Merced Grove is a

giant sequoia ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the la ...

grove located about west of Crane Flat in the

Merced River The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and st ...

watershed of

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The grove occupies a small valley at an elevation of and is accessible by a dirt trail. The grove hosts about 20 large trees with a relatively open understory, and are spread out over the last of the trail.

History

The first road to Merced Grove, a stagecoach route, opened in 1875. This made the grove accessible to visitors from across the country, who could take a train to Merced, then travel by stagecoach through Coulterville and into Yosemite. Yosemite National Park opened to automobiles in 1913, marking a new era of accessibility for visitors. Foresta, a private summer camp near the park's western entrance, was established near Merced Grove. The grove quickly became a popular stopover for the first automobile travelers heading into the park. Merced Grove was the first Yosemite destination to open to automobiles each spring after the winter months of impassable roads.

Fire

Humans have been protecting Merced Grove from wildfires since 1909, when soldiers and foresters first intervened to extinguish a wildfire threatening the grove. In recent years, firefighters successfully defended the area from several major blazes, including the Motor Fire in 2011, the

Rim Fire Rim may refer to: *Rim (basketball), the hoop through which the ball must pass **Breakaway rim, a sprung basketball rim *Rim (coin), the raised edge which surrounds the coin design *Rim (crater), extending above the local surface *Rim (firearms), ...

in 2013, the El Portal Fire in 2014, and the Ferguson Fire in 2018.

Merced Grove Ranger Station

The Merced Grove Ranger Station was designed by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

and completed in 1935 as a replacement for the 1915 checking station on the Coulterville Road. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1978.

References

Giant sequoia groves Yosemite National Park {{MariposaCountyCA-geo-stub

History

Fire

Merced Grove Ranger Station

See also

References