Mariposa Grove
Yosemite's recently re-opened Mariposa Grove was our first stop when we arrived at the park. Mariposa Grove has been closed for renovation and opened the week before we arrived. Now, visitors can pull up to the welcome center, park their cars in a large lot, and catch a shuttle up to the grove's hiking trails. It was a pretty smooth experience, as the old parking lot seemed small and cramped.
The Giant Sequoias towered over us as we began hiking the trail. Little Man looked up in awe at the great behemoths that seemed as though they were ladders straight to heaven. The Grizzly Giant was the first "famous" tree that we happened upon, and one could quickly understand how he was so aptly named.
The Grizzly Giant is around 1800 years old and is the 25th largest Giant Sequoia.
Our next stop was the Tunnel Tree. Anyone else grow up watching The Gnomemobile??? Maybe it was just my crazy family, but my sisters and I agreed that this could be the movie set for those scenes.
We let Little Man pick the path back to the car. Of course, he picked the long way back, and my sisters decided he could never again have the choice of "right or left". Mariposa Grove was a great introduction to Yosemite and was the perfect, shorter trip for the kids. There were shorter trails for families, it was handicap accessible for a large portion of the area, and there were longer hikes for those not encumbered by a 2- and 3-year old.
Next stop--The Treehouse at Yosemite West!