Wawona, California is a little town within the area of Yosemite National Park on the south side. The town has less than 200 year-round residents. This number is much larger during tourist season, since the main trail heads into the southern Yosemite Park are nearby.
Located at the southern tip of Yosemite Park, the Wawona Tunnel Tree was a 227 feet high Giant Sequoia tree that used to stand in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees. The tree became known as the Wawona Fallen Tunnel Tree after it stood for eighty-eight years and then collapsed. The word Wawona means Big Tree in the language of the Southern Sierra Miwok Native American tribe. Some say that Wawona is the Native American word for Hoot of the Owl. Owls were considered the spiritual tree guardians.
The Wawona Tunnel Tree is a popular tourist site as it features a tunnel that was made through an existing fire scar in 1881. The 26 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 7-foot high tunnel was a very popular tourist destination. There were numerous photographs taken of tourists throughout time driving in horse-drawn carriages and in automobiles. In 1969, the 2,300 year old tree crashed due to an intense snowfall. Giant Sequoias are the worlds largest trees, volume-wise, and the Wawona Tunnel Tree used to be one of the largest and oldest sequoia trees, the oldest known existing Giant Sequoia is 3,500 years old, measured by ring count. Fallen Wawona is a Famous Fallen Tunnel Tree lies on the forest floor where it fell and it is still an impressive sight.
A popular way to bring visitors to the National Parks was to curve tunnels through the giant Sequoia trees. At that time, National Parks were appreciated more for their individual features than as part of an eco-system, or a complete environment. Nowadays, the goal for the country's National Parks is to preserve nature with as little human interference as possible.
One thing that increased awareness of the importance of preserving wildlife in the country's National Parks was the fall of the Wawona Tunnel Tree. In 1970, the National Park Service applied new policies to help preserve Giant Sequoia trees. The seeds of these trees can only grow in full sunlight, free from competing vegetation, and sequoias therefore need natural wildfires to prevent shade-loving species from crowding out young sequoia seedlings. The controlled burns of sequoia groves began in the 1970s which were managed by the National Park Service. Now, they let natural fires burn, too.
Accommodations in Wawona
There are lots of options available to accommodate your needs at the Mariposa Grove and Wawona region. Inside Yosemite National Park, there are several rental cabins that are privately owned. Camping is available all year as well, though some must be reserved at special times of the year.
Wawona Hotel offers an experience to remember. Located four miles within the Parks southern entrance, between the Mariposa Grove and the Yosemite Valley, it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987 and it is one of the oldest mountain resort hotels in the state. Below is a brief history of this interesting hotel.
* Galen Clark was a miner who came through the Wawona region as he made his way towards his destination of Yosemite Valley in 1855. Struck by the beauty of the place, he returned a year later and built a log cabin which later became a wayside hotel called Clark's Station, near a spring.
* Clark's hotel changed it's name to the Big Tree Station and moved it to the far side of the meadow sometime around 1860.
* In 1875, when the original Wawona Road was opened, the Washburn brothers bought the area and Clarks Station. Standing today is the building called Long White, one of the only buildings left standing after a kitchen fire in 1878. Clark's Cottage is part of the Wawona Hotel that was once known as Long White. It is a huge, two story, twenty-five room hotel, built in the late 1800s. In the year of 1884, the hotel became known as Wawona Hotel. Then, in 1932, the Wawona Valley region was added to Yosemite National Park. took over the operation of the hotel. The Wowona Hotel is managed by DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite these days.
* The New-England architecture of the buildings houses 104 guest rooms in six buildings. Many rooms have directly connected luxurious patios. No telephones or televisions exist at the hotel to distract visitors from the scenic splendor. However, one of the oldest golf courses in the Sierras, dating back to 1918, is just across the street. - 16752
Located at the southern tip of Yosemite Park, the Wawona Tunnel Tree was a 227 feet high Giant Sequoia tree that used to stand in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees. The tree became known as the Wawona Fallen Tunnel Tree after it stood for eighty-eight years and then collapsed. The word Wawona means Big Tree in the language of the Southern Sierra Miwok Native American tribe. Some say that Wawona is the Native American word for Hoot of the Owl. Owls were considered the spiritual tree guardians.
The Wawona Tunnel Tree is a popular tourist site as it features a tunnel that was made through an existing fire scar in 1881. The 26 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 7-foot high tunnel was a very popular tourist destination. There were numerous photographs taken of tourists throughout time driving in horse-drawn carriages and in automobiles. In 1969, the 2,300 year old tree crashed due to an intense snowfall. Giant Sequoias are the worlds largest trees, volume-wise, and the Wawona Tunnel Tree used to be one of the largest and oldest sequoia trees, the oldest known existing Giant Sequoia is 3,500 years old, measured by ring count. Fallen Wawona is a Famous Fallen Tunnel Tree lies on the forest floor where it fell and it is still an impressive sight.
A popular way to bring visitors to the National Parks was to curve tunnels through the giant Sequoia trees. At that time, National Parks were appreciated more for their individual features than as part of an eco-system, or a complete environment. Nowadays, the goal for the country's National Parks is to preserve nature with as little human interference as possible.
One thing that increased awareness of the importance of preserving wildlife in the country's National Parks was the fall of the Wawona Tunnel Tree. In 1970, the National Park Service applied new policies to help preserve Giant Sequoia trees. The seeds of these trees can only grow in full sunlight, free from competing vegetation, and sequoias therefore need natural wildfires to prevent shade-loving species from crowding out young sequoia seedlings. The controlled burns of sequoia groves began in the 1970s which were managed by the National Park Service. Now, they let natural fires burn, too.
Accommodations in Wawona
There are lots of options available to accommodate your needs at the Mariposa Grove and Wawona region. Inside Yosemite National Park, there are several rental cabins that are privately owned. Camping is available all year as well, though some must be reserved at special times of the year.
Wawona Hotel offers an experience to remember. Located four miles within the Parks southern entrance, between the Mariposa Grove and the Yosemite Valley, it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987 and it is one of the oldest mountain resort hotels in the state. Below is a brief history of this interesting hotel.
* Galen Clark was a miner who came through the Wawona region as he made his way towards his destination of Yosemite Valley in 1855. Struck by the beauty of the place, he returned a year later and built a log cabin which later became a wayside hotel called Clark's Station, near a spring.
* Clark's hotel changed it's name to the Big Tree Station and moved it to the far side of the meadow sometime around 1860.
* In 1875, when the original Wawona Road was opened, the Washburn brothers bought the area and Clarks Station. Standing today is the building called Long White, one of the only buildings left standing after a kitchen fire in 1878. Clark's Cottage is part of the Wawona Hotel that was once known as Long White. It is a huge, two story, twenty-five room hotel, built in the late 1800s. In the year of 1884, the hotel became known as Wawona Hotel. Then, in 1932, the Wawona Valley region was added to Yosemite National Park. took over the operation of the hotel. The Wowona Hotel is managed by DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite these days.
* The New-England architecture of the buildings houses 104 guest rooms in six buildings. Many rooms have directly connected luxurious patios. No telephones or televisions exist at the hotel to distract visitors from the scenic splendor. However, one of the oldest golf courses in the Sierras, dating back to 1918, is just across the street. - 16752
