Merced Grove is a small giant sequoia grove in Yosemite National Park, west of Crane Flat in the Merced River watershed. Reached by a dirt trail, it contains about 20 large sequoias in an open understory that gives it a quieter, more spacious feel than Yosemite’s larger groves. It became an early visitor stop after a stagecoach road opened in 1875 and later served motorists entering Yosemite from the west after automobiles were allowed in 1913, often opening first each spring. Fire protection has strongly shaped its modern history, from a 1909 wildfire response to later defenses during major fires. Nearby, the Merced Grove Ranger Station was completed in 1935 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.