Old Coulterville Road: Yosemite's Historic Stage Route

About

Old Coulterville Road was the first road to ever reach Yosemite Valley, opened to stagecoaches in June 1874 — weeks ahead of its rival, the Big Oak Flat Road. The automobile era left it behind soon after, and landslides finished off entire sections in the 1980s, but the surviving pieces inside the park make for one of Yosemite's quieter historic hikes, threading through the Merced Grove's giant sequoias toward Little Nellie Falls.

A Working Stagecoach Road

The Coulterville and Yosemite Turnpike Company built the road along a corridor first documented by the Joseph Walker Party in 1833, then spent years competing with the rival Big Oak Flat Road for stagecoach traffic once both opened the same summer. A 1934 ranger station still stands along the route inside the Merced Grove — a rare surviving structure from the road's working era.

What Hikers Find Today

Merced Grove segment: the old roadbed doubles as part of the trail into Yosemite's smallest, least-visited giant sequoia grove.
Little Nellie Falls segment: follows the unpaved grade past Big Meadow to the falls on Crane Creek.
Foresta segment: wiped out by landslides in the 1980s and no longer passable through to El Portal Road; only scattered pavement remains in the brush.

Good to Know

Dogs are not permitted on the Old Coulterville Road within Yosemite National Park. Most hikers start from the Merced Grove Trailhead on Big Oak Flat Road — expect a rough, sometimes rutted old road tread rather than a groomed trail, with a steep final drop into the grove.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Old Coulterville Road open to hikers?

Yes, though not as a through-route. Landslides in the 1980s destroyed the alignment between Foresta and El Portal Road, but the segments through Merced Grove and toward Little Nellie Falls remain hikeable on the old, unpaved roadbed.

Can I bring my dog?

No. Dogs are not permitted on the Old Coulterville Road within Yosemite National Park.

Where do I start the hike?

Most hikers use the Merced Grove Trailhead on Big Oak Flat Road, where the old road grade forms part of the trail into the grove.

What will I see along the way?

The Merced Grove's giant sequoias, a 1934 ranger station that survives from the road's working era, and, on the Little Nellie Falls segment, a waterfall on Crane Creek reached via Big Meadow.

Old Yosemite Coulterville Road