Re: Roads closeds - Mariposa grove

Hi I am scheduled to travel to get to Yosemite on March 18 and just now saw that many roads will be closed.
I would love to go to Mariposa Grove and see some redwoods. Even with this closed road can I see some large trees? Where?
AditionGlacier Point, which is closed, what other place there is a beautiful sight?
Thank you and sorry for my bad English.
There will be snow?
I´m from Brazil.
Andre

You'll have to park at the south entrance and walk 2 miles up the road to reach the Mariposa Grove.

In late March, there should still be snow up on top of cliffs of Yosemite Valley and on the top of mountains.

There might be snow on the valley floor, but maybe not a lot or even none at all expect in the most shaded locations (like around Curry Village).

Two smaller groves (the Merced Grove and Tuolumne Grove) should be accessible via short hikes from their respective trailhead parking lots (a 1.5 km hike to the Tuolumne Grove and a 2.5 km hike to the Merced Grove).

If you want to visit the giant sequoia redwood trees during your visit to California, I would suggest that you might consider visiting the Grant Grove located in Kings Canyon National Park located south of Yosemite National Park as part of your vacation. The Grant Grove of Giant Sequoias in Kings Canyon National Park is easily accessible from Fresno via Highway 180. And the parking lot is right next to the grove.

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Yes the Mariposa grove is currently closed; but you can park in the parking lot by the closed gate and walk there. It is 2 Miles to hike into the mariposa grove, and another 1 mile to see the Grizzly Giant and California Tunnel Tree.

Great. I can walk 2 miles kkkkk.
The Kings Canyon will be a little far, but I will investigate the suggestion.
And on the Glacier Point? Can we get close by car? Or the only option is the long track?
Thank you so much for the answers, soon I will put more questions.

I saw Toulumne and Merced grove. Seems to great places to see big trees. Thank you for this tip.
I will include these groves during my visit.
I saw that the tracks are covered with snow. Is it true? Will I need special footwear?

Enough people go to Tuolumne Grove that you probably will not need any special gear then.
Tuolumne is probably your best bet then just to see some big trees that is easily
accessible. Last year a major storm came thru at that time... so conditions vary but I've
run into that grove with just shoes at another time.

Have fun

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Thank you Chic-on.

Hi all.
We loved the trip to Yosemite. Surely we will return soon.
We saw many giant trees. The road to Mariposa grove was closed and it had snowed a lot the day before our visit. It was very beautiful. But we had to walk two miles to the grove and some miles in the more snow to see others big trees. But it was very worthwhile. Everything was beautiful too, but what I would do if it was a bear? We were alone in the forest ... Just remember the Bears after we were go...
Thanks for the tips. Once I find a way to post some pictures, ok?
We saw a kind of big wolf crossing the road outside the park. Is it possible?
Best wishes.

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andrebufrem
Hi all.
We loved the trip to Yosemite. Surely we will return soon.
We saw many giant trees. The road to Mariposa grove was closed and it had snowed a lot the day before our visit. It was very beautiful. But we had to walk two miles to the grove and some miles in the more snow to see others big trees. But it was very worthwhile. Everything was beautiful too, but what I would do if it was a bear? We were alone in the forest ... Just remember the Bears after we were go...
Thanks for the tips. Once I find a way to post some pictures, ok?
We saw a kind of big wolf crossing the road outside the park. Is it possible?
Best wishes.

There are no wolves in Yosemite but there are coyotes which people sometimes misidentify as wolves. Other than the lone male wolf that had crossed into Northern California last year, there have been no wolves in California since 1924. Here is a link on a recent sighting of that wolf.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/or-7-wolf-photographed-in-ca

I am glad that you had a good trip and hope that you can go back soon.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2012 07:44AM by parklover.

How dangerous are these coyotes? Do they join us for dinners like bears?

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DanPJ
How dangerous are these coyotes? Do they join us for dinners like bears?

There are a few coyotes in Yosemite that are known to beg for food because people have fed them. If you don't feed or try to touch them, there is no problem. Many years ago my husband and I were eating on the tailgate of our car at a pull off in the western end of the valley. A coyote kept coming within 20 feet of us hopeing the we would fed him. We kept shooing him away and he would retreat for a while and them come back. We finished eating and packed up the car and was getting ready to drive away when a couple walking to their car asked us if we forgot to put our dog in the car. We looked and the coyote was standing about 5 feet from our back bumper just looking up at us in the car.

Wow that experience, eh?
I think that it was a coyote. But he seemed too big to be a coyote. But it may be my imagination talking.
Thank you again Parklover.

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andrebufrem
Wow that experience, eh?
I think that it was a coyote. But he seemed too big to be a coyote. But it may be my imagination talking.
Thank you again Parklover.

Every time we go past that parking area we laugh about people thinking the coyote was our dog.

As for what you saw, like many of us, I think that you really want to see a wolf but what you saw was not a wolf. There is only that one lone wolf that came from Idaho, through Oregon, and is currently in Northern CA. It is being monitored and it has not strayed from near the Oregon - California border, no where close to Mariposa or Yosemite. Plus, it is not white.

I have seen wolves in captivity and in the wild and they are bigger than a coyote you would see in California. An adult coyote will weigh between 20-30 pounds while a adult wolf will be between 70-125 pounds. Their build is different than a coyote with wolves having much longer legs. How I try to explain how they look is that coyotes look more like very large foxes and wolves look more like huskies or malamute dogs. If you are interested in seeing wolves go to Yellowstone National Park. We have seen wolves in both Hayden and Lamar Valleys.

A person in our neighborhood is licensed to have wolf hybrids and we occasionally see them walking a husky-wolf hybrid and a husky. It is interesting that when my dogs get the scent of the hybrid the hair on their backs stand up. They have no problem with the husky and I have never seen them respond to the neighborhood coyotes in that fashion.