Descending into one of Yosemite’s sequoia groves is like having dessert first.

Some 16 miles west of Yosemite Village on Tioga Pass Road, we park in a gravel lot at the Tuolumne Grove trailhead, pull our beanies snugly over our ears and walk 500 feet downhill to an immediate reward: Two dozen giant sequoia trees jutting hundreds of feet into the sky.

Save for the flutter of a jay’s wings, the rustle of leaves from a swift deer or whispers among huddled hikers, it is silent on this 2.5-mile round-trip hike. You get the sense that conversation would somehow disturb these ancient redwoods, and you’re too busy marveling at their size and stature to talk anyway.

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There are three giant sequoia groves in Yosemite National Park, and the biggest one, the Mariposa Grove, located on Highway 41 near the park’s south entrance, is in the middle of a massive (read: $40 million) restoration project that began in 2015.

Once complete, the famous grove, which is home to approximately 500 mature giant sequoia trees, including the 1,800-year-old Grizzly Giant, will feature several much-anticipated improvements — for humans and redwoods alike. The Yosemite Conservancy partly funded the restoration through its donors, and produced this video explaining the multi-year project.

When the grove re-opens in early spring, you’ll discover that many of the roads within the grove have been converted into hiking trails. More than half a mile of new, accessible trails and boardwalks within the lower Grove and Grizzly Giant areas will be not only easier to walk on, but they’ll help improve the natural water flow and protect the habitat. Flush toilets are replacing vault toilets, and you’ll find improvements to the rock work and trail tread at Wawona Point, too.

In place of the old tram tours, there will be a new parking and transportation hub near the South Entrance station. During peak season, you can avoid driving in traffic by parking there, then traveling the two miles to the Mariposa Grove by shuttle bus. This arrival plaza, as it’s called, will also feature new educational elements, so visitors can learn about the protected landscape and the many species it supports.

Overall, the improvements will increase the resiliency of this treasured grove to withstand stressors such as climate change, protect sensitive wildlife species within and around the grove, and enhance the resiliency of the majestic giant sequoias for generations to come.

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Yosemite: Hazardous smoke, fire closure. Oh, and biting snakes. Until then, the Merced and Tuolumne Groves will have to do — and they do so magnificently. Inside Tuolumne Grove, we marvel at the gnarly roots of what is believed to be the first giant sequoia to have its trunk carved into a tunnel. We think about the tourists who paid to drive through that shocking tunnel back in 1875. And we think what we do here today as tourists: Take a rest on a well-worn bench after witnessing the beauty of this grove, and scroll through our photos, hoping we somehow captured that marvelous feeling of having dessert first.

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If you go

Mariposa Grove: Located on Wawona Road (Highway 41), near the park’s South Entrance. The hike is 2.2 miles round trip. Check for updates on the opening date before you go; www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/mariposagrove.htm.

Tuolumne Grove: Located on Tioga Road just east of Crane Flat. Limited parking. The hike is 2.5 miles round trip, almost entirely downhill on the way to the grove and, of course, almost entirely uphill on the way back.

Merced Grove: Located on Big Oak Flat Road east of the park’s Big Oak Flat Entrance. Very limited parking. Least trafficked and smallest of the three groves, with 20 giant sequoias. The hike is 3 miles round trip, with 600 feet of elevation gain. Like Tuolumne Grove, it’s downhill to the trees, uphill to get back.

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