Yosemite's Mariposa Grove Has a Reopen Date

The tree-laden area closed for a "back-to-nature restoration" in the summer of 2015.

HELLO AGAIN, MARVELOUS MARIPOSA GROVE: What exactly were you doing near the start of July in 2015? You might have been observing Independence Day, at home or on the road, as many people around California were doing. In addition to this early-July tradition, though, you might have also called upon a certain segment of Yosemite National Park, with the knowledge that the wondrous area would soon close for a number of years, all to provide the area with several needed improvements. If this applies to you, you were likely among the big trees at Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.

THE YOSEMITE DESTINATION, long a popular one for visitors, saw the end of the Big Trees Tram Tour in 2014, and then the closure of the area in the summer of 2015. A "back-to-nature restoration" was part of the reason behind the shuttering of the splendid section of the national park, and while focusing on the "natural hydrology" of the are played a central part, other important issues were also addressed, like the construction "... of an ADA-accessible boardwalk" as well as "an improved welcome plaza," and the burnishing of the "overall visitor experience." The work is coming to a close, and an reopening date was revealed on Thursday, Feb. 15. Say hello, once again, to Mariposa Grove on...

FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 2018, at 9 o'clock in the morning. There's a sizable new parking area near the South Entrance — some 300 vehicles can park — and a shuttle can transport you to the Lower Grove (it is a free ride from the Welcome Plaza). You'll want to keep an eye on the Yosemite social media feeds as June draws near, for more information about the beloved clutch of ancient trees, trees that many people will be eager to see again after nearly three years away. Of course, the trees weren't away — they kept on growing and thriving, even in the absence of visitors — but sequoia fans were. Now "the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite" will throw open the proverbial doors in the middle of June, to the joy of many.

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