Yosemite

Three snow-covered giant sequoias on a sunny winter day.

7 ideas for winter fun among giant sequoias

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Everyone should have a chance to experience the magic of snow-draped sequoia, and this year, conditions are perfect. There’s plenty of snow and plenty of ways to get out and enjoy it. So if you’re craving a day in the forest, here are some ideas for where to go and what to do when the snow falls.

Mariposa Grove's giants. Photo by Jenkinson2455, Flickr Creative Commons

Travel: Mariposa Grove to Reopen After Multiyear Restoration

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Yosemite National Park’s Mariposa Grove of Giant sequoias is expected to reopen this fall after a multiyear restoration. In addition to red giants standing higher than a 30-story building, visitors will find new, wheelchair-accessible trails and boardwalks, roads converted into hiking trails, and an interpretive display of a fallen ancient giant.

Mariposa Grove. Photo by jenkinson2455, Flickr Creative Commons

Happy Birthday Mariposa Grove!

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Today marks the 153rd birthday of the spectacular giant sequoia grove in Yosemite National Park, Mariposa Grove. The protection of Mariposa helped inspire a movement of conservation at a time when sequoia were being cut, leading to the protection of the biggest trees in the world.

John Muir

John Muir, the Legend

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If you have spent any time in the amazing natural areas of California, you won’t go very far without experiencing the presence of John Muir — a man who did more for the conservation of our beautiful wild places during …

Giant sequoia forest photo by Tom Hilton, Flickr Creative Commons

The Pursuit of Happiness

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“There is nothing so American as our parks. The scenery and wildlife are native. The fundamental idea behind the parks is native. It is, in brief, that the country belongs to the people…Parks stand as the outward symbol of this …

League supporters Victoria Reeder and Roy Williams recently celebrated their wedding amongst the redwoods at Big Basin State Park.

Love in a Redwood Forest

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It’s no surprise the redwoods inspire people in many different ways. The biodiversity of plants and animals inspires scientists, the towering red-hued trunks of the trees inspire artists, and the fallen logs and clear creeks inspire an adventurous spirit in …

U.S. Cavalry with the Fallen Monarch tree, Mariposa Grove, 1899. In the days before park rangers, the army administered the national park.

War, the White House and Redwoods Conservation

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The roots of redwoods conservation extend back more than 150 years, all the way to President Abraham Lincoln. In 1864, in the midst of the Civil War, Lincoln signed The Yosemite Valley Grant Act that transferred federal lands in the …

Nature Photography: Pretty Pictures or So Much More?

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Photography can be a powerful tool for change. It can inspire and inform us and broaden our horizons. A photo can tell a story or impart an emotion in ways words simply cannot. Ansel Adams elevated the art form of …

Mariposa Grove, Yosemite.

“Success”

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That was Saturday’s word of the day, according to our guide, National Park Ranger Dick Ewart. Dick led a group of 15 of us on a hike through the lower Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park.  He …

Giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite.

Grove Protected by Lincoln Offers Historical Perspective

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Next week will be my second visit in eight months to the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park.  That makes me a lucky guy.  My wife Joanne and I visited the Grove in May, while our traveling …