Pohono Trail

The Pohono Trail is a 12.5-mile, one-way point-to-point hike along the south rim of Yosemite Valley, from Glacier Point to Tunnel View. Plan on eight to ten hours. This direction loses elevation overall, but several moderate and steep climbs break up the descent, so treat it as a hard full-day hike. Arrange your ride before you start: there is no shuttle from Tunnel View or Yosemite Valley back to Glacier Point. Walking the route in reverse makes the climb much harder.

The start is at Glacier Point, about 3,200 feet above the valley. The overlook gives you a first look at Half Dome and the high Sierra before the trail heads west. The first mile climbs about 600 feet toward the base of Sentinel Dome, then the route winds through forest and open granite as it follows the south rim. Expect more ups and downs than the net descent suggests.

From east to west, the main south-rim viewpoints are Roosevelt, Taft, Dewey, Crocker and Stanford Points. Their angles shift across Half Dome, El Capitan, Cathedral Rocks and the valley waterfalls, so the payoff is a changing series of views rather than one summit. Between Taft and Dewey, though, the trail leaves the rim for about four miles and offers only occasional glimpses of the valley. Know that stretch is there; it is the route's longest quiet section. The views return at Dewey and continue west. At Crocker Point, include a little of the foreground granite in a photo to show the depth of the forested valley below.

After Stanford Point, the trail continues toward Inspiration Point and finishes at Tunnel View. The final mile and a half is rocky and uneven, a detail that matters when you reach it late in an already long hike. Several creek crossings break up the route; some have no bridge, and water can run high in late spring and early summer.

If you want a viewpoint without committing to a one-way day, the separate Taft Point loop is 2.2 miles round trip and usually takes one to two hours from the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point trailhead. It still depends on seasonal access to Glacier Point Road, but it is a much smaller commitment than the full Pohono traverse.