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Glacier Point

Name: Glacier Point
Rating: 4.00

Type: Trail

Length: 0.50 Mile

Elevation Gain: N/A

Cost: N/A

Rating:

(4.00)4

Difficulty: halfstar

(0.75)

Solitude:

(0.75)

ADA Accessible: Yes

Bikes Allowed: N/A

Dogs Allowed: N/A

Interpretive Guide: No

County: Mariposa

More Information: More Info

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Glacier Points is probably one of the best places to view the park.

Glacier Point sports some of the best views of Yosemite Valley in the entire national park. So, you can expect large crowds of people, including many who would not consider themselves hikers. It's a short walk from the trailhead to the overlook and the route is mostly paved. So why bother? Did we mention it has some of the best views anywhere?

From the viewing platform at the end sits 3,000 feet above the valley floor. Half Dome, with its shear wall immediately draws ones attention. It towers over Tenaya Canyon to the left. To the right, lies the grand staircase of Vernal and Nevada Falls which contains one of the best hikes in the park. Yosemite Falls can be spotted on the opposite side of the valley. Snow capped peaks of the high Sierras can be seen in the distance.

There is a large visitor's center along the trail about halfway to Glacier Point that's well stocked for souvenirs or a small bite to eat.

From 1872 up until 1968 Glacier Point was the site of the once popular, and now infamous, Yosemite Firefall in which bark from a large number of red fir trees were set ablaze and raked over the edge of the cliff to the delight of those on the valley floor below. Changing public attitude about what the park was for eventually put an end to the practice.

Photos

Closer view of Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. (Photo by coppertone)

Tenaya Canyon and Half Dome as seen from Glacier Point. (Photo by coppertone)

Half Dome on the left and both Vernal and Nevada Falls on the right. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Half Dome as seen from Glacier Point. The small valley to the left, Tenaya Canyon contains Mirror Lake and its namesake loop trail. (Photo by Austin Explorer)

Glacier Point is a great place to get a "big picture" overview. (Photo by Blaze)

The trail is paved and easy to walk. (Photo by Blaze)

Incredible views everywhere! Yosemite Valley is below. (Photo by Blaze)

A view of Half Dome and the Sierra Nevada Mts. (Photo by Blaze)

Log Entries

Best views in Yosemite Valley
By Austin Explorer on 10/8/2018
Rating: 4stars

Difficulty: 1star

Solitude:

Distance: 1.00 Mile Duration: 25 minutes

The short hike here is one of the more popular ones in the park and the crowds of people attest to that. Since we had hiked Taft Point and Sentinel Dome nearby we decided to knock this one off since we were in the area.

The paved path is very easy to traverse, even with our tired legs. There was a large number of people at the edge of the viewing spot where the best views reside, but since it was not summer it was not jam packed, so we were thankful for that.

Great Views
By coppertone on 10/8/2018
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 1.00 Mile Duration: N/A

Hiked with Austin Explorer.

Incredible Viewpoint!
By Blaze on 7/6/2013
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 1.00 Mile Duration: N/A

It's a drive out to Glacier Point, but the views are magnificent. You can really appreciate the grandeur of Yosemite National Park from this location. I also walked around a bit on the top of Four Mile Trail to get some more photos.

Beautiful Place
By Blaze on 7/30/2008
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 1.00 Mile Duration: N/A

I took my kids to Glacier Point so they could see how beautiful Yosemite is.