Parking
Use the McGurk Meadow Trailhead on Glacier Point Road. A vault toilet and animal-safe food lockers are at the trailhead; vehicle access is seasonal, usually from late May through October or November.
Overview
About McGurk Meadow Trail
Why go
- A meadow, brook, wildflowers, and old cabin in a short outing
Heads up
- The route returns uphill on the same path
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapElevation6,880–7,106 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Yosemite alerts
- ClosureDome Fire closes Glacier Point Road and trailsMentions Glacier Point Road, referenced in this guideGlacier Point Road is temporarily closed because Dome Fire smoke reduces visibility and to allow firefighting operations; some trails south of the road are also closed.Official details
- CautionMist Trail access limited during October repairsThe Mist Trail between its John Muir Trail junction above the Vernal Fall footbridge and the top of Vernal Fall has limited access through October for repair work.Official details
“McGurk Meadow Trailhead is coming up, with a choice between a short meadow walk and the hike to Dewey Point.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Yosemite, narrated.
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 trailhead
McGurk Meadow and Dewey Point0:00 / 0:24
“McGurk Meadow Trailhead is coming up, with a choice between a short meadow walk and the hike to Dewey Point.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Yosemite’s Olympic Bid
- Ostrander Lake
- Badger Pass Ski Area
- Mono Meadow Trailhead
- 125 audio storiesacross Yosemite’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Peregrine Falcon, Mule Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 141 trails, 99 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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.”
Trail guide
Hiking McGurk Meadow Trail
The short meadow walkMcGurk Meadow Trail is an easy 1.
McGurk Meadow Trail is an easy 1.6-mile out-and-back from Glacier Point Road to the meadow and John McGurk’s cabin, then back the same way. Allow about 1 to 1.5 hours. The path drops gently through conifer woods and small clearings; the return climbs about 150 feet. It’s a good choice if you want a little time on foot without committing to a summit hike or a long walk along the rim.
The meadow and cabinA brook crosses the broad, wet meadow, with wildflowers at their best in early summer; bloom…
A brook crosses the broad, wet meadow, with wildflowers at their best in early summer; bloom timing shifts with snowmelt. The cabin belonged to John McGurk, a sheepherder. It dates to about 1895 and may have been built by Hugh Davanay; McGurk was forced off the property by the Army in 1897 after a title dispute. The cabin is the clearest photo stop: step back to include a little meadow and the pines around its rough log walls.
Before you set outStart at McGurk Meadow Trailhead and turn back at the meadow and cabin for this short outing.
Start at McGurk Meadow Trailhead and turn back at the meadow and cabin for this short outing. The path continues farther north toward the Pohono Trail and Dewey Point, but that is a much longer hike. The trailhead has a vault toilet and animal-safe food lockers; no water source is listed at the trailhead or along the route. Glacier Point Road usually opens in late May and closes between October and November, depending on snow. Pets and bicycles aren’t allowed on park hiking trails.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yosemite
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.
