Prepare to Feel Tiny Next to These Giant Sequoias

There’s a tree in Yosemite National Park that has lived through almost two millennia.

Affectionately known as the Grizzly Giant, this enormous sequoia tree stands about 64 metres tall and is 1800 years old. That means your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great- – well, a lot of greats – grandparents could have walked beneath its branches, too.

And, for the first time in three years, tree huggers can once again view the magnificent specimen.

Mariposa Grove in California’s Yosemite National Park was closed in 2015 for US$40 million dollars’ (AU$54 million) worth of restorations, including 6.5 kilometres of new trails, walkways made of natural materials and boardwalks that prevent people from stepping on the sequoia’s sensitive roots.

It reopened in June, much to the delight of anyone eager to get a closer look at these wise old trees.

Mariposa is one of three sequoia groves in the park and is home to 500 mature specimens.

That might seem like a staggering number of something so large, but it’s a fraction of Yosemite’s total sequoia count. Within the park borders there are around 6000 of the enduring plants. Though some are merely seedlings, one day they’ll be as tall as their grand ancestor.

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