![]() |
Mariposa Grove is home to about 500 mature giant sequoia trees, second in stature, but larger in mass than their cousin, the giant redwoods. |
![]() |
Just one branch of the Grizzly Giant is 7 ft. in diameter, larger in girth than any of the non-sequoia trees in the entire Mariposa Grove. |
![]() |
The clothespin tree has an opening that is large enough for a semi-truck to drive through! Many of the trees have fire scars, but giant sequoia bark is fire resistant. A mature tree has bark 2 to 3 ft. thick, so it’s also remarkably disease and insect resistant. |
![]() |
A souvenir postcard from 1899 shows some 40 Cavalry officers and their horses on top of and alongside the Fallen Monarch. The US Army Cavalry kept law and order in Yosemite from its founding in 1890 until the National Park Service was created in 1916. The Cavalry often posed for publicity photos under the huge trees of Mariposa Grove to promote tourism in Yosemite, and thus business for the Southern Pacific Railway. |
![]() |
The Fallen Monarch today. Even though it has been on its side for centuries, the tree has barely decayed, and no plants are growing on it. The acidic, thick bark makes it an inhospitable nursery log, but a true survivor. |
Leave A Comment