Tunnel Tree, Tuolumne Grove

Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias

Trail Map  ·  Reviews

Distance:  2.5 miles (4 km) round trip

Elevation at trailhead:  6,200 feet (1,860 meters)
Elevation Gain:  400 feet (120 meters) elevation loss to the grove.

Why visit the Tuolumne Grove?  If you're a dessert-first kind of person, the Tuolumne Grove trail was made for you: the entire trip to the grove is downhill. Oh, and the grove itself contains a couple dozen mature Giant Sequoias, including one you can walk through (although it's dead - but then, you would be too).

Hiking Time:  1.5 - 2.5 hours

Best Time to Visit:  The Sequoias should be equally scenic whenever Tioga Road is open - June through October, generally - but it might be best in the Autumn, when the deciduous trees are changing colors. Parts of the grove sometimes get closed late in the year, though.

Difficulty:  It's an easy hike over a short, smooth trail. The only downer (so to speak) is that you'll have to climb 400 feet on the route back to the trailhead.

Crowd Factor:  Not as crowded as the Mariposa Grove, but you'll still find no shortage of fellow travelers unless you're there during inclement weather or very late in the season.

Parking:  Large lot at the trailhead

Food Storage Lockers:  In the parking area

Nearest Bathrooms:  At the trailhead (outhouse variety)

Nearest Snacks:  At Crane Flat gas station, half a mile back towards Yosemite Valley

Getting There:  From Yosemite Valley, take highway 120 ten miles (16.8 km) to the Crane Flat/Tioga Road turnoff, then take Tioga Road half a mile (0.8 km) east to the Tuolumne Grove parking lot. From Yosemite's east entrance at Tioga Pass, take the Tioga Road west 47 miles (75 km) to the lot. Here's a Google Street View panorama of the trailhead parking area.

Tuolumne Grove Panoramas

From Virtual Yosemite

More Sequoia Groves


Merced Grove
3 miles (4.8 km) round trip

Nelder Grove
1 mile (1.6 km) round trip

Mariposa Grove
2.2 miles (3.5 km) round trip