Giant Sequoias of Yosemite

They’re one of the largest and longest living trees in the world.  The giant Sequoia’s can live in excess of 2,000 years!  To put it in perspective, they were mere saplings at the time of Cleopatra.

Now, only 5% of the original giants are left due to extensive logging in the 1850’s.

The largest grove of these California Redwoods are located in Yosemite National Park within Mariposa Grove and it is incredible!

Driving into the grove, you are greeted by the giant Sequoia’s.  It’s quite different than the Tuolumne Grove where only nine giants remain located in a small valley one mile downhill off the main road.

Survival of these Sequoia trees could have been very different if Abraham Lincoln did not sign an Act of Congress to preserve the wilderness of Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove of Big Trees for ‘public use, resort and recreation.’

The trees are pretty hard to breakdown – they can remain for quite a few years after falling over and are fire resistant due to their lack of sap.

Depending on the source or who you talk to, there are between 65 to 75 naturally occurring groves of giant sequoia’s but that’s still open for debate.

The Mariposa road closed between November to April depending on snow conditions.