Tuolumne Grove

The Tuolumne Grove Trail is a 2.2 mile out-and-back hike in Yosemite National Park that displays many giant sequoias, both living and dead. The trail is technically the Big Oak Flat Road, which is no longer in use by vehicles. The trail heads steadily downhill all the way to the grove, so the way back is a bit more difficult than the way in; hence, the moderate difficulty. There aren't many notable sights between the trailhead and the grove, but it's a short, easy hike.

The giant sequoias tower over the forest and make you feel extremely small. Some of the dead sequoias were cut through to build roads - like the main picture in this trail report. The tree is long dead, but up close, you can see scratch marks on the side of the tree by vehicles that passed through it decades ago. It now stands dead, in the middle of the trail, looking like the tower of Sauron from Lord of the Rings.

The Tuolumne Grove Trail may not be the best giant sequoia trail at Yosemite National Park (like Mariposa Grove), but it sure has it's highlights of massive ancient trees. It's also a lot less crowded than Mariposa Grove as well, so if you're looking for a more secluded hike through sequoias, Tuolumne Grove is your trail.