FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Yosemite National Park announces the opening date for the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.
It will open at 9:00 am Friday, February 16th – after being shut since July of 2015.
The National Park Service has been working to improve the overall visitor experience, and making an ADA-accessible boardwalk.
There’s a new 300-vehicle parking area at the south entrance, where you can hop on a free shuttle at the improved Welcome Plaza, which will transport you to the lower grove.
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Throughout the closure, trail and habitat crews have been transforming the grove, by pulling out pavement, planting native flora, and building new trails and boardwalks. Volunteers and youth program participants have played a role, too, by helping with activities such as removing social trails or collecting seeds for future planting. Not far from the grove, a construction crew created a new arrival plaza at the South Entrance, where visitors will be able to park, get an introduction to the sequoias, and take a shuttle up to the trees.
Key elements of the restoration include:
•Removing asphalt from the original parking lot and roadways, and transforming formerly paved areas into sustainable pedestrian trails and healthy sequoia habitat
•Creating an accessible trail system in the lower part of the grove, including boardwalks over sensitive wetland areas
•Improving accessibility around two iconic giant sequoias, the Grizzly Giant and the California Tunnel Tree
•Developing new educational signs and exhibits focused on the grove’s natural and human history
•Completing repairs and new stonework at Wawona Point, the overlook above the grove, to create a safer, more enjoyable visitor experience
•Replacing and repairing culverts to encourage natural water flow
•Building a new arrival plaza at the South Entrance, complete with parking, restrooms, shuttle, hydration stations and the Yosemite Conservancy Depot, where visitors will be able to purchase books, apparel and other retail items
