The Taft Point Trail traveled through a scattered forest as it gently descended to the west. When I started hiking at 7:20 AM, there were already other hikers on the trail, but I still managed to spot a coyote wandering through the sparse forest here. Thus, I took the left fork towards Taft Point to start my hike that day. This consigns the primary uphill climb of the hike to the middle stretch of the trail rather than saving it for the end additionally, the lighting at Taft Point is often better earlier in the day, while Sentinel Dome views may be better after the Sun is a bit higher in the sky. Hiking the loop in either direction is likely rewarding, but both times that I’ve been here I’ve chose to hike it clockwise, hitting up Taft Point first. Parking here is somewhat limited and is likely to be filled by mid-morning during the summer and on weekends Glacier Point Road is only open late spring through fall, typically around May to November each year but dependent on snow conditions.įrom the trailhead, I followed the rock-demarcated path briefly downhill to a split between the Taft Point and Sentinel Dome Trails, which forked to the left and right, respectively. Nine miles up windy Wawona Road, I came to a junction with the Glacier Point Road, where I turned left and followed the road for 14 miles to the parking lot on the left side of the road for Sentinel Dome/Taft Point. At the next junction with Southside Drive about a mile later, I turned right onto Wawona Road (Highway 41) and followed this road out of the valley. Leaving Yosemite Village, I headed westbound on Northside Drive for 6 miles, turning left at the fork indicating Highway 41. I hiked Taft Point and Sentinel Dome on a sunny November day with impossibly clear skies. Taft Point has an especially deadly history, as the ease of access and general lack of railings of the viewpoint is a setup for tragedy for the many tourists who see Yosemite as a natural Disneyland rather than as a landscape imbued with equal amounts of beauty and danger. Every year, a handful of Yosemite’s visitors fall to their deaths from the park’s many cliffs. The cliffs at Taft Point and Roosevelt Point along this hike are extremely dangerous places. Check before visiting to see if reservations are required for entering Yosemite during your planned visit this hike will not be accessible in 2022 during a season-long closure of Glacier Point Road. As with all hikes in Yosemite, get to the trailhead early to avoid the daytime crush of tourist crowds. The hike visits two extremely popular viewpoints that are accessed from the Glacier Point Road on standalone hikes but then connects the two vista points with a less-traveled stretch along the Pohono Trail, where there are fewer hikers to compete for the many still-incredible viewpoints. The loop hike visiting the airy cliffs of Taft Point and the sweeping High Sierra panoramas of Sentinel Dome may well be the best easier day hike in California’s Yosemite National Park. Access: Paved road to trailhead, Yosemite National Park entrance fee required
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