The Fire That Closed the South Grove Is Why the North Grove Is Worth Walking This Fall

Since October 1, the South Grove at Calaveras Big Trees has been closed for prescribed burning. The closure covers the South Grove Trail, the Beaver Creek area, the Bradley Grove Trail, the fire road around the grove, and the Walter W. Smith Memorial Parkway south of the Stanislaus River. The closure is still on the park's current advisory list, and no reopening date has been given.

Locals in Dorrington and Camp Connell can still walk among giant sequoias in the North Grove, a few minutes down Highway 4. This fall it also happens to be the best place in the park to see what fire does for these trees. The park burned parts of the North Grove in the fall of 2022 and 2023, and State Parks describes those burns as "producing the perfect habitat for the fire-loving seedlings." So the closed grove is being prepared now, and the open grove shows the results a few years later.

What closed, and why it probably stays closed until spring

The work was announced in a September 21, 2026 news release from California State Parks. With help from CAL FIRE, the park planned burns in four treatment areas covering about 780 acres in the South Grove, North Grove Meadow, and West Moran, starting as soon as September 30. The release said all burning depends on weather and air quality. It also said closures "will remain in effect until conditions favor reopening" and that smoke would linger after active burning stopped.

The winter road closure also applies. Every year, the park closes the Walter W. Smith Parkway at the first significant snowfall or on December 1, whichever comes first. That closure cuts off vehicle access to the Stanislaus River and South Grove areas until May 1 or later if snow remains.

Two years ago, the same sequence played out. Crews started burning the South Grove on October 29, 2024, and treated 1,145 acres. The South Grove Trail and the rest of the Parkway south of the river didn't reopen until May 1, 2025. The 2025 burn plan went back into the South Grove to re-treat acres that hadn't burned well enough in 2024. Fall burning is now a regular pattern at the park.

State Parks hasn't announced a reopening date for this year. Burn closures and the December 1 Parkway rule have overlapped before, though. Unless an announcement says otherwise, plan your sequoia walks around the North Grove for the rest of the year.

The open-trail list comes from the park's Trails & More page. The release didn't say how burning in the North Grove Meadow unit might affect North Grove access on a particular day. Check the advisory page before you head out.

Reading the North Grove for fire

The North Grove Trail is a level 1.7-mile loop. When weather allows, it's accessible to wheelchairs. The park suggests allowing at least an hour. Self-guided trail booklets are in the brown boxes at the trailhead, and they match the numbered markers along the loop. For a resident who has walked it a dozen times, the burn history makes it worth another look this fall.

1. The Big Stump. This is what's left of the Discovery Tree, the first giant sequoia to make international news. The Three Senses Trail starts next to it. That loop is only a few hundred yards long, its markers are printed in both text and Braille, and it takes about 20 minutes.
2. Marker #2. Just past the Big Stump, the Grove Overlook Trail branches off and climbs the ridge above the grove. It runs alongside the main loop for about half a mile, with views of the upper trunks and crowns. This section was burned in the fall of 2022. Allow one to two hours for the Overlook.
3. The Empire State Tree, stop #5. The largest tree in the North Grove.
4. The Father of the Forest, stop #13. A giant sequoia you can walk through, and the spot where the Overlook rejoins the main trail.

The park asks walkers to stay between the numbered markers because stepping off the trail can crush a young sequoia. Those seedlings are the reason for all the burning. State Parks explains that fire's heat opens sequoia cones and drops seed onto the bare mineral soil the fire leaves behind, where the seeds can germinate. The same fire clears out built-up fuel and helps the forest hold up against a much larger wildfire. Seedlings from the 2022 and 2023 burns have had a few years to grow, and they show the early stage of that process.

It's also a fair preview of the South Grove when it comes back. After the 2024 burn, State Parks told South Grove hikers to expect charred vegetation, new fire scars, burned-out stumps, fallen trees, and freshly sprouted seedlings. A North Grove walk this fall shows what that ground can look like a couple of years later.

For a full day, the River Canyon Trail starts just past marker #2 and drops into the Stanislaus River canyon. It's a strenuous 8-mile round trip with more than 1,000 feet of elevation change. The park suggests allowing four to six hours and carrying plenty of water.

Two Saturdays left with a ranger

State Parks lists North Grove Guided Hikes on Saturdays in October. After the October 17 walk, two dates remain, October 24 and October 31. They're the last dates on the park's upcoming events list. Start times and meeting details are on the park's event listings. Park programs are free with the entrance fee, and day use is listed at $10. With the South Grove closed, these walks are the best chance this season to ask someone who works in the forest how the burns went.

The Visitor Center and its bookstore, run by the Calaveras Big Trees Association, are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from October through March. Both are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

After the Parkway gate closes

Once snow arrives or December 1 passes, the park gets smaller. The South Grove, the river picnic area, and the Bradley Grove are cut off from cars, while the North Grove stays the main way into the sequoias. The Calaveras Big Trees Association has scheduled Warming Hall days at Jack Knight Hall from December 23 through January 2. Hours will be posted closer to the dates.

Higher on Highway 4, Caltrans reopened the stretch from Lake Alpine to Raymond Meadows at 9 a.m. on October 13 and warned drivers about overnight and early-morning ice.

The stop on the way home

From the North Grove trailhead, the Camp Connell General Store is on the way back up the highway. It's open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Holiday hours are shorter. On Friday and Saturday, the grill serves wood-fired pizza, hamburgers, bison burgers, and specials. After the October 24 or October 31 guided hike, it's a short drive for lunch.

If you're thinking about a cabin within walking or biking distance of Big Trees, or wondering how the park's seasons shape life in Dorrington and Camp Connell, I'm happy to share what I know about this stretch of Highway 4. Lisa Clark with Cedar Creek Realty would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.