TRAVEL-202609-uswest/days/2026-09-23.md

# Sep 23 (Wed) — Yosemite

**Stay:** [Cabin — Wawona](../bookings/stays/cabin-yosemite-wawona.md)

## Logistics

- Out-and-back along Hwy 41: south to Mariposa Grove (10 min) → north to the Valley (1 hr 10) → south to Chinquapin junction, east up Glacier Point Road, 16-mile dead end (1 hr) → back to Chinquapin, south to Wawona (1 hr)
- Screenshot the Miramonte door code today while there is cell service — it arrives 24 h before the Sep 24 check-in and the cabin has no signal
- Mariposa Grove: shuttle confirmed running (see below); park at the Welcome Plaza, ~300 spaces, fills by late morning

## Plan

> Menu: [`parks_sights.md`](../parks_sights.md). Order follows the light: Half Dome from Glacier Point is backlit in the morning and best at sunset.

- **Morning** Mariposa Grove — leave the cabin ~7:40 for the first 8 AM shuttle; Grizzly Giant loop ~2 miles, back at the car ~10:30
- **Midday** Valley floor — anything not done Sep 22; lunch in the Village
- *Optional:* Mirror Lake — ~2 miles out and back from the shuttle stop (5-mile full loop); lake is often dry by late September
- **~4:30 PM** Drive up Glacier Point Road (~1 hr from the Valley)
- **~5:30–7:00 PM** Glacier Point — Half Dome and the high country at sunset; Washburn Point on the way
- **Evening** Back to Wawona, ~1 hr, in the dark

## Mariposa Grove

> Shuttle from the Welcome Plaza runs 8 AM–7 PM on Sep 23 (last bus down 8 PM), every ~15 min. Free. Coordinates from OpenStreetMap; Grizzly Giant cross-checked with Wikipedia.

**Loops** (times from NPS unless marked est.):

| Loop | Distance | Gain | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Trees Loop | 0.3 mi | flat, accessible | ~20–30 min (est.) |
| Grizzly Giant Loop | 2 mi | 300 ft | 1.5–2 h |
| Guardians Loop | 6.5 mi | ~1,000 ft | 4–6 h |
| Mariposa Grove Trail → Wawona Point | 7 mi RT | 1,200 ft | 4–6 h (est.) |
| Washburn Trail (plaza → arrival area, if no shuttle) | 2 mi each way | 500 ft | ~1 h each way (est.) |

Budget ~2.5 h door to door for the Grizzly Giant Loop, including the shuttle each way. Cheapest upper-grove add-on: Faithful Couple, ~0.6 mi past Grizzly Giant, ~40 min out and back.

**Grizzly Giant Loop**, in walking order from the arrival area:

| Stop | Note | Map |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival area (shuttle stop, toilets, water, trailhead) | start of all loops | [37.50159, -119.611](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50159,-119.611) |
| Fallen Monarch | Big Trees Loop, ~0.1 mi; walk along a downed sequoia | [37.50254, -119.60898](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50254,-119.60898) |
| Bachelor and Three Graces | four trunks in a row, ~0.5 mi | [37.50415, -119.60465](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50415,-119.60465) |
| Grizzly Giant | ~0.8 mi; ~2,900 yr, the oldest in the grove; toilets 100 m east | [37.50355, -119.60072](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50355,-119.60072) |
| California Tunnel Tree | 100 m past Grizzly Giant; still-living tunnel cut in 1895 | [37.50427, -119.60031](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50427,-119.60031) |
| Grizzly Giant accessible lot | placard only; toilets | [37.50196, -119.60242](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50196,-119.60242) |

**Upper grove** — *optional*, adds ~4–5 mi via the Mariposa Grove Trail or Guardians Loop; skip if the Valley and Glacier Point are the priority:

| Stop | Note | Map |
|---|---|---|
| Faithful Couple | two trunks fused at the base | [37.50968, -119.60491](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50968,-119.60491) |
| Clothespin Tree | fire-carved gap you can see through | [37.51093, -119.60254](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51093,-119.60254) |
| Mariposa Grove Museum (Galen Clark cabin) | toilets nearby | [37.51358, -119.59898](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51358,-119.59898) |
| Telescope Tree | hollow; look up the trunk to the sky | [37.51128, -119.59538](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51128,-119.59538) |
| Wawona Tunnel Tree | fell 1969; the famous drive-through, now a stump | [37.51473, -119.59483](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51473,-119.59483) |
| Galen Clark Tree |  | [37.51659, -119.59396](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51659,-119.59396) |
| Wawona Point | overlook at the top, 6,810 ft | [37.51871, -119.6007](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.51871,-119.6007) |

## Addresses

| Place | Address | Map |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin — Wawona | 2627 Spelt Road, Wawona, CA 95389 · green house on the left · **door code 0517** · wifi `Yosemitecabin` / `!Yosemite!` · host +1 209-347-6333 · staff +1 559-598-0890 | [37.54718, -119.64746](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.54718,-119.64746) |
| Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza | Mariposa Grove Road, off Hwy 41 at the south entrance | [37.50662, -119.63029](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.50662,-119.63029) |
| Sentinel Bridge lot (Cook's Meadow) | Southside Drive, Yosemite Valley | [37.74420, -119.58973](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.74420,-119.58973) |
| Chinquapin junction | Hwy 41 × Glacier Point Road, ~12 mi north of Wawona; turn east for Glacier Point | [37.65933, -119.70714](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.65933,-119.70714) |
| Glacier Point | end of Glacier Point Road | [37.73067, -119.57367](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=37.73067,-119.57367) |