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Top Hiking Trails in Yosemite National Park In 2024

Amy — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 11:41:48 +0000

Yosemite National Park is one of the most spectacular national parks in the USA, drawing over 4 million visitors per year. Located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, Yosemite is renowned for its granite cliffs, towering sequoias, vast wilderness, and abundant wildlife. In this article we talk about Top Hiking Trails in Yosemite National Park In 2024.

Of course, the crown jewel of Yosemite is the breathtaking Yosemite Valley with iconic sights like Half Dome, El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall, and Yosemite Falls. While most tourists congregate in the valley, over 95% of the park consists of wilderness just waiting to be explored on foot.

From short walks to see waterfalls to multi-day backpacking trips in the high country, Yosemite has no shortage of exceptional hiking trails for all abilities. Here are 10 of the top hiking trails you shouldn’t miss on your next trip to Yosemite National Park.

Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls

The Mist Trail is one of Yosemite’s most popular hikes and for a good reason. Following the Merced River, this 3.5-mile round trip hike brings you to the base of 317-foot Vernal Fall – where you’ll get drenched in spring and early summer! Continue 1.5 miles further to reach the impressive 594-foot Nevada Fall. The uphill climb is steep but rewarded by jaw-dropping views of both waterfalls and the surrounding landscape. Expect plenty of company along this trail, especially in summer.

Length: 3.5 miles roundtrip (5.6 km)
Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet (305 m)
Difficulty: Moderate

Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point

The Four Mile Trail connects Yosemite Valley to Glacier Point, a viewpoint perched 3,214 feet above the valley floor. As the name implies, it’s a moderately strenuous 9.2-mile round trip hike with plenty of switchbacks. While you can drive up to Glacier Point, hiking rewards you with bird’s eye views of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and Sentinel Rock along the way. The trail ends at the Glacier Point concession stand if you want to buy a snack and enjoy the scenery before descending back to the valley on foot.

Length: 9.2 miles roundtrip (14.8 km)
Elevation Gain: 3,200 feet (975 m)
Difficulty: Moderate-Strenuous

Taft Point and The Fissures

For a shorter but dramatic hike near Glacier Point, head out on the 2.2-mile round trip trail to Taft Point and the Fissures. Here you’ll stand at the edge of a sheer 3,500 granite cliff overlooking Yosemite Valley while peering past and through cracks in the rock. Use caution near the cliff edges as there are no guardrails, but the views make it worth the vertigo! The trailhead starts across the street from the Glacier Point parking lot.

Length: 2.2 miles roundtrip (3.5 km)
Elevation Gain: 250 feet (76 m)
Difficulty: Easy

Panorama Trail – Glacier Point to Yosemite Valley

The Panorama Trail connects Glacier Point to Yosemite Valley via the Illilouette Gorge in a longer 8.5-mile one-way hike. As its name implies, the Panorama Trail treats you to panoramic vistas the entire way as you descend 3,200 feet into the valley. After soaking in the views atop Glacier Point, the trail heads downhill into the Illilouette Gorge. There you’ll enjoy quiet solitude and refreshing swimming holes along the Illilouette Creek before the trail ends at the Mist Trail, just a short walk from Yosemite Village. Arrange a shuttle or hike it one way downhill.

Length: 8.5 miles one-way (13.7 km)
Elevation Change: -3,200 feet (-975 m)
Difficulty: Moderate-Strenuous

Lower Yosemite Fall

Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America, plummeting a total of 2,425 feet in three tiers. While most visitors admire the falls from the valley floor, you can get up close and personal with the bottom tier on the 1-mile round trip hike to Lower Yosemite Fall. Follow a paved trail and some stairs to the base of the 320-foot Lower Fall, where you’ll have a chance to soak in the mist and appreciate its power. Catch rainbows in the spray on sunny summer afternoons!

Length: 1 mile roundtrip (1.6 km)
Elevation Gain: 100 feet (30 m)
Difficulty: Easy

Mirror Lake Loop Trail

The easy 2-mile loop around Mirror Lake is a pleasant family-friendly hike near Yosemite Valley. Beginning at the shuttle stop near the Ahwahnee Hotel, this mostly flat trail brings you around the shoreline of small but picturesque Mirror Lake. When its waters are calm, the surrounding North American Wall and Half Dome perfectly reflect on its surface like a mirror. While drought has caused Mirror Lake to shrink, restoration efforts help maintain some water year round. Early mornings are best for catching peak reflections.

Length: 2 miles roundtrip (3.2 km)
Elevation Gain: 50 feet (15 m)
Difficulty: Easy

McGurk Meadow

For a lesser-known area of Yosemite with gorgeous high country views, head out to McGurk Meadow. Located just 1.2 miles roundtrip from the Glacier Point Road, this short trail leads you to a mountain meadow filled with colourful wildflowers in spring and early summer. Situated at 7,600 feet of elevation, McGurk Meadow is backed by a sweeping panorama of Yosemite’s high peaks and domes. Watch for wildlife like deer and black bears that wander through the meadows!

Length: 1.2 miles roundtrip (1.9 km)
Elevation Gain: 100 feet (30 m)
Difficulty: Easy

May Lake & Mount Hoffmann

Some of Yosemite’s most spectacular scenery and fewest crowds await you on the 5.4-mile round trip hike to May Lake tucked beneath Mount Hoffmann. From the trailhead off Tioga Pass Road, steadily climb through forests and past waterfalls to reach this tranquil glacial lake at 9,270 feet of elevation. Formed by an ancient glacier, the lake reflects the massive granite face of Mount Hoffmann rising 2,000 feet above it. Energetic hikers can continue another 1.25 miles up switchbacks to the 10,850 summit of Mount Hoffmann boasting 360° views from the Sierra to the Yosemite Valley below.

Length: 5.4 miles roundtrip to May Lake (8.7 km)
Elevation Gain: 1,100 feet (335 m)
Difficulty: Moderate

Lembert Dome

Rising 800 feet above Tuolumne Meadows, Lembert Dome is a distinctive granite dome that beckons adventuresome climbers and hikers. Non-technical climbers can scramble up the steep western slope using cables, ladders, and footing carved into the granite to reach the summit. As an easier alternative, follow the 2.8-mile round trip trail from the Tuolumne Meadows campground to the top traversing the more gradual northern side instead. Beyond boasting impressive views over Tuolumne and the High Sierra, the summit gives you a fun new perspective looking down the smooth curve of the dome!

Length: 2.8 miles roundtrip (4.5 km)
Elevation Gain: 850 feet (259 m)
Difficulty: Moderate

North Dome Trail

Last but not least, one of the most unique perspectives over Yosemite Valley comes from the 8-mile round trip North Dome Trail. The first couple miles to Indian Rock passes through quiet forest before giving way to epic views spanning from Half Dome to Clouds Rest as you approach the dome. The final ascent switches back steeply offering unobstructed views straight down into Yosemite Valley 3,000 feet below. The iconic face of Half Dome soars nearby. From the backside of North Dome, enjoy a rare look at both Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls in their full glory as you rest and take in the magnificent panorama.

Length: 8 miles roundtrip (12.9 km)
Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet (305 m)
Difficulty: Moderate-Strenuous

With over 800 miles of hiking trails ranging from flat valley walks to serious high-altitude treks, Yosemite has endless options to discover on foot. I sincerely hope you find this “Top Hiking Trails in Yosemite National Park In 2024” article helpful.

Amy

Amy is the enthusiastic traveler and seasoned writer behind FollowTheSunSeeker.com. With a master’s degree in Travel and Tourism Management and over 6+ years of exploring the world, Amy combines her in-depth knowledge with a passion for storytelling to create captivating travel content. Her blog is dedicated to discovering hidden gems, offering practical travel tips, and sparking wanderlust in her readers. Join Amy’s adventures and find travel inspiration on Pinterest: FollowTheSunSeeker.

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How To See Alaska’s Denali National Park

Amy — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 11:49:58 +0000

When my parents came to visit me in Canada, I started researching trips within a few hours flight of Vancouver that I hadn’t already done. San Francisco – check, Las Vegas – check, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan, Tofino, check, check, check, check, check. I also wanted to make sure it was going to be a trip my parents would enjoy.

Like most Australians, my family love wildlife and beautiful scenery, so Alaska seemed like the perfect option. I didn’t know much about Alaska prior to going, only that it was filled with glaciers, grizzly bears catching salmon and big mountains.

I found it difficult to research this trip in the same way I would research others because I was relying on different travel sources, given I was going to a place where twenty-something females rarely go. Tours to Alaska generally fall into the retirement age bracket. That’s not to say retirees are the only ones who should visit Alaska, I would go back in a heart beat.

So to start my research, I grabbed a copy of a Lonely Planet on Alaska. On the cover of the Lonely Planet was a picture of a blonde coloured grizzly bear standing in front of a snowcapped Mt. McKinley. In doing further reading I learnt that Mt. McKinley was part of the Denali National Park which is basically in the middle of Alaska.

It was July, we planned to arrive in Alaska in approximately 5 weeks. It was difficult to find accommodation. However I was lucky that one website, just outside the main accommodation area, had two cabins left – thank goodness! The cabins were in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness with mountain views seen from their restaurant.

While in Denali you will have a number of outdoor activities to choose from to take in the beautiful scenery. These could include:

Sight seeing shuttle
Hiking
Visit to the dog sled kennels
Cycle through Denali Park Road
Learn about the park at the Visitor Centres
White water rafting
Fishing

The main road that travels through Denali Nation Park is Park Road. As there is no public access on Park Road, therefore if you would like to go through the park it is advised to choose one of the shuttle options. The shuttle buses are basically old American style school buses, painted green. There are four shuttle options through the park, leaving regularly throughout the day, opening at different times throughout the season. These shuttle options include:

Tokolot – 6.5 hrs return. Cost is $27.00
Eielson Visitor Centre – an 8 hr tour to the Eielson Visitor Centre and back. Cost is $34.50
Wonder Lake – an 11 hr return journey to the picturesque Wonder Lake with views to Mt. McKinley. Cost is $47.25
Kantishna – a 13 hr trip to Kantishna and back. Cost is $51.50

On top of the four schedule, shuttle buses there are also shuttles that drop off and pick up hikers and campers. These include:

Discovery Hike – register in person at the Denali Visitor Centre Campus for a registered guide to lead you through the Denali Wilderness (see my notes below about the Discovery Hike)
Camper Bus – a shuttle for those camping within the Denali National Park

I struggled with deciding which option. There wasn’t a lot of information to go off online and there were a few conflicting reviews. My dad and I decided on the Eielson Visitor Centre option with the logic that:

Eight hours on a bus is plenty
Adding a few hours doesn’t necessarily mean we will see more wildlife
I had been leaning towards the Wonder Lake option. The half way point of the shuttle route is the Wonder Lake where on a clear day you can see Mt. McKinley in the distance. However, only 30% of visitors actually see Mt. McKinley, if it was going to be a cloudy day is it worth three hours?

There is a driver, who will give you some history of the park, tell some interesting stories etc. However our driver made it clear that it wasn’t her job to spot the wildlife, it was ours, which is how all of the shuttles work. It is the drivers job to drive through the park, making sure passengers only leave the bus at designated areas. You could choose to stay longer in these designated areas to take in the scenery and simply catch the next shuttle to come by, should there be room.

When wildlife are spotted by passengers, the driver will stop the bus for a few minutes, giving passengers time to take a photo before continuing through the park.

It was so incredibly worth it! We took the earliest Eieslon shuttle out at 6.30am. It was an early start, however it was suggested we do this as wildlife are most active early in the morning. It paid off! Within minutes down the road we saw three moose about a hundred metres off the road, just hanging out, eating, not bothered by the big green school bus.

We continued on our journey, on the look out for the “Big Four” animals of the National Park – moose, grizzly bear, caribou and dall sheep. Shortly after, our driver stopped when she saw a grizzly bear right on the road, within a few metres from the bus. As we stood with our faces pressed up against the window taking as many photos as we could of our first grizzly bear. We then started to see movement behind the bear, a bear cub, and then another. The three of them slowly moved passed the bus within 10 metres from us, eating roots and berries as they passed us. The bear cubs then began to play as they picked up the pace and ran down the road following their mother.

Without a doubt, seeing the mother bear and two cubs within metres of us was the highlight of our trip. We continued along the road to the Eielson Visitor Centre spotting wildlife along the way capturing views of Mt. McKinley as we went. Turns out we were some of the 30% lucky enough to see Mt. McKinley! Once at the Visitor Centre we learnt more about Denali National Park, got some photos in front of Mt McKinley and continued back towards the Wilderness Access Centre where we started our journey.

At the end of our outing we tallied up the animal sightings for the day with 14 grizzly bears, two moose, half a dozen dall sheep and countless caribou. And to top it all of we saw Mt. McKinley – we really got it all!

Along the journey back from Eielson, we picked up several hikers who had done the Discovery Hike shuttle with a private guide. They had spent four hours hiking through the forest looking for wildlife in the heat of the day, to see nothing. When we were nearing the end of the road out of the park, the hikers shrieked when they saw the top of Mt. McKinley, about a quarter of what we had seen at the Eielson Visitor Centre. They all got off for a photo while the rest of us who had been on the bus all day, stayed inside, the view was by no means worth getting out in comparison to what we had seen all day.

Book accommodation at least six months in advance if you can, the small tourist window means that summers are very busy and book up fast.
The small tourist window often means that seasonal services increase their rates. Less known rental car companies are encouraged to save a bit of cash.
Bring snacks with you. Convenience stores are extremely overpriced and by no means fresh or healthy.
I highly recommend the Eielson Shuttle. Get the earliest shuttle you can when the animals are most active early in the morning.

Amy

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