Restored sequoia grove in Yosemite reopens to public

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — John Muir, the naturalist who was most at home sleeping outdoors on a bed of pine needles in the Sierra Nevada, called giant sequoias the “noblest of God’s trees.”

For three years, some of the most striking examples of these towering marvels were off limits to visitors in Yosemite National Park. But after a $40 million renovation — the largest restoration project in the park’s history — the Mariposa Grove, a collection of around 500 mature giant sequoias, reopened last week.

Max Whittaker / New York Times Visitors walk into the Mariposa Grove at Yosemite National Park in California. After a three-year restoration project, the grove of giant sequoias has reopened, with less asphalt and more concern for the health of the trees.