The Mariposa Grove is a must visit to see some of the most impression sequoias in the world. Located in Wawona, California, the grove is just south of the more popular destination, Yosemite Valley. With over 500 giant sequoias, you will be walking among some of the largest living things on earth! This grove contains a lot of the history about Yosemite and the national park system. The Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley were the two designated area to national park before the boundary expanded to what it is today including hetch hetchy, tuolumne meadows, and other areas.
Getting There: from Yosemite south entrance, turn left and continue for a mere 3 miles to the entrance of the Mariposa Grove.
Hike: the trails in the area are all interconnected and will guide you through the forest. A typical hike is from the parking area up to the fallen tunnel tree by the museum which is between 3-4 miles round trip depending on which route you take. There are hiking guides given out at the beginning of the trailheads so walking around is not hard to navigate. The good thing is that this isn’t a point to point trail, so you can walk around as much or as little as you wish.
Highlights: Grizzly Bear tree, Fallen Tunnel Tree, Mariposa Grove Museum,
I highly recommend this area of Yosemite and it’sa quick and easy stop on your way to the valley.
One Cool Thing Every Weekend 
Awesome! We went once in May and there was still plenty of snow.
Crazy! I was here in early march and there was barely any snow on the peaks in the valley and none in the mariposa grove area. terrible snow year this time.