of growth. These Sequoias and Redwoods run 50 to 60 rings per inch! So, if you count 600 rings on a fallen giant, you will know that it had lived for 600 years! This is also the grove where the famous tunneled Sequoia (drive-though it) is. The drive through giant fell during the heavy snow in the winter of 1968-69. Also in the Mariposa Grove is the California Tunnel Redwood, a still-standing walk-through Redwood near the Grizzly Giant. The hole was originally cut for horses and carriages to pass through. The California Tunnel Redwood is located 0.75 mile from the parking lot. These giant sequoias do not have a deep root system. Their roots go two to six feet under the ground. They can stand with a shallow root system because the roots spread out around the tree more than 150 feet. This gives it stability to hold up the massive trunk. The roots spread out and come to the surface to get water. When one of these giants fall, they do not rot.
There is a gift shop and restrooms located near the parking lot area.
Learn About The History Of Yosemite National Park!
New Zealand is a country that also has 2,000 year old trees. Kauri trees are the forest giants of New Zealand. Walking in the Waitakere Ranges will introduce trees aged 600 to 1000 years. Young compared to the age of 2000 years and more they are known to reach.
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