Headed up to stay in the Valley on Tuesday from SoCal and wanted to know if it's a good idea to take the 41 and hit up the Mariposa grove on the way in since now it looks like roads are clear (I have AWD SUV and chains if need be). Or is it not worth the hassle? Thanks!
Haven't been able to find a project site/status tracker for the Mariposa grove Big Trees Trail. Is the damage from January 2021 fixed?
Hi all,
Planning on spending 3 full days in Yosemite in early November and below are the plans:
Day 1: Tuolumne Meadows + Tenaya Lake trails
Day 2: Glacier Point loop + Taft Point/Sentinel Dome loop
Day 3: Valley Trails.
Days 1 and 2 are of course assuming roads are open. Any recommendations for good trails in the valley? Also we would really like to do the Grizzly Giant Trail in the Mariposa Grove - any recommendations for which of the days to fit this in?
Thank you!
Does anyone know if Mariposa Grove is open? I read some review saying the areas were fenced off? Should I go today? Thank you!
Update on Instagram:
The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias will open tomorrow, May 5, 2021, at 8 am. The grove has been closed since January 6 due to extensive damage caused by a windstorm.
The shuttle bus will not operate this season. Access to the grove is via a four-mile round-trip hike with 500 feet of elevation change. It's an additional 1.5 miles round trip (and another 500 feet of elevation change) to the Grizzly Giant and California Tunnel Tree. Please bring water to keep everyone in your group hydrated (there is no drinking water available in the Mariposa Grove).
The Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza (near South Entrance) will have flush toilets and drinking water. The Mariposa Grove Arrival Area will have portable toilets and no drinking water.
The main trail to the Grizzly Giant will be closed due to storm damage, but hikers can use the service road to reach the Grizzly Giant. While all other trails are open, hikers may encounter downed trees.
Bicycles and vehicles displaying a disability placard can drive on the Mariposa Grove Road to the Arrival Area. No vehicles will be allowed beyond the arrival area.
Sadly, it seems like the Mariposa Grove closure is more serious and long-term than initially known. I'm going to Yosemite from May 20 to 23, based in Oakhurst, and was looking forward to Mariposa Grove as a nearby destination one of the days, as opposed to going "all the way" into the Valley. In light of the closure, a couple questions:
(1) Is it likely for Mariposa Grove to re-open by ~5/20?
(2) If Mariposa Grove is closed, is there another nearby point of interest that offers something similar? (towering trees, etc)
Thank you Reddit Yosemite community! 🙏
From an email I received: “At yesterday's Board of Supervisors meeting, Yosemite's Superintendent Cicely Muldoon and other NPS staff reported the following updates:
The day use reservations system is expected to end by February 28th, after the Horsetail Falls “Firefall” event ends, as long as issues surrounding Covid-19 remain favorable.
The Highway 41 entrance near Mariposa Grove is expected to reopen at the end of this week. Mariposa Grove itself will remain closed for the foreseeable future due to the significant damage from the windstorm.
Badger Pass is also now open for snow play and Nordic activities. Downhill slopes are still closed. Access is currently from the Valley side of Highway 41, but will be available from both sides starting tomorrow.”
Hi there,
I will be heading to Yosemite on Monday and leaving on Wednesday. No new snow is in the forecast. Is there any need to drive a AWD or bring chains?
Glacier Point Road is currently closed. Do you think it will reopen next week or is it closed for the year?
How hard is it to find parking at Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza? Does it fill up early?
Thanks!!
Planning for a trip after covid is no longer a factor, not traveling until I can do so safely.
I can't stop thinking about making a couple of downhill turns next to some massive trees, so I've been doing some research about the area in winter and I have a few unanswered questions that I'd like some help with.
First off, what is the snow coverage really like? I live over 10k' in the CO mountains so seeing that it's at 6k' has me concerned that there may not be enough to ski, are there any months that are pretty reliable as far as that goes?
Also I've been looking at Google Earth and I think I've identified a couple of isolated spots (~300-700') that are just steep enough for downhill skiing (15-20°) and look as if they go past some big boys, but they aren't following a trail -- I know this is definitively off-limits and against the rules in the summer, but in the winter are you allowed to ski off-trail in this area? In Colorado you generally can, so I'm hoping it's the same way here.
Thanks all for your help, I'm not looking to go ski a huge line or anything, just want to slowly ski next to these guys if I can make it happen.
