With Yosemite National Park's famous Mariposa Grove finally back open to visitors, widespread damage caused by a rare January weather event is on full display for hikers willing to make the trek.
The collection of giant sequoia trees bore the brunt of the windstorm on January 19, which is estimated to have caused $200 million in damage throughout the park. Fifteen giant sequoias - some roughly 3,000 years old - were toppled during the rare wind event, park officials said.
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If you're able to squeeze in the hike it takes to get into the grove without service shuttles running, you'll be startled at the sights that await.
Steel fences greet visitors following an uphill two-mile hike into the grove, blocking access to the first crop of ancient trees.
Beyond the fences, the first downed tree can be seen - one of many that didn't survive the storm throughout Mariposa Grove.
Maimed walkway fencing lies discarded, laying alongside caution tape and a stunning amount of downed tree branches.
Brush and branches are found literally everywhere you look.
Several structures were damaged, including facilities next to the grove itself.
Further down the road, a lone hiker quietly sat near another fallen giant sequoia, this one draped over a shuttered hiking trail.
This wasn't the only hiking trail damaged.
While many in the back of Mariposa Grove remain open, several pathways at the front of the collection of ancient trees are fenced off. Visitors are instead encouraged to take a service road.
The grove’s most famous trees, including the Grizzly Giant and California Tunnel Tree, were not damaged during the storm.
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