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The large parking lot was mostly full when we arrived. I'd passed by this lot many times on the way
to Tuolumne Meadows and it always seemed crowded. For that reason, I think I expected more in the
way of facilities. In fact, there's just a couple of pit toilets and nothing else. No vendors
selling anything, just a lot of people headed out on the trail to Tuolumne Grove.
At the start of the trail, there's a display with a large stump for illustrative purposes.
The trail itself is really a paved road. It's now a road for authorized vehicles only, and
in somewhat disrepair, but a road nonetheless. You'll probably be accompanied by hordes of
tourists, people in heels or flip-flops, or parents pushing strollers. We sure were.
That being said, it wasn't a trivial hike. The starts out relatively flat, but then starts
descending, somewhat steeply at times. A few of the tourists started turning back.
Flowers next to the trail
Flower close-up
The trail, up to this point, is pretty much nondescript, but I'll try to describe it anyway.
It runs through a conifer forest, nothing spectacular. There were a few flowers here and there.
Eventually, we saw a sign stating "Entering Tuolumne Grove". Shortly, we saw the first of several
large sequoia trees.
Entering Tuolumne Grove
Once we reached that tree, we took the right fork, an actual trail (not road) which leads toward
the Tunnel Tree. This tree was apparently already dead when they bore a hole through it in 1878
so that people could ride through it. The lower perhaps 40 feet of it still stand, and you can
walk through it. An interpretive sign on the other side of the tree explains its history.
One of the first sequoias in the grove
What's left of the Tunnel Tree
We started to continue along the trail, but then I noticed a small side trail on the right,
barely noticeable. If we had missed it, it would have been fine since we could have entered
the sequoia loop portion later. In any case, we took this trail to the right and,
after crossing over a stream, reached a hollow fallen sequoia. You can walk right into it, if
you're really short.
Looking inside a fallen sequoia
The side of the fallen sequoia
We continued along the loop trail, which contains several more sequoia trees -- the living,
standing variety. I always love to see sequoias, especially in afternoon light. All the
sequoias here, unlike most of the ones in Sequoia National Park, are fenced off for protection.
Nice section of trail through the sequoias
Another sequoia
After completing the loop, we reached the start of the loop, where there a few picnic tables
and 5 different trails to choose from. There are the two ends of the loop, one of which we had just
been on. There's another trail that heads back up to the Tunnel Tree. Then there's the paved
road, leading left (up) and right (down). To the right is Hodgdon Meadow. We went up the paved
road to the left, heading back up to the trailhead.
We climbed steadily up. Just as we neared the trailhead, some hikers in front of us silently
motioned into the brush to the right. It was the unmistakeable signal that there was a bear
nearby. We looked across and saw what looked to be a little bear cub, clawing away at
something at the base of a tree. The bear was relatively far, maybe 150 feet away, in thick
forest. We observed it for a little while before returning to the trailhead. If you're interested,
I posted a short video of the bear on the Facebook page.
Bear cub
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