In Yosemite, Gain Great Views Without the Pain

Two family-friendly hikes in Yosemite provide spectacular views in the southern part of the national park.

From the same trail head on Glacier Point Road, hikers can walk west along a path to geological wonders near Taft Point or venture north toward scenic Sentinel Dome.

Taft Point

A short trail designed for viewing what geologists call fissures might sound like a yawn. But this is no ordinary trail. And these are no ordinary fissures.

Yosemite’s fissures are the Fissures, deep cracks in a cliff through which lies the floor of the Yosemite Valley a half-mile below.

If you clamp your palms over the simple handrail and lean over the precipice, you can see Yosemite Valley, get an odd angle on Upper Yosemite Falls and go eyeball to eyeball with El Capitan.

The trail is kid-friendly; just remember to hold children’s hands around Taft Point.

Directions to the trail head: From the park’s southern entrance on California 41 (Wawona Road), drive north to Glacier Point Road at Chinquapin. Turn east and go about 13 miles to the Taft Point parking lot, which is on the north side of Glacier Point Road.

The hike: From the parking lot, the trail runs for 50 yards before reaching a Y. Angle left (west), joining the company of lodgepole and Jeffrey pines before crossing Sentinel Creek.

A half-mile out, the path reaches a junction with Pohono Trail. The path to the right (north) traces the rim of Yosemite Valley to Glacier Point. You want to stay left, on the southern part of Pohono Trail, meandering past a seasonal profusion of corn lilies and descending rocky slopes.

Almost a mile from your starting point, the trail reaches the first of the Fissures. This part isn’t protected by guardrails, so watch your step. Continue 0.1 mile more to Taft Point, elevation 7,480 feet.

Return the same way you came.

Sentinel Dome

Rarely does a hiker get so grand a view for so little pain. A mile-long walk with a mere 400-foot elevation gain gets you to the top of 8,122-foot Sentinel Dome and a spectacular view of Yosemite Valley.

Some hikers contend the view is better than the one up the road at Glacier Point. It’s certainly less crowded here.

A gnarled, frequently photographed Jeffrey pine sat atop the dome until the late 1970s, when drought and damage by tourists took its toll. The remains of the dead tree are photogenic but in a driftwood sort of way.

Directions to trail head: Follow the directions listed above for Taft Point.

The hike: Shortly after leaving the trail head, veer right at the Y and head north on Sentinel Dome Trail. Begin a mellow ascent over open granite slopes, then pass through a forest of pine and white fir.

You’ll intersect an old road that once allowed motorists to reach the base of Sentinel Dome; stay on your current route.

The wide path ascends from forest to exposed granite on the back side of the dome, passing a junction with trails leading to Glacier Point and the Yosemite Valley.

No pathway climbs Sentinel Dome, but your route will loop around its back side.

You can turn around and retrace your steps to the parking lot.

For a much longer route, follow Pohono Trail southwest all the way to Taft Point.

For more of McKinney’s hiking tips, visit https://www.thetrailmaster.com.