Mariposa grove with giant sequoias reopened after restoration in Yosemite Park. The largest trees in the world

Interesting 10.07.2019

Interesting

Yosemite National Park occupies a vast area in the western Sierra Nevada, in the mountains of central California. Famous for its landscapes and nature: about 89% of the park is considered a zone wildlife. In 1984, the park received the status of " world heritage UNESCO".

There are three groves of ancient sequoiadendron trees in the park. Sequoiadendron is a genus of trees in the Cypress family, also called giant sequoia, a big tree, a mammoth tree due to its gigantic size and the outward resemblance of its huge hanging branches to mammoth tusks. Mature trees can reach a height of up to 100 meters with a trunk diameter of 10-12 m. The amount of wood in one tree is such that 25 four-story houses can be built from one large sequoia! This breed is the most durable and resistant of the sequoiadendrons that have survived to date, the most tall trees have a height of 95 m. The oldest this moment the giant sequoia is 3,200 years old, reliably determined from annual rings, although some of the living trees are estimated to be 3,500 years old. Sequoiadendrons like ornamental plants bred in many countries around the world suitable climate: they grow well in England, where they were brought back in the middle of the 19th century, as well as Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Poland and other parts of Europe. Within the territory of former USSR sequoiadendrons grow well only in regions with not very harsh winters- Southern Crimea, Central Asia(when watering), on Black Sea coast Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Transcarpathia. Mariposa Grove is located in the southern part of Yosemite National Park. The grove takes its name from Mariposa County, California, where it is located. This is the largest sequoia grove in the national park, with several hundred trees. These huge trees with reddish knobby bark are the largest long-lived creatures on a planet that is hundreds of years old. The two trees are among the 25 largest giant sequoias in the world. The giant sequoia named Giant Grizzly is between 1900 and 2400 years old and is the oldest tree in the grove.

The Wawona tree was 69 meters high and 27 mm in circumference. In 1881, a tunnel was cut through its trunk, allowing horse-drawn carriages and then cars to pass through. The tree was tilted slightly, the slope increased when a tunnel was cut into the tree. The tree eventually became a popular Yosemite tourist attraction. Travelers came here just to take pictures against its background, stand or ride through a tunnel in a tree trunk. Throughout its history, tourists have taken countless photographs of the famous sequoia. The tree fell in 1969 under the weight of a large amount of snow on its crown. The age of the sequoia was estimated at 2300 years.

In the grove on personal transport is prohibited. Therefore, we leave the car in the parking lot and then walk through the grove on foot or for a fee we go on a special transport. According to Lega4 in April 2019, the Shuttle became free.

Address: USA, California
Foundation date: 1890
Square: 3081 km²
Coordinates: 37°52"09.3"N 119°30"13.5"W

Yosemite national park spread out on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in the state of California and occupied over 3 thousand square meters. km of land, which in ancient times belonged to the Miwok Indian tribe. The central part of the national park is the valley, but it occupies only 1% of the territory. When you are at this point in the park, you can clearly see the El Capitan granite rock, which is popular among rock climbers.

Yosemite Valley

If you look at Yosemite Park from above, you can see its resemblance to a triangle, which is surrounded by high canyon walls. The formation of an attractive park valley is associated with the movement of glaciers, which in the last ice Age made their way across the Merced River, which flows through the park. Under the weight of ice, soft granite disappeared, but high vertical rocks formed by themselves. With the melting of glaciers in Yosemite, a lake was formed, but over time it became covered with silt and dried up, and a wide valley appeared in its place.

It is noteworthy that over 4 thousand years ago, Indians from the South Miwok tribe ruled here. Their main activity was trade, and it was so well-established that they managed to form a friendly alliance with the Paiuts Mivkam tribe, and not just start business relations. And the cultural traditions of the Miwok were so developed and diverse that they had their own religion with all the relevant rites, and their society was a strict political division. In general, the Indians lived in the territory of the current park until the beginning of the second half of the 19th century, until the Gold Rush began in California.

As for the study of the park area by Europeans, the first attempts were made by them in 1833 under the leadership of Joseph Walker. After 20 years, another group of Europeans also visited here, but at that time the Avanichi tribe lived in the park, whose activities were hunting and trade.

1848 was the year for Yosemite Territory memorable date- at that time, in connection with the discovery of gold deposits in California, the Gold Rush began among the population. Therefore, many people went to the valley in search of a valuable shiny metal. Such a considerable influx of those wishing to enrich themselves could not but affect natural resources this region - they began to deplete. In addition, the struggle between the Indians and white-skinned gold seekers escalated. Such events did not leave the California government indifferent, and its attention to the problems of the Yosemite Valley became more intense. In order to resolve the conflict, a special battalion was even formed, whose commander-in-chief was James Savage. The purpose of the creation of this group was the formation of a punitive expedition directed against the Indians. How beautiful Yosemite Valley is, the Americans could only guess until they saw firsthand the extraordinary and picturesque nature of the area protected from the natives.

Dr. Bunnell, an active member of the group, suggested giving such a beautiful valley a name. After going through several options, the Americans settled on the name Yosemite, since the Indians from the South Miwok nicknamed the members of the Avanichi tribe with this word. In the Miwok language, "yosemite" means "they are killers." Subsequently, the battalion destroyed the Indian settlements - he burned them, and captured the Avanichi Indians. Them future fate became a settlement on the reservation.

The beauty of Yosemite Valley impressed Dr. Bunnell so much that he wrote a book about the beauties of the region defended by his group. As the book gained popularity, more and more Americans found out about it. beautiful corner nature in California. Further, the Yosemite Valley began to be populated by "whites", but for the virgin pristine nature, such an unceremonious invasion turned out to be disastrous, since the forests were cut down, and residential buildings and pastures occupied their place. In addition to permanent residents, tourists began to fill the territory of Yosemite.

Yosemite Falls

However, two influential people in California learned about the disappointing state of affairs in the valley. It was the senators who put forward the idea of protecting this area from human interference. And despite civil war, American President Lincoln approved the project, according to which both the Yosemite Valley and the adjacent Mariposa Grove were united and received the status of a national park. The goals of the government project were the protection of nature and the organization of a place for tourist recreation.

Attractions in Yosemite Park

Sheer cliffs are considered one of the main attractions of Yosemite National Park. Thanks to the majestic stone cliffs towering over the valley, many rock climbers come to Yosemite every year. Next to the rocks is "Camp-4", which became the founder of rock climbing in the USA. The most famous rocks over the years of the park's existence are El Capitan and Half House. The height of the first rock exceeds 900 m and there are routes of different complexity on it, the conquest of which is possible all year round.

The second majestic rock Half Dome is located in the east of the valley. It resembles a huge granite dome, whose height is 144 m. At one time, it was immortalized on 25-cent coins in the United States. Its first conquest dates back to 1875, and today several routes have been laid along its surface.

The third most important rock is called Lost Arrow Spier. She earned worldwide fame thanks to her unusual appearance It is a solid granite column. On the pages of the book beloved by climbers "50 ascents North America» The process of climbing to the top of this amazing rock is described in great detail.

Mariposa Grove and Mirror Lake

Mariposa Grove, named after one of the California counties, is located in the southern part of Yosemite National Park. It is famous for its giant sequoias - trees covered with gnarled red bark. These evergreens are hundreds of years old, and they are recognized as the longest-lived green inhabitants of the Earth. The oldest tree in the grove is the Giant Grizzly - its age varies between 1900 and 2400 years.

Another unusual representative of the Yosemite flora is the Wawona tree, whose circumference is 27 m. At the end of the 19th century, it leaned over, and a tunnel was made in its trunk, along which horse-drawn carriages and cars moved to the other side of the park. The Wawona tree is over 2,000 years old.

One of the most beautiful places The park is considered Mirror Lake. The one who saw him finds his "mirror" name is fully consistent with reality. The perfectly smooth, shiny surface of the lake reflects the surrounding mountains and rocks like a mirror. Mirror - the lake is quite ancient, but in fact it is only the remains of an ancient glacial lake, covering in the distant past almost the entire territory of the Yosemite Valley.

Waterfalls of Yosemite National Park

Numerous magnificent waterfalls tumbling down from high cliffs have become attractive sights of the reserve and objects for photographing by tourists. At the same time, there are so many waterfalls in Yosemite Park that there is no such impressive concentration of waterfalls in a relatively small area all over the world. It is best to admire their beauty in the spring, after the snow has melted. The waterfalls are especially good in April-May, but by the end of summer they already turn into thin streams of water. Some of them even dry up.

The main "water" symbol of the park is Yosemite Falls, which can be seen in almost all photographs of the reserve. In terms of height, the value of which is 740 m, he was able to enter the top ten highest waterfalls in the world and took 7th place. It originates in the mountains, where the Yosemite River of the same name is formed. Flowing through the valley to a sheer cliff, it falls down with great speed. At the height of spring, when the melting snow begins to feed the river, the waterfall becomes so violent that its noise is heard throughout the valley.

Bridalvale Falls have also become attractive to millions of tourists.- it is visible immediately at the entrance to the park. Despite the low height of 188 m, it is still beautiful. In windy weather, air currents deflect the water jet in all directions. If it rains, the water simply dissipates beautifully at the granite foot.

Rock Half-Dom

Unusual in its kind and waterfall Horse Tail. It is not high and does not carry large streams of water, but only a few days a year it attracts the attention of park visitors with the bright red color of its water. There is an explanation for such an unforgettable spectacle - this is the fall of the rays of the setting sun, because of which the waterfall seems to be fiery.

There are 2 waterfalls on the Merced River - Nevada and Vernal. As Nevada water flows fall, a water mist forms around the granite surface. The waterfall is located far from the entrance to the national park, but it is perfectly visible from Glacier Point. The second waterfall (Vernal) is located downstream of the river, behind Nevada Falls. It is noteworthy that it does not dry out during the hot months of the year, but at the end of summer it is able to turn into several streams of water. In the neighborhood of both waterfalls there are reservoirs in which swimming is prohibited. However, some tourists ignore the warning signs and endanger their lives, because the underground currents are very strong.

Today's post is quite unusual for this LiveJournal: no cities, castles, or even planes. Post about unique trees, which can be seen in several places on the Pacific coast of North America, although individual specimens are also cultivated in Canada, Australia, Europe and even in the Crimea. They're called giant sequoias(as well as sequoiadendrons, wellingtonias, mammoth trees), and they should not be confused with evergreen (or red) sequoias, from which they differ in gigantic size (not in height, but rather in diameter), longer life expectancy (the oldest gigantic at the moment sequoia has an age of 3200 years, reliably established by annual rings, although the age of some of the living trees is estimated at 3500 years) and the shape of the branches, similar to huge mammoth tusks.

There are several giant sequoia groves in California, including the Giant Forest, home to five of the ten largest trees on the planet. But we chose to visit the Mariposa Grove (Mariposa Grove), as it is located in the Yosemite National Park, which attracted us for other reasons.

The Mariposa Grove consists of about five hundred giant sequoias and bears the name of the nearby town where we spent the night. The Forest Museum opened here in 1930 in a cabin built in 1861 by Galen Clark, the first white American to see the grove in 1857. Galen Clark was an ordinary adventurer who came to these places to spend recent months of life: doctors discovered a severe lung disease in a 39-year-old man. As a result, Clark lived here to 96 years old, became a conservationist and the first ranger of Yosemite National Park.

"California Tunnel": Since the fall of the Wawona tree in 1969, it is the only giant sequoia to have been tunnelled.

The first giant sequoias meet visitors to the grove already in the parking lot

Not all of them have proper names - you need to grow up to this honor in the literal sense of the word

The "fallen monarch" collapsed around the beginning of the 18th century, but since sequoias are very resistant to decay, the trunk still looks strong and without signs of decay.

"The Bachelor and the Three Graces": The root systems of the trees are so tightly intertwined that if one of these four sequoias falls, the other three will most likely die as well.

"Grizzly Giant" with a height of 63.7 m, a trunk circumference at the base of 29.5 m and an age of 1900-2400 years is the oldest tree in the grove and ranks 25th in the list of the largest trees in terms of volume in the world.

The trunk of the giant is damaged by a ground fire, which is common for old sequoias and does not harm them at all - on the contrary, it promotes reproduction, as it eliminates undergrowth that prevents young sequoias from growing.

Another photo of the "California Tunnel". A carriage passage was made in it in 1895 to attract tourists.

Douglas squirrel - a common inhabitant of the grove, everywhere caught the eye

Not only sequoiadendrons grow in the grove, but also other conifers. This is, for example, a yellow pine

Lambert's pine cone yields to physiognomy twanger but only in width

Compared to some pines, many sequoias don't look all that gigantic!

Some trees clearly show which way is north))

At sunset, sequoias looked very advantageous with their unusual bark texture.

Despite the abundance of conifers, the grove was filled with light

In some places, mature trees give way to lush undergrowth.

A road has been laid in the grove for a road train, which can be used by elderly tourists or visitors with small children.

"True pair": two separate trees, fused at the bottom with trunks and having a common root system

Against " Faithful couple"another similar pair of trees without a name

In this place, the furthest from the entrance to the grove, we saw a black-tailed deer with a fawn

"Clothespin" - a tree in which Forest fires made a hole in the trunk at ground level, so that you can go through it. Despite this, the tree is alive, as sequoias do not require a complete trunk to sustain life. However, storms for such trees are more dangerous, because the strength of the trunk decreases.

The setting sun makes us hurry to the exit

"Uavona" and now Fallen Tunnel Tree, collapsed in 1969 at the age of about 2100 years from the weight of snow on the crown. Its height was 71.3 meters, the diameter of the trunk at the base was 7.9 meters. In 1881, a passage was cut through the trunk, for which the ancient burn of the tree was expanded with lightning. For 88 years, people passed through the tree, stagecoaches passed, and later even cars. Now standing next to me

Sequoias - amazing trees! You can read about them a hundred times and look at photos, but when you see these giants live, it takes your breath away! Emitting orange light, their trunks look like the wrinkled legs of giants, while the rest of the trees look like babies.

For sequoias, it is better to go to the Sequoia National Park, which is also located in California. There are more sequoias and fewer tourists. A very nice combination. But not everyone gets to Sequoia Park, it’s still difficult to allocate time for it, because there are so many things to visit in California. Therefore, you can also look at the sequoias when visiting Yosemite.

Fallen giant sequoia roots

Officially, there are two places in Yosemite where sequoias grow, although I assume that there are also secret places that the public are not told about, so as not to stomp. So, two sequoia groves in Yosemite:

Mariposa (closed until 2017 for restoration)
Tulumne

Mariposa Grove (Mariposa is Spanish for "butterfly") is located very close to the southern entrance to Yosemite. Immediately after paying the fare, you need to turn right and drive for about 5 minutes. There will be a large parking lot, and around the redwoods.

Tuolumne Grove (Tuolumne in the language of the Indians living in Yosemite "land of stone houses") is closer to the eastern entrances to the park, but since at the moment this is the only place in Yosemite where you can look at the sequoias, people are not too lazy to come there from anywhere in the park.

There is a small parking lot, but you can park side by side along the road. And to the redwoods you have to walk a little more than a kilometer. The path to the sequoias is wide, paved. If you have a child, then you can safely take a stroller with you, although on the way back you will have to push it up.

Fallen giant. Thicker than my height

In the sequoia groves there is always some kind of special lighting! The whole forest is glowing!

Another dead giant. A tunnel was cut below, and only thinned walls remained on top

And this sequoia is alive, but it is forbidden to walk around because of the fragile root system

Tuolumnegrove of giant sequoias hike

Distance: 4 km round trip
Height difference: 120 meters
Complexity: light
My mark: 4 out of 5
Parking: Toulumnegrove
Road to the grove open from May to October, the exact dates of a particular year can be found

The US is famous for its national parks, and Yosemite is one of the oldest. Yosemite is 3,000 square kilometers untouched nature on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Throughout this area, wild bears, deer and chipmunks roam, giant sequoias grow, waterfalls fall from the mountains (including the highest waterfall in the United States), and climbers climb the rocks. We tell you how to get to this kingdom of wild nature, where to stay for the night and what routes are best to go to Yosemite.

Why go?

Yosemite is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest national parks in the world. Three million tourists come here every year (and for good reason), but getting lost in the wild corner of a huge park and getting your share of direct communication with nature is not difficult. Until the 20th century, several Indian tribes lived here (which is why most objects in Yosemite have two names: Indian and English), and there is still debate about when the first Europeans saw Yosemite Valley. It is authentically known that in 1850 the valley had already been described. The first tourists began to come here in 1855, and soon Abraham Lincoln signed a document that gave this area a special status. Yosemite has enough entertainment for everyone: there are rivers where you can kayak or kayak, dense forests along which convenient hiking trails are laid, rocks for which climbers from all over the world come here.

Waterfalls and lakes

Yosemite is famous for its waterfalls: there are more than 20 of them. The exact number depends on the season and climate: in the hot summer, some of the waterfalls dry up, and in the spring, when the snow melts, the waterfalls, on the contrary, look especially impressive. It is here that the highest waterfall in the United States sparkles, unpretentiously named after the park itself - Yosemite Falls. In total, it has 740 meters, and it is the twentieth highest waterfall in the world. By the way, if you come to Yosemite in April or May and find a full moon here, be sure to take a walk to this waterfall at night: you can see a lunar rainbow, a rather rare occurrence. But the Indians who lived here were wary of this waterfall. They believed that the spirits of witches lived at the base of the waterfall: once a woman was drawing water here, but pulled out her bucket, full of snakes(so the witches took revenge on her for disturbing their peace). So just in case, stock up on water in other places. But you can climb to the top of the waterfall, however, expect that the road is quite steep and will take about 6 hours.

If you are lucky enough to visit Yosemite at the end of February, come at sunset to the 650-meter Horsetail Fall (Horsetail Fall) - in the light of the setting sun, it becomes fiery for a few minutes and looks like a lava flow falling from the top of Mount El Capitan (El Capitan). At this time, hundreds of photographers come here in the hope of favor. weather conditions: there is even a special site with tips on how to make the best photos this event.

The most beautiful waterfall in the park is considered "Bridal Veil" (Bridalvail Fall). This is a low waterfall by Yosemite standards: only 180 meters, but with a beautiful plume of water drops. The Avanichi Indians called him "Pohono": the spirit gusty wind. Two more famous waterfalls - Vernal and Nevada Falls - they are best seen from the observation point Glacier Point, from where they look like steps of a giant staircase.

Not a waterfall, but a must-see place is Mirror Lake. In fact, this is not a real lake, but only a slightly widening river, but its green waters with granite rocks reflected in them are the most famous postcard view of Yosemite. The hiking trail around the lake is easy and pleasant: you will admire huge boulders overgrown with soft emerald moss, tall trees, rocks with snow-covered tops and, if you are lucky, peacefully grazing deer. Other famous park lakes are Tenaya Lake and Cathedral Lakes.

rocks

As a result of exciting geological processes, rocks of a special shape appeared in Yosemite - granite domes. The most famous rocks are called: Half Dome, Sentinel Dome and North Dome, that is, "Half Dome", "Clock Dome" and "North Dome". Sentinel House is suitable for hiking (just over 3 km one way). And here is Half-Dom for a long time remained one of the impregnable rocks of the national park, and now this climbing route is considered difficult: for example, from 12 km of the path, the last few hundred meters must be walked holding on to specially stretched ropes. This mountain is best left for professional climbers or tourists with a very good physical training, and if you consider yourself one of them, do not forget to get a special climbing permit (Half Dome permit, $ 10 for the application and another $ 10 for the permit itself) in advance (a week in advance).

The point of attraction for climbers all over the world is Mount El Capitan. There is a hiking route to the top of the mountain, and rock climbers storm its sheer wall.

sequoias

Yosemite is home to half of all California's plants, but the main one worth seeing is the sequoias (or sequoiadendrons, if you want to follow all the rules of classification) that have been growing here for the last couple of thousand years. For meditation among the most ancient and largest trees in the world, go to one of the three groves. Mariposa (Mariposa Grove) - the largest, it has 200 trees, two of which are among the thirty largest sequoias in the world. Famous trees of the grove: "Giant grizzly", oldest tree park (about two thousand years old), "Columbia", the highest (87 meters), "Clothespin" and "Telescope", trees with holes inside after fires, and "California Tunnel" - the only surviving tree in which a hole is cut enough to drive through it. This is an example of marketing of the 1895 model - the tunnel was made specifically to attract tourists. True, this does not benefit the trees: the famous Pioneer Hut tree with the same tunnel collapsed after a storm in 2017.

Please note that the Mariposa Grove is closed to the public until the fall of 2017, and before that time you can visit two others: Tuolumne Grove, 25 trees, and Merced Grove, 40 trees. Each grove has a convenient walking route for several hours.

How to get there?

You can get into the national park through four entrances: these are routes 41 via Fresno (Fresno) if you are coming from Los Angeles, 140 via Mariposa and Merced (Merced) - this road is the most scenic, as it goes along the winding Merced River and this the most convenient route if coming from San Francisco, 120 via Oakdale from the west and Tyoga Pass from the east. The fee for entering the national park by car is $ 30. If you are planning long trips with an overnight stay in the bosom of nature or are going to conquer local rocks with special equipment, you need a Wilderness permit, which can be obtained at the information center in Yosemite Valley.

You can get to Yosemite and public transport(and this does not happen very often in the US). The American rail company Amtrack offers combined tickets: you will take the train to the Merced station, and from there a bus will take you directly from the station to the Yosemite Valley. Tickets can be bought online, at railway stations and from the conductor on the train. Such a route from, for example, will take 6 hours and cost $ 70 in both directions.

The high season in the park is from May to September, at this time there are most people here. If you come in April-May, you will see the local waterfalls in all their splendor (in summer, some of them may dry up). Try not to plan your visit on weekends and holidays: at this time, half the state gathers here and there is a chance to stand all Friday evening in a traffic jam at the entrance, and not find an overnight stay and parking and drive back. Your visit may also be affected by the weather: some roads and routes may be closed, so check the latest information on the official website.

Most travelers come to Yosemite Valley, which has all the necessary infrastructure - and most of the most famous natural "attractions". Here you can spend the night: in a tent at a campsite, in a small house (Half Dome Village, Yosemite Valley Lodge, Big Trees Lodge and others) or in a hotel room (Majestic Yosemite Hotel). There are several small supermarkets in the valley, you can dine at the hotel or at the dining room of Half Dome Village. There is a mountain equipment store, but the Internet and telephone connection are not very good - so get ready for an informational detox and communication with nature. It is better to book accommodation a couple of weeks in advance (and in the summer - even a few months in advance). If accommodation in the park seems too expensive for you (prices range from $70 for a tent to $500 for a room in the luxurious Majestic Yosemite Hotel), stay in one of the nearby towns and arrange trips to the park.

By the way, about communication with nature: all over Yosemite, there is only talk about bears. The fact is that this national park is a bearish corner in literally. There are a lot of bears here, and they are spoiled by the human presence: they are used to rummaging through garbage cans and even getting into cars in search of food. You should not be afraid - you are unlikely to meet a bear on ordinary hiking routes, but if you spend the night in a tent, be sure to close all food and cosmetics (the bears can also perceive its smell as something edible) in a special "anti-bear" box, otherwise the bears will arrange you like this " nightlife", which does not seem like much. You can’t leave anything in the car either: the cunning bear will get there, also you shouldn’t leave open windows houses. “Let's keep our bears wild” is the real slogan of the park, because if a bear gets used to getting food from people and becomes aggressive, it has to be killed, which, of course, is not good for nature. Therefore, as it is written on the posters in the valley, do not be "Bear careless".

A special free shuttle bus runs through Yosemite Valley. Take a map from the information center, where its stops are indicated along with hiking routes and sights of the valley. The map has short description hiking trails indicating difficulty, mileage and accessibility for bicycles or wheelchairs so you can plan your stay in detail.

Since you are on West Coast USA, then go to feel the spirit of the hippies, or even further - to. Well, if one national park was not enough for you and your route lies not on the coast, but inland, go ahead to where the Grand Canyon awaits you.