Glacier Point is a Must-See in Yosemite

by Tom Stienstra
San Francisco Chronicle, July 19, 2001

Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park is one of America's most spectacular lookouts. But a special way exists to get the utmost out of a visit.

A drive to the Point is a must for most visitors to Yosemite. No photograph can replicate how you feel inside, as you take in the glorious views . . .
gazing at Half Dome, Nevada and Vernal Falls, across to the north valley rim and Yosemite Falls, and over to Tenaya Canyon and beyond, across miles of peaks, domes and glacial-carved granite wilderness.

But then you've got to deal with a people problem. By 10:30 a.m., the parking lot at Glacier Point starts to fill. Shortly after, a parade of tour buses arrives. By noon, it resembles the mid-valley mob, where 22,000 people jam into 5 square miles of Yosemite Valley each day.

But a Glacier Point visit can be transformed into an experience much closer to what John Muir encountered there more than a century ago. You can do it by taking your choice of two trails from Glacier Point. They are called the Pohono Trail and the Panorama Trail, and they provide a tour through some of America's greatest natural settings.

Here's a capsule description of each:
-- Pohono Trail -- From Glacier Point, 7,214 feet, this trail traverses along the south rim of Yosemite Valley, providing some of the most spectacular views of any trail in California.

Start by tracing a well-traveled route from Glacier Point to the base of Sentinel Dome (1.5 miles). This gives the park's best full-on view of two- tiered Yosemite Falls. For many, this is the goal of an easy, 3-mile trip, that can be completed in just over an hour.

But the hits can keep on coming. The trail continues on to Taft Point (3.8 miles in), where you will discover a series of dramatic fissures in the granite, plunging hundreds of feet toward the valley. At Taft Point, you can lie prone with your head poking over the canyon rim and peer straight down, then across the valley floor to the north wall, and absorb the whole immense panorama. This free-fall view can be eerie; youngsters should be kept on a leash.

Summary: Glacier Point to Taft Point and back is a 7.6-mile round trip, rated easy with a light grade.

-- Panorama Trail -- This route lets you walk all the way down to Yosemite Valley, an 8.5-mile hike, one-way, passing one eye-popping natural wonder after another. To make it work, you can take a shuttle bus ($15) from Yosemite Lodge to Glacier Point to start the trip.

From Glacier Point, the Panorama Trail descends into the river canyon on extended switchbacks, easy and fun. Since the slope is mostly free of brush from a 10-year-old burn, nothing blocks the views. As you descend, Half Dome, Liberty Cap and two waterfalls on the Merced River, Vernal and Nevada, seem to change with each passing minute.

Eventually you bottom out at Illilouette Creek and its beautiful waterfall, a surprise for newcomers. From here, climb out to the junction of the Mist Trail near the brink of Nevada Fall. Turn left and enjoy the tromp downhill, passing Vernal Falls and a parade of drawn-faced hikers trudging uphill.
Summary: Glacier Point to Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley is 8.5 miles one-way, rated moderate. The route has a 3,200-foot elevation loss, one 750-foot climb. Park shuttles available at Yosemite Lodge (to Glacier Point) and Happy Isles (to valley locations).

GLACIER POINT GETAWAY
--Trip cost: $20 park entrance fee, good for a week.

--Shuttle bus: Departs for Glacier Point at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m. from Yosemite Lodge; $15 one-way, $29.50 round trip. Tickets only at tour desks in valley floor.

--Yosemite lodging: Yosemite Concession Service, 5410 East Home Ave., Fresno, CA 93727; (559) 252-4848; www.yosemitepark.com/

--Contact: Yosemite National Park, (209) 372-0200; Yosemite Lodge Tours (shuttle bus), (209) 372-1240.

--Directions to Glacier Point: From Mariposa, drive east on Highway 140 past El Portal to the Arch Rock Entrance Station. Continue 6 miles to Highway 41/Wawona Road. Turn right, go 9 miles to Glacier Point Road. Turn left, drive 16 miles to parking area.

--Directions to Yosemite Lodge/shuttle bus: From Mariposa, go to Arch Rock Entrance Station, as above. Continue east 7 miles into Yosemite Valley to a stop sign at Sentinel Drive. Turn left, cross stone bridge, continue to stop sign at Northside Drive. Turn left and drive (over a small bridge) to the Yosemite Lodge entrance (signed) on the left.