<strong>A crown jewel of Yosemite National Park: </strong>The Mariposa Grove at Yosemite is home to over 500 giant sequoia trees.
A crown jewel of Yosemite National Park: The Mariposa Grove at Yosemite is home to over 500 giant sequoia trees.
Courtesy Al Golub/NPS
<strong>The giants of Mariposa Grove:</strong> These trees, named The Bachelor and Three Graces, have roots so intertwined that it's likely if one fell, the other would fall too.
The giants of Mariposa Grove: These trees, named The Bachelor and Three Graces, have roots so intertwined that it's likely if one fell, the other would fall too.
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<strong>They don't go deep: </strong>The roots of these massive sequoias don't go deep into the ground. They're only about six feet under the surface. They hold up the trees by spreading outward, up to distances of over 200 feet from the base of the tree.
They don't go deep: The roots of these massive sequoias don't go deep into the ground. They're only about six feet under the surface. They hold up the trees by spreading outward, up to distances of over 200 feet from the base of the tree.
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<strong>More than 20 stories high:</strong> The trees, aptly called Sequoiadendron giganteum, can grow to be over 250 feet tall.
More than 20 stories high: The trees, aptly called Sequoiadendron giganteum, can grow to be over 250 feet tall.
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<strong>Mariposa Grove's creation:</strong> The grove was founded in 1857 by ranger Galen Clark, but it was not incorporated into Yosemite National Park until 1906. The trees of the park, however, existed long before that time. The oldest ones are said to be over 2,000 years old.
Mariposa Grove's creation: The grove was founded in 1857 by ranger Galen Clark, but it was not incorporated into Yosemite National Park until 1906. The trees of the park, however, existed long before that time. The oldest ones are said to be over 2,000 years old.
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<strong>A fallen tree: </strong>The Wawona Tree had a tunnel cut through the bottom of the trunk in 1881 to accommodate vehicles passing through as a tourist attraction. The tree fell in 1969 due to snow, but is now known as the Fallen Tunnel Tree and still remains in the park as a habitat for wildlife.
A fallen tree: The Wawona Tree had a tunnel cut through the bottom of the trunk in 1881 to accommodate vehicles passing through as a tourist attraction. The tree fell in 1969 due to snow, but is now known as the Fallen Tunnel Tree and still remains in the park as a habitat for wildlife.
Carleton E. Watkins/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
<strong>A popular park: </strong>More than five million visitors head to Yosemite annually to take in the sights, including the California Tunnel Tree--the only remaining tunnel tree in the park.
A popular park: More than five million visitors head to Yosemite annually to take in the sights, including the California Tunnel Tree--the only remaining tunnel tree in the park.
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