Nelder Grove Hiker Reviews

This is a really nice place to hike if you want to avoid crowds and see some great forest. The big trees can almost be hidden among the dense cedars and pine but are spectacular. I have made several trips to this area and almost never run into others on the trails. Off one of the trails is a great waterfall cascading down a rock face from about 80 feet above. If you are willing to drive a short ways on some dirt roads, this place is a great visit.

My friend and I visited the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite on our first day in the area, but when we returned to our B & B, the owner suggested we try Nelder Grove for a quieter, more intimate experience with the trees. The next morning we had a very hard time finding this place, but when we started on the short trail, we soon discovered the difference: There was only one other couple there, and they soon left! That meant that my friend and I had this magnificent, magical, deeply spiritual place to ourselves for the rest of the morning. It was amazing. We could embrace the trees, sit on their shoulders, breathe them in. I will never, ever forget it.

My husband and I were delighted to find this post. The directions were very clear and accurate. The giant sequoias were magnificent, and we were the only people in sight! We also visited mariposa grove the day before and both preferred nelder. FYI there was mud on the path so we parked about 1/4 a mile down from the trail head and walked the rest of the way.

Very happy with Nelder Grove. No one knows it is there, and it is FREE! Not as big a group of trees as Mariposa, but no crowds and a nice get away.

If you haven't seen the Mariposa Grove at Yosemite and especially if you haven't visited Sequoia National Park, the trees here are big. It's a nice little mile hike with a little up and down over the distance and a few interpretive signs. Peaceful. One vehicle left as we were getting started and one more came in as we were ending. It's a good distance from the main road, so it is secluded. The dirt road is not in great shape, and you might regret trying it in a car. If you want a place to go be mostly alone and walk on a nice trail and enjoy an afternoon or a picnic, it's a wonderful place. Take mosquito repellent. To go out of your way to see it isn't really worth it. Mariposa at Yosemite is much better, though it can get a little crowded.

Having spent summers in the nelder grove area in my youth (70's) I was quite shocked to see that the general public has now discovered the area and is turning it into a new Disneyland. Several large vans were parked along the road, and there were instances along the the trail that showed that people were ruining the area, bark being rubbed off a young sequoia, off trail hiking causing wear to topsoil to much traffic around the bases of mature trees, which will cause severe damage to the root infrastructure. The beauty of the srea is still there, but dodging mountain bikers along the trail while trying to take in the natural beauty is getting difficult. Quite a bit different from what I remember, when you could spend all day there and never encounter a single person.