On Saturday Dan came to visit along with my friends Karen, Zach and Kara. We spent the weekend exploring in and around the city. And then Monday morning we packed up our rental car, stopped by Trader Joe’s to load up on snacks, and headed out east to Yosemite.

Just before we got to our cabin at Yosemite Pines, we stopped at the cutest little shop, Kevin and Randi’s Deli, for sandwiches, and grabbed some fresh bread, lunch meat and cheese for later. After we settled into Yosemite Pines, we drove into the park for some exploring. Considering the size of Yosemite and how easy it can be to get lost within these giant sequoias it might have been a benefit to look for Yosemite tours around the area so we could enjoy the scenic views without feeling the existential dread of being lost, nevertheless we ended up fine.

For our first hike, we visited the Tuolumne Giant Sequoia Grove. The grove is filled with some of the tallest trees I’ve ever seen, but there are also a handful of giant sequoias, some of which are hundreds of years older than the Roman coliseum.

The Tuolumne Giant Sequoia Grove is a short drive from the park’s Big Oak Flat entrance and the grove loop is a mile walk from the parking lot. The way there is all downhill so it’s the walk back to the car that is the hard part.

I’ve never seen trees so big in my life, and this was a pretty fun way to kick off our adventure in Yosemite. There are so many fun spots to stop and snap photos of the sequoias that we spent an hour and a half there, even though the loop is a short, easy walk.

There was one fallen tree that you could climb all over, or even run inside if you are feeling adventurous. It was so tall that the fallen trunk continues a long way down the path.

At the end of the loop there is a sequoia tunnel to top it all off.

The Tuolumne Giant Sequoia Grove is a perfect stop if you have an afternoon to enjoy in the park and would like to see the giant sequoias.