Full North Rim Traverse

Full North Rim Traverse is a west-to-east, point-to-point route from Old Big Oak Flat Road to Mirror Lake in Yosemite Valley. The official figure is 29.1 miles one way, with 6,200 feet of climbing. It crosses long forests, streams and waterfalls before reaching four major high points: El Capitan, the top of Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Point and North Dome; Snow Creek brings you down to the Valley. The park describes it as strenuous and as a backpacking route. Expect roughly 17 hours if you push it in a day; most hikers will prefer an overnight. The connected map line is 26.6 miles, about 2.5 miles shorter than the park’s figure; use the official distance and don’t rely on this line for turn-by-turn navigation.

This entry follows the western start to Mirror Lake. The mapped start is on an Old Big Oak Flat Road path, but the exact current parking access and passability of this old-road approach aren’t confirmed. A 2013 trip report described a V7 roadside turnout, but that isn’t current trailhead guidance. Because this is one-way, arrange your return from Mirror Lake before setting out. No dependable drinking-water points or food stops were confirmed for this exact route. Overnight wilderness trips need a permit; ordinary day hikes do not. If you’re reserving a popular trailhead from late April through October, check the current reservation rules for your actual start.

The western leg follows the old Big Oak Flat Road alignment. It began giving way to its replacement in 1935; a 2013 account describes surviving retaining walls and washed-out culverts, plus rockslides, fallen trees and loose boulder fields. That report is too old to describe today’s tread, which is why the access uncertainty matters. It also describes an opening at Rainbow View toward Bridalveil Fall, then another view across Merced Canyon toward Tunnel View. Those are useful landmarks if the sightlines remain open, but don’t count on an old report as a current route-condition check.

El Capitan’s summit is a wooded granite block, not the vertical wall you see from the Valley floor. Open edges around the summit give views in several directions, with a sheer drop close by. Stay well back from the rim. Farther east, the route reaches the top of Yosemite Falls; this is an upper-rim crossing, not the popular approach to the base of the falls. Streams and waterfalls are part of the route, but the availability and safety of drinking water at any crossing weren’t established.

The route continues along the rocky North Rim to Yosemite Point, then North Dome. At first, trees can screen the Valley; the open granite sections bring the big views back. North Dome gives a close look toward Half Dome and Tenaya Canyon. It’s the best place on this crossing to stop for the classic Half Dome view; frame the granite shoulder with Half Dome behind it rather than aiming across empty sky. Both this stretch and the summits are shared with shorter North Rim itineraries, but this full route adds the long western approach and the Snow Creek descent.

If you want the eastern landmarks without the full traverse, the park also describes an 18.1-mile, one-way Eastern North Rim route from Yosemite Falls or Snow Creek, with 5,200 feet of gain. It still reaches Yosemite Point and North Dome and remains a strenuous hike, but leaves out the Old Big Oak Flat Road approach and El Capitan. Dogs aren’t permitted on trails or in Yosemite wilderness.