Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Big Tree
Sequoiadendrion giganteum
Photographed By Adam Margolis, September 23, 2016
1. Big Tree Marker
This nine-foot section of a giant sequoia was cut 30 feet from the base of a tree that fell in the Mariposa Grove in 1919. Annual rings show the tree's to be 996 years old, but at the base of the tree, where the diameter was 14 feet, the age was found to be 1,100 years. One of the largest trees in the Mariposa Grove, the Grizzly Giant, has been estimated to be 1790 years old.
These big trees should not be confused with the coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, which is utilized commercially. Both are sequoias, part of the redwood family of trees, but the giant sequoia Sequoia giganteum, is native only to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. The coast redwood grows along the Pacific coast from the Monterey Peninsula to southwestern Oregon.
The fossil record indicates that over forty species of the redwood family once existed in the Northern Hemisphere. Eighteen species survive to the present, three of which have the name sequoia.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.
Location. 37° 44.91′ N, 119° 35.284′ W. Marker is in Yosemite National Park, California, in Mariposa County. Marker can be reached from Village Drive north of Northside Drive, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Yosemite National Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Yosemite Valley (within shouting distance of this marker); A Home for Rangers (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); James Hutchings (approx. 0.3 miles away); Early Tourism (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Story of Half Dome (approx. 0.4 miles away); Reawakening the Meadow (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Old Yosemite Village (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yosemite National Park.
Photographed By Adam Margolis, September 23, 2016
2. Big Tree Marker
Photographed By Adam Margolis, September 23, 2016
3. Big Tree Marker
Photographed By Adam Margolis, September 23, 2016
4. Big Tree Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 15, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. This page has been viewed 101 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 15, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
