Beach · Yosemite National Park
Picnic under Sentinel Rock with Upper Yosemite Fall in view.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
“You're coming up on the Four Mile Trailhead, with Swinging Bridge Picnic Area nearby. For an easy break, choose the picnic area: mostly level paths reach the Merced River and a view of Yosemite Falls.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yosemite National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yosemite audio tourRecorded for this place
Swinging Bridge and Four Mile Trail“You're coming up on the Four Mile Trailhead, with Swinging Bridge Picnic Area nearby. For an easy break, choose the picnic area: mostly level paths reach the Merced River and a view of Yosemite Falls.”
Plays as you drive up to Sentinel Beach in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“We just drove through Yosemite and it made our trip listening to this app as we drove through. Like having a tour guide in the car with you.”
Guide
Sentinel Beach is a picnic area on the Merced River beneath Sentinel Rock. Tables and grills make it a natural place to stop for lunch or a breather by the shore, with Upper Yosemite Fall and the valley’s granite walls visible from the beach area. It’s a good pick if you want time by the river rather than another quick viewpoint stop.
The adjacent beach gives access to the Merced when water levels are low, so don’t count on swimming in every season. Visitors often describe cool, shallow water, but conditions change with the river. The water can be cold and fast, especially in spring; stay well back whenever the current is strong.
The unpaved road and footpaths are generally flat. The picnic area has accessible tables with extended tops and accessible vault toilets. For a photo, leave a strip of shore or river in the foreground and look back toward Sentinel Rock; Upper Yosemite Fall is visible from the beach area too.
Wildlife
732 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,747 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
332 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
276 sightingsPikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
677 sightingsYellow-bellied MarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yosemite. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingFour Mile and Panorama Loop16.7 mi · 10.5 hr · 0.2 mi awayA full-day Yosemite loop from Four Mile to Glacier Point and back.
ChallengingFour Mile Trail4.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.2 mi awayClimb Yosemite’s south wall for a broader view of the Valley.
EasySentinel Meadow and Cook's Meadow Loop2.3 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayTwo meadows, river bridges, and a Half Dome view in one walk.
ChallengingYosemite Falls Trail7.2 mi · 7 hr · 0.5 mi away60 switchbacks climb to the top of Upper Yosemite Fall
ChallengingEl Capitan Trail via Yosemite Falls15.4 mi · 10 hr · 0.5 mi awayA full-day summit hike past Yosemite Falls to El Capitan.
ChallengingEagle Peak Trail12.6 mi · 8.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA long climb to Eagle Peak’s view across Yosemite Valley.
ModerateColumbia Rock Trail2 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA steep mile opens Yosemite Valley and Half Dome in one sweep.
ChallengingEastern North Rim Traverse18.1 mi · 12.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayOne-way rim traverse from Yosemite Falls to Mirror Lake via North Dome.
Picnic area · 0.3 mi awaySwinging Bridge Picnic Area (Yosemite Valley)Picnic by the Merced with Yosemite Falls for company.
Campground · 0.5 mi awayCamp 4Shared tent sites steeped in the history of American climbing.
Lodging · 0.7 mi awayYosemite Valley LodgeStay by the falls with meals, coffee and groceries close by.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayYosemite ChapelA quiet history stop with a meadow view of the falls.
Picnic area · 1 mi awayEl Capitan Picnic AreaPicnic tables and February access to Horsetail Fall’s elusive glow.
Sight · 1 mi awaySentinel BridgeHalf Dome’s river reflection, right from the bridge.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayYosemite FallsThe lower plunge is close; the full 2,425-foot view takes another angle.Sight · 1.2 mi awayCook's MeadowA level meadow walk gives you the classic Half Dome view.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
