As you stroll through the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, you might not fully appreciate the deep and intricate connections between sequoia trees like the Faithful Couple if there wasn’t a sign in front of them, alerting you to look again.
At eye level, you’re presented with another sequoia in a grove of impressive trees. The trunk is admittedly massive, nearly 40 feet (12.2 m) in diameter compared to the 31 feet (9.4 m) of the Grizzly Giant. Standing before you is a living, growing being, thousands of years old, as wide as a standard school bus or a shipping container is long.
Then, you cast your gaze upward, and it suddenly becomes apparent that this isn’t one enormous tree before you, but two enormous trees that have grown together so seamlessly that it’s impossible to tell until you look up. High above their unified trunk, two individuals emerge. They are about the same size and strength, equal in their partnership, straight, and robust, and flourishing.
Don’t forget to look up – way up – to see the couple that is so connected below. Photo: Theresa Ho
It’s no wonder that couples flock to this tree (these trees?) as a testament to the idea that two individuals can grow stronger together. But the Faithful Couple isn’t the only pair of giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove that are destined to be together. Keep your eyes open for other trees that are growing together too. In fact, to spot one such couple, you only need to look across the trail from the Faithful Couple.
The Underground Network of Giant Sequoias
Of course, that’s just what is happening above ground. A similar and possibly more profound partnership is taking place under your feet.
Sequoia root systems are shallow, only about a foot (0.3 m) deep. (You’ll get a sense of the root structure of a giant sequoia when you pass the Fallen Monarch.) One of the ways such a shallow root system can support the most massive trees in the world for thousands of years is that these shallow root systems intertwine with those of their neighbors. They hang on under the earth to build a network that helps to hold each other upright.
As if that weren’t incredible enough, root grafting is common in sequoias. The roots of one giant sequoia physically connect to other nearby sequoias. It’s not just that the roots are woven around each other, they are physically woven together into a single expanded root system. In this way, they share water and nutrients. Between neighboring sequoia trees, it truly is “One for all and all for one.”
So, with giant sequoias like the two that have embraced each other above ground the way that the Faithful Couple has, you can also imagine a complex and deeply intimate connection below ground.
How do I get to the Faithful Couple?
The Faithful Couple are located along the Mariposa Grove Trail slightly less than a mile past the Grizzly Giant.
Map of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias courtesy NPS.
The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is in the southern part of Yosemite National park, not far from the community of Wawona and the The Redwoods In Yosemite cabins.
- If the shuttle buses are running, take the free shuttle bus from the Welcome Area Parking to the Arrival Area in the Lower Grove. If the shuttle buses aren’t running, take the Washburn Trail to the Arrival Area trailhead, adding roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) to your walk, each way. Check when the shuttle buses run on the NPS website.
- Follow signs for the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail or the Mariposa Grove Trail toward the Grizzly Giant. Continue past the Grizzly Giant to the California Tunnel Tree.
- Most people stay to the left of the California Tunnel Tree to complete the Grizzly Giant Loop. Instead, walk through the California Tunnel Tree, (this is fun to do anyway) and then turn left when you reconnect to the wide Mariposa Grove Trail. From that junction, it’s about 0.75 miles (1.2 km) to the Faithful Couple.
- Once you have stopped to admire the Faithful Couple, you can continue along the Mariposa Grove trail toward the Clothespin Tree and the Galen Clark Tree in the Upper Grove, or you can follow a secondary trail that will loop you back toward the Arrival Area.
