The 5 Best Hiking Trails Near Yosemite’s Southern Entrance, Mariposa County

Most Yosemite content focuses on the Valley floor, but the park’s Southern Entrance, the Wawona and Mariposa Grove area, reached via Highway 41, is its own distinct, quieter world. This guide covers that corridor specifically; for the Valley’s famous waterfalls, my dedicated waterfall trails guide covers that ground separately. Start at the Mariposa County trail guide for the complete picture, which includes a full guide to Yosemite’s South Entrance Hiking Trails and historic sequoia paths.

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One thing worth checking before any visit here: Yosemite’s entrance and shuttle policies have changed more than once in recent years, so confirm current requirements at NPS rather than relying on older guides, including possibly this one by the time you read it.

Key takeaways

• The must-see grove: Mariposa Grove’s Big Trees and Grizzly Giant Loops, giant sequoias, including one of the largest trees on Earth.
• The easiest, most reliable trail: Wawona Meadow Loop, flat, dog-friendly, and usable nearly any season.
• The demanding payoff hike: Chilnualna Falls, a genuine full-day trek to a multi-tiered granite cascade.
• The uncrowded alternative: Alder Creek Trail, a quiet former logging railroad grade to a little-visited waterfall.
• The extension for grove visitors: Wawona Point, the widest view in this guide, for those already at Mariposa Grove.
• Dog policy varies sharply within this single guide, banned throughout Mariposa Grove, welcomed on the Wawona Meadow Loop.

Mariposa Grove: Big Trees Loop Trail

Trailhead access: the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza, shuttle or Washburn Trail

Park at the Welcome Plaza and take the free shuttle to the grove when it’s running (typically late May through November); when it isn’t (December through April), the 2-mile Washburn Trail is the walking alternative. Confirm current entrance and reservation requirements directly with the park before you go, since these have shifted more than once in recent years.

What you’ll see: the Grizzly Giant and several hundred mature giant sequoias

The Big Trees Loop itself is a short 0.3-mile walk to the Fallen Monarch, a massive downed sequoia. To actually reach the Grizzly Giant, one of the largest sequoias on Earth, estimated at somewhere between 1,800 and 3,000 years old depending on the source, continue onto the connected Grizzly Giant Loop, about 2 miles round trip with 300 to 400 feet of gain, passing the California Tunnel Tree along the way.

The grove protects several hundred mature giant sequoias in total. A separate, shorter accessible parking trailhead reaches the Grizzly Giant and California Tunnel Tree directly. Worth knowing plainly: dogs aren’t permitted anywhere in Mariposa Grove, including the shuttle, roads, and every trail.

Best time to hike Mariposa Grove: spring through fall, some upper trails close for winter snow

The lower grove trails are usable spring through fall; heavier snow years can close upper sections and affect shuttle operations. The grove has also seen occasional temporary closures from fire and storm damage in recent years, currently reopened and operating normally, but worth a quick status check regardless.

Wawona Meadow Loop Trail

Trailhead access: free, directly behind the Wawona Hotel (Big Trees Lodge)

Park at the historic Wawona Hotel, also known as Big Trees Lodge, free, no permit, and the most centrally located trailhead in this entire guide.

What you’ll see: a historic golf course and open meadow views

This flat loop, roughly 3.5 to 3.7 miles, circles Wawona’s historic golf course and an open meadow, genuinely the gentlest trail experience in this guide, and notably, one of the few in this area that welcomes leashed dogs.

Best time to hike Wawona Meadow Loop: any season, a reliable easy option

Flat and low-elevation, this trail stays comfortable across virtually the entire year, a dependable option worth pairing with my trail etiquette guide if you’re new to sharing multi-use paths with cyclists and dog walkers.

Chilnualna Falls Trail

Trailhead access: free, in Wawona, near the Chilnualna Falls Campground

Park near the trailhead about two miles up Chilnualna Falls Road from the small community of Wawona, free, no permit required for this day hike.

What you’ll see: a multi-tiered waterfall cascading through granite

This is the most physically demanding trail in this guide, roughly 8.4 miles round trip with about 2,200 feet of gain, typically taking 5 to 6 hours.

The reward is a genuinely dramatic set of five cascades sliding over granite slabs above the Wawona Basin, widely regarded as one of the best waterfall hikes in the park’s southern half. Hikers wanting less commitment can turn around after the first cascade, about 2 miles round trip.

Best time to hike Chilnualna Falls: spring for peak flow, once snow clears

Spring snowmelt drives this waterfall’s flow to its fullest, though lingering snow at the higher switchbacks can affect early-season access, check current conditions before an early spring attempt.

Alder Creek Trail

Trailhead access: free, along the Wawona Road

This trailhead sits along the Wawona Road corridor, following the graded remains of a historic logging railroad, genuinely one of the least-used trailheads in this entire guide.

What you’ll see: a historic railroad grade and a quiet waterfall

The trail follows the old logging railroad bed through open pine forest to Alder Fall, a little-visited, roughly 100-foot cascade, a genuinely different historical thread than the mining and gold-rush history covered elsewhere in this county.

Like most seasonal waterfalls covered on this site, flow here depends heavily on recent rain and snowmelt. An alternate, longer approach from Mosquito Creek extends the round trip to about 8 miles for those wanting more distance.

Best time to hike Alder Creek Trail: an uncrowded alternative to Chilnualna Falls

This trail sees a fraction of Chilnualna Falls’ traffic despite comparable canyon scenery, the clear pick if solitude matters more to you than hiking the more famous name.

Wawona Point Trail (Within Mariposa Grove)

Trailhead access: via the upper Mariposa Grove trail network

Reaching Wawona Point means continuing past the Grizzly Giant Loop onto the longer upper-grove trails, either the roughly 6.5-mile Guardians Loop or the 7-mile Mariposa Grove Trail, both requiring meaningfully more elevation gain than the lower loops.

What you’ll see: a panoramic overlook of the Wawona Valley

At 4,810 feet, Wawona Point delivers some of the widest Wawona Valley views anywhere in this guide, a genuine reward for pushing past the lower grove’s crowds into its considerably quieter upper reaches.

Best time to hike Wawona Point: a quieter extension for visitors already at Mariposa Grove

This isn’t a trail most people plan a visit around specifically, it’s the natural next step for anyone already exploring the grove who wants to escape the lower loop’s crowds and add real distance to their day.

Which of these five to hike first

If you’re short on time, the Big Trees and Grizzly Giant Loops deliver the grove’s essential experience in about two hours. If you want the single best payoff hike in the area, Chilnualna Falls earns the full-day commitment. And if you’re bringing a dog, Wawona Meadow Loop is the only trail in this guide built for that.

Frequently asked questions