Glacier Point & Sentinel Dome - June 2022
Summary
The Glacier Point & Sentinel Dome trail that we hiked was a combination of two trails in Yosemite National Park in California. This hike traverses out of the Yosemite Valley and up to two major attractions in the park. Glacier Point offers scenic views of the valley, specifically Half Dome, and Sentinel Dome is an additional hike from Glacier Point. Sentinel Dome is the highest point in this part of the park.
We ended up hiking the out and back linked above. In addition to this trail, we hiked from Glacier Point to Sentinel Dome, which added roughly 2 miles and 500 feet of elevation gain. In total this hike was around 7 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain.
Where
The Four Mile Trail is located in Yosemite National Park in California. It is a trail that starts in the Yosemite Valley and climbs up to scenic views of El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, and Sentinel Dome.
Logistics
This was our first day hike in Yosemite National Park. We stayed in North Pines Campground on site 519, which I would highly recommend. From the campground, we followed the one-way loop until we found parking near the trailhead noted in the AllTrails link. This area does not have a lot of extra parking and is a multi-use area, so starting early in the morning is recommended to help with parking. From there, the trailhead is pretty easy to find and signage helps keep you on trail rather easily.
Hiking
We arrived at the trailhead right around 7:00AM. This hike has a slow, but steady climb of roughly 3,000 feet of elevation over 2.5 miles. That’s more than a thousand feet per mile! Fortunately, there were many photo opportunities to use as breaks as there were many overlooks of the valley from multiple angles. Being our first hike of the trip, we were acclimating to the vertical gain and the variety of terrain the valley provided.
As you climb up out of the valley, some of the best views are of El Capitan and Yosemite Falls. Around many corners you continually are welcomed by new perspectives of these two iconic features. Hiking in June, Yosemite Falls was clearly visible any time we had an unobstructed view of that side of the valley. As you get closer to the top of the wall, the terrain shifts to more forestry and you get your first glimpse of Half Dome.
One of the things that made the approach to Glacier Point so special was the solitude that this normally crowded viewpoint offered. In 2022, the road to Glacier Point was under construction for the entire season, therefore a major tourist attraction was only available via a strenuous climb. As we got closer to the lookout, it was clear this location was set up for tourism of all kinds. There were bathrooms, hangout areas, and a roundabout parking location which seeing it all empty and closed gave me an extra boost of appreciate for what I was seeing!
Half Dome is a prominent mountain in Yosemite and the backdrop from Glacier Point shows many mountains and a few waterfalls behind it. We sat down to take it all in around 10:00AM and I think at this moment it really sunk in that we were in Yosemite and in for a great vacation with awesome sights!
We hadn’t planned to hike to Sentinel Dome, but after some review of the trail, length, and gain, we decided to go for it considering we were so close and it would offer additional views. I am glad we decided to continue on as it was even more remote than Glacier Point and there’s something about hiking to the tallest point around! After relaxing for a bit at the “top of the world”, we started our initial descent back to Glacier Point. This was an out and back trail, so in typical hiking fashion, we cruised back rather quickly. Having finished just after lunch time, we beat the heat as it rose to over 85 and sunny that day! To recover after our first day’s hike, we hung out in the Merced River at camp watching the park come alive as others enjoyed the beautiful day.
I would recommend this hike, especially in 2022 when access to Glacier Point is reduced. It was special seeing a very iconic view without the traditional levels of tourism. If you go up there, whether by car or foot, hiking up to Sentinel Dome is well worth the climb. Both views are incredible!
Photos
All photos were taken with my current phone at the time, which was the iPhone 12 Pro.
