Parking
Use the Porcupine Creek Trailhead lot on Tioga Road. Spaces are limited; a vault toilet is available. Reaching this trailhead depends on Tioga Road being open.
Overview
About North Dome Trail
Why go
- A granite summit puts Half Dome, Tenaya Canyon and Clouds Rest in one sweeping view.
- Indian Rock’s natural arch is a short optional detour.
Heads up
- The 10.4-mile day starts above 8,000 feet and takes 5–7 hours.
- The return climbs back toward the trailhead, and parking is limited.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapElevation7,408–8,199 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
4 active Yosemite alerts
- ClosureDome Fire closes Glacier Point Road and trailsGlacier 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
“You're coming up on Porcupine Creek Trailhead, the start of the North Dome hike. Choose this for a face-on view of Half Dome across Tenaya Canyon, with five to seven hours for the ten point four miles round trip.”
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
North Dome from Porcupine Creek0:00 / 0:22
“You're coming up on Porcupine Creek Trailhead, the start of the North Dome hike. Choose this for a face-on view of Half Dome across Tenaya Canyon, with five to seven hours for the ten point four miles round trip.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Why Snow Turns Pink
- Trees Shaped by the Weather
- Mount Watkins Trailhead
- The Jay with Borrowed Voices
- 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 North Dome Trail
The route and the decisionNorth Dome is a high-country out-and-back from Porcupine Creek Trailhead on Tioga Road.
North Dome is a high-country out-and-back from Porcupine Creek Trailhead on Tioga Road. Plan for 10.4 miles round trip and roughly 5–7 hours, through conifer forest and open granite to a rounded summit above Yosemite Valley. You return along the same corridor, so the lower stretch on the way out becomes the uphill leg on the way back. Published route measurements vary; keep the full 10.4-mile figure in your plans and leave room for stops. This is a substantial day hike at altitude, even though the final destination is not far from the trailhead on a map.
Where the miles goThe first part follows a paved path for less than a mile, then crosses Porcupine Creek.
The first part follows a paved path for less than a mile, then crosses Porcupine Creek. The route continues through mixed-conifer forest to a small grassy meadow before descending along a ridge. At every junction, stay with signs for North Dome. As the trees open, bare granite gives the first glimpses toward Half Dome and the valley; the path continues across Indian Ridge toward the dome. Pay attention to the signed turns on the way out so the return follows the same route. The return climbs about 580 feet according to the published trail information, with smaller rises along the way. Save enough energy for that uphill finish rather than judging the effort only by the descent toward North Dome.
The summit and the viewNear the end, steep rock steps descend to the base of North Dome.
Near the end, steep rock steps descend to the base of North Dome. The trail then climbs onto its broad, rounded granite top. From there, Half Dome stands across Tenaya Canyon, with Clouds Rest and Yosemite Valley also in view. The exposed granite summit is the signature stop: take time to look back over the route and let the view settle before retracing the steps. The changing angles of Half Dome and the canyon make this a worthwhile place to pause for photographs.
Optional Indian Rock archA short, steep side trip reaches Indian Rock and its natural granite arch. It is about 0.
A short, steep side trip reaches Indian Rock and its natural granite arch. It is about 0.3 mile each way and is optional; the North Dome route and the arch are separate goals. The main 10.4-mile figure is for the North Dome out-and-back, so allow another 0.6 mile round trip if you add the arch. Consider the extra climb and time against the miles still left to return.
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.
