Merced Grove
{{Short description|Giant sequoia grove in Yosemite National Park, California, United States}}
{{Infobox forest
| name = Merced Grove
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| photo = Giant Sequoias of Merced Grove.jpg
| photo_caption = Merced Grove
| photo_width = 250px
| map = California
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| coordinates = {{coord|37|44|58|N|119|50|14|W|type:landmark_region:US-CA|display=it}}
| county = Mariposa County
| region = California
| country = United States
| elevation = {{convert|5469|ft|m}}
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| species = Sequoiadendron giganteum
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Merced Grove is a giant sequoia grove located about {{convert|3.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of Crane Flat in the Merced River watershed of Yosemite National Park, California. The grove occupies a small valley at an elevation of {{convert|5469|ft|m}} and is accessible by a {{convert|2.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} dirt trail.{{Cite web|url=http://www.redwoodhikes.com/YosemiteNP/Merced.html|title=Merced Grove|website=www.redwoodhikes.com|access-date=2019-11-11}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/sequoias.htm|title=Giant Sequoias - Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service)|website=www.nps.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-11-11}}
The grove hosts about 20 large trees with a relatively open understory, and are spread out over the last {{convert|0.4|km|mi|abbr=on}} 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.{{cite news |title=A Highway for the People to the Big Trees and Yosemite |work=Tuolumne Independent |volume=4 |number=15 |date=10 July 1875 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=TUOI18750710.2.10&srpos=1&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22merced+grove%22+yosemite------- |access-date=25 September 2024}}
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.{{cite news |title=Yosemite Promises To Draw Motorists Foresta Camp Seems Logical Headquarters for Motor Visitors |work=Los Angeles Herald |volume=XL |number=198 |date=20 June 1914 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19140620.2.185&srpos=9&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22merced+grove%22+yosemite------- |access-date=18 September 2024}} Merced Grove was the first Yosemite destination to open to automobiles each spring after the winter months of impassable roads.{{cite news |title=Yosemite Road To Open Early: First Motorists of Season Have Reached Merced Big Trees |work=Sacramento Daily Union |volume=219 |number=34 |date=3 April 1921 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU19210403.2.228&srpos=14&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22merced+grove%22+yosemite------- |access-date=18 September 2024}}
Fire
Humans have been protecting Merced Grove from wildfires since 1909, when soldiers and foresters first intervened to extinguish a wildfire threatening the grove.{{cite news |title=Forest Fires Brought Under Control |work=Daily News Leader (San Mateo) |volume=XXI |number=25 |date=2 September 1909 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DNL19090902.2.32&srpos=14&e=------190-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22merced+grove%22+yosemite------- |access-date=25 September 2024}}{{cite news |title=Fires Menacing Giant Redwoods |work=Calexico Chronicle |volume=XXV |number=2 |date=13 August 1928 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=CC19280813.2.66&srpos=18&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22merced+grove%22+yosemite------- |access-date=18 September 2024}} In recent years, firefighters successfully defended the area from several major blazes, including the Motor Fire in 2011, the Rim Fire in 2013, the El Portal Fire in 2014, and the Ferguson Fire in 2018.{{cite web |title=Merced Grove: Saving Sequoias |url=https://yosemite.org/projects/merced-grove-saving-sequoias-2021/ |website=Yosemite Conservancy |access-date=18 September 2024}}
Merced Grove Ranger Station
The Merced Grove Ranger Station was designed by the National Park Service and completed in 1935 as a replacement for the 1915 checking station on the Coulterville Road.{{cite web |last=Tom |first=Challenger |title=Coulterville Road, the first Highway to Yosemite Valley |date=October 14, 2022 |url=https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/12/the-old-coulterville-road-first-highway.html |website=Gribblenation |access-date=18 September 2024}} It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.{{cite report |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory |date=December 14, 1978 |publisher=United States Department of the Interior |url=https://npshistory.com/publications/yose/nr-merced-grove-rs.pdf}}
See also
- List of giant sequoia groves
- Mariposa Grove - a sequoia grove in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park.
- Tuolumne Grove - a nearby giant sequoia grove