Mooney Grove Park

One of the largest valley oak groves in California, Mooney Grove Park sits on the southern edge of Visalia along Mooney Boulevard. The park's ancient oaks — gnarled, spreading trees that can reach 20 metres tall — create a canopy that makes it one of the most pleasant outdoor spaces in the Central Valley. It's a good picnic destination, with barbecue facilities, a small lake, and the Tulare County Museum on the grounds.

The park is also the home of the "End of the Trail" replica — a full-size cast of James Earle Fraser's famous 1915 sculpture, displayed outdoors in a setting that does justice to its scale. For visitors heading to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Mooney Grove makes a pleasant afternoon stop on the way out of the city.

things to do sight
A story
The park is named for James Mooney, who deeded the land to Tulare County in 1909 with the explicit condition that it be kept as a public park in perpetuity. It was an unusual act of civic generosity in an era when agricultural land in the Central Valley was extraordinarily valuable. The valley oaks in the park are among the largest surviving examples in the San Joaquin Valley — some are estimated to be several hundred years old.