Four Mile Trail

Parking at the Valley end is very limited along Southside Drive; Valleywide Shuttle stop #11 serves the signed trailhead. There is no free shuttle between Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point. If you hike up to Glacier Point, arrange your own ride or plan to walk back down; do not count on a pickup there. There is no drinking water along the trail. The park recommends 2 quarts/liters for a one-way hike and twice that for the return. Pets, bicycles, and strollers are prohibited. Glacier Point has vault toilets and, seasonally, a drinking fountain and limited snacks, but those are at the end, not along the climb.

The route starts climbing through trees and keeps a steep grade rather than offering a long level approach. Around a mile in, the forest opens and Yosemite Falls appears across the Valley, framed by Cathedral Rocks and El Capitan. From this high south-side angle, the familiar cliffs make a reverse Tunnel View. At a safe widening, include the walls as well as the falls; a tight crop of the waterfall loses the scale of the view.

The trail passes close below Sentinel Rock. Around three miles up, a gate below Union Point marks the usual snow-closure line. On the fully open route, continue to Union Point, a little over two-thirds of the way to Glacier Point. It is worth the short side trip for its look back across the Valley. As you climb, the view broadens toward Tenaya Canyon and the Royal Arches.

Parts of the trail are paved, but loose sand lies over the hard surface and can make footing slippery, especially on the descent. Brush can hide ledges and drop-offs. Stay on the switchbacks instead of cutting across the slope; the shortcut erodes quickly and puts hikers at risk. The repeated turns spread the climb out, but you are gaining almost the whole way, so leave room for breaks and take the descent seriously too.

At Glacier Point, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and the Sierra peaks fill a wide panorama above the Valley. Parking and vault toilets are at the overlook; the seasonal fountain and small supply of snacks are useful only when those services are operating. If you have arranged a ride, this is the end of the one-way hike. Otherwise, the same 4.8-mile trail is your way back.

The trail began as a toll route completed in 1872. Yosemite entrepreneur James McCauley hired John Conway to build it from the Valley to Glacier Point. The original line was about four miles; later reroutes lengthened it toward five, while the old name stayed. That history explains the name, but today's climb is 4.8 miles one way, not four.

The trail typically opens in May. Significant snow usually closes the upper route below Union Point in November or December, and major storms can close the whole trail. When the upper section is closed, the lower three miles may remain open to the gate, but that lower stretch can be icy and slippery in winter and early spring. Check the park's current trail notices before setting out.