Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Best dayhike in Yosemite?

My girlfriend and I are passing through Yosemite for one day only in mid-Sept, and I'm trying to find a really nice hike to do. I'm thinking maybe Half Dome (assuming the cables are still up), since neither of us has gone up there yet. Another option I'm considering is Clouds Rest from Tenaya Lake- has anyone here done this one before?

The only hike we have done in the park is a loop up from the valley to Glacier Point, then across 3 waterfalls via the Panorama Trail, and then back down to the valley via Mist- a very beautiful hike imo.

Does anyone have any other favorite dayhikes in Yosemite that they'd like to recommend (loop or out-and-back, no car shuttling)?

Half Dome cables will still be up.

Half Dome is clearly one of the classic hikes, but you should expect it to be fairly crowded as it is the most popular trail in Yosemite. A couple of other very good hikes in the valley are Upper Yosemite Falls (7 miles round trip) and Panorama Trail (8.5 miles RT). In Tuolome, which is the part of Yosemite that you drive through on the way to Whitney, Vogelsang (16 miles RT) and Cathedral Lakes (7 miles RT) are both great.

I did the hike from Tenaya Lake to Clouds Rest last Saturday. It's a great hike - get an early start to avoid the crowds.

The view is great from the top.

Here are pictures I took:

http://kathywing.smugmug.com/gallery/1795766

North Dome. On a nice day it looks like you can reach out and touch Half Dome.

I did Half Dome the third week of September last year. It was mid-week and while there were other hikers it was by no means crowded. A big plus was the weather. Short sleeves and shorts the entire way. In fact I exited my sleeping bag at 4:30AM and never doned long sleeves.

Check out these cams for current conditions:
http://www.yosemite.org/vryos/

How long do you have? Half Dome is absolutely great, but it's quite a hike too. Clouds Rest is actually much easier, but it's about 7 miles each way, so it's still a few hours. North Dome is even shorter, and the view of Half Dome is really great. Cathedral Lakes shorter still, but the view will just about take your breath away. You win, no matter what.

Personally, I thought Clouds Rest was a little scary, but I'm kind of a chicken. Somehow the cables are comforting on Half Dome. Neither North Dome nor Cathedral Lakes has anything scary, even for a chicken like me. Remember that the drive up from the Valley is quite a few miles to Tenaya, so you'll spend more time in the car that way if you're coming up from the west.

Where ever you go, after you go, post and let us know how it goes!

z

I would not say Half Dome is Yosemite's greatest hike by ANY stretch of the imagination. The view is overrated, the crowds are ridiculous and the trail is crowded. Half Dome is a nice hike in November on a weekday when there are no crowds (no cables, however).

My nomination for the best hike in Yosemite with the second-best views in the park is the 4 mile trail from the Valley Floor. Hike this up to Sentinel Dome for a RT day hike of 12 miles and about 4,000 elevation gain. The views on the Four Mile Trail are fantastic, much superior to anything on Half Dome, which has limited views through Little Yosemite Valley and above the Muir Fork. The views accompany you on every step of the hike, it can't be beat.

The next suggestion would be Clouds Rest which has arguably the best summit view in the park. Sadly, the air pollution from the Central Valley almost always obscures the view now. Start early and the views will be better. It's 14 miles RT with moderate elevation gain of about 2200 feet. There's only one steep section, much of the middle is basically flat.

The third nomination is the Ten Lakes Hike, which is about 12 miles north of the Sunrise trailhead. This is primarily a backpackers route, but you can do the day hike to the first of the Ten Lakes for a RT of 12.5 miles and about 2500 elevation gain. There is a gorgeous meadow in the middle of the hike, beautiful lakes and very nice intermediary views.

I would avoid dayhikes to Yosemite Falls (brutal on the knees on the descent), or Nevada Falls because of the limited shade in the summer and terrible crowds.

If you just have a few hours, I have a favorite route into lower Cathedral Lake. It is an abandoned trail, now used only by people who know it is there. But it is half the distance to the lake compared to the JMT. Maybe 1.5 mile, climbing 800 ft.

To find it, check your odometer and drive 1.8 miles east from the parking lot at the east end of Tenaya Lake. (3.7 miles west from the official Cathedral Lakes/JMT trailhead in Tuolumne Meadows.) Stop at the gravel parking area on the right (south) of the road (hard to see, has space for half a dozen cars).

Follow the use trail southeastward (directly away from the road) through trees and meadow, crossing the old Tenaya-to-Tuolumne trail. Here the trail quickly ascends toward Medlicott Dome. If you check the map, you will see there is a bench at the base of the Medlicott face that climbs gently and heads due south. Continue on this bench following the use trail. You will note it was once built as a trail, but in several places trees have fallen across it.

The trail continues south past Medlicott and climbs directly to Lower Cathedral Lake. It is my favorite short trail to take if I don't have much time. (For a brisk hiker, ~ 1 hour up, :45 down)

Here are pictures from a hike using this trail, and continuing up past both lakes are here.

Here's the map.


Google Map links: Street View

Parking spot location: 37.86084,-119.43497

20 Lakes Basin at Saddlebag Lake, just outside the park on Hwy 120. 8 miles of a loop hike or so and the views are outstanding!

You might consider Mt. Hoffman from the May Lake trailhead. At 10,000+ feet and at the geographic center of Yosemite, you will get a 360 panorama view. I don't recall the exact distance, but I think it's about eight miles roundtrip.

I forget the name of the trail, but how about the one that goes up to the left of Yosemite Falls from the valley floor to the top of the cliffs? Cross over the river and walk along the cliff tops and look down on Lost Arrow.

Or, if you're going to be going through Yosemite via 120, there are several opportunities around Tuolomne Meadows. I remember doing Lembert (Lempert?) Dome about 30 years ago...fairly short hike, then a fun scramble up a crack system along the slope of the dome, followed by a nice 45-degree friction pitch to the top.

Alan,

Are you thinking of Eagle Peak? It's one of the Three Brothers.

Anna

Forget about Haff Dome! If you must hike high and far, then by all means choose Clouds Rest. Get an early start for the 14 mi.round trip journey. Mr personal favorite for time poor visitors is to follow John Muir's advice and head straight for Mt. Hoffman. This is approximately a 6 mi. roundtrip from the TH below May Lk. BTW, May Lk. is a drop- dead gorgeous body of water backdropped by Hoffman.

I agree that Half Dome is more of an ego hike than a scenic hike (people like to do it because other people do it). I hiked to lower Cathedral Lake yesterday and the view was a great panorama. While the JMT is well maintained, Steve C gave a good tip if you want to save time since a lot of people use the JMT to Cathedral Lakes from Tuolumne Meadows as well (including a lot of people on horseback).

Another nice long hike not mentioned yet here is the trail that ascends from Tunnel View and essentially follows the south rim of Yosemite Valley all the way to Glacier Point. There are stops all along the rim, including old Inspiration Point only 1.5 miles up. You can also grab this trail from Bridalveil Falls if you want even more elevation gain. I hiked a good portion of this last October on a Friday and saw maybe 5 people all day, more of course as you get closer to the parking lot at Tunnel View.

Trailhead is by the west entrance of the south parking lot at TV.

Have a blast!
-Laura

North Dome and Mount Dana get my vote. This view of Half Dome is breathtaking and Mt Dana had this spot on the trail where I sat and rested while dozens of hummingbirds flew from flower to flower-just beautiful and amazing! (This was in early August so I don't know if they'll still be there. Still gorgeous though)

I'd weigh in with Cathedral Lakes for the scenery.

Cloud's Rest!
Half Dome is great. I saw a photo posted from this year and the crowds on the cables were discouraging. If you don't mind crowds Half Dome is a must someday. Cloud's Rest is a long day hike from Tenaya Lake, though beautiful, peaceful, with no crowds and a great view of of the valley and Half Dome from it's north. Like Half Dome, it has an e-ticket fear factor.

Bring bug spray. Wish i had when i did it in July.

Mt. Conness would be my choice, but it depends on which direction you will be going through the park.