 The Wawona Tree , also known as the Tunnel Tree , was a famous giant sequoia that stood in the Mariposa Grove . It was 227 feet ( 69 m ) tall , and was 90 ft ( 27 m ) in circumference . When a carriage @-@ wide tunnel was cut through the tree in 1881 , it became even more popular as a tourist photo attraction . Everything from horse @-@ drawn carriages in the late 19th century , to automobiles in the first part of the 20th century , traveled the road which passed through that tree . The Wawona Tree fell in 1969 under a heavy load of snow . It was estimated to have been 2 @,@ 300 years old . 
