Parking
Use the large lot at the signed McGurk Meadow Trailhead on Glacier Point Road, then cross the road to Westfall’s unmarked start. There is no toilet at the Westfall access; food lockers are at McGurk.
Overview
About Westfall Meadow Trail
Why go
- Gentle grades lead to a broad Sierra meadow
- Early-summer flowers add a seasonal payoff
Heads up
- The start is unmarked and the tread fades in the meadow
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapElevation6,977–7,120 ft
TrailheadWestfall Meadow unmarked trailhead (across Glacier Point Road from McGurk Meadow)37.67039, -119.62809
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 Westfall Meadow Trail
The short out-and-backWestfall Meadow is a 2.8-mile round-trip walk from Glacier Point Road and back, usually a 1.5–2.
Westfall Meadow is a 2.8-mile round-trip walk from Glacier Point Road and back, usually a 1.5–2.5-hour outing. A gentle forest path leads to a broad meadow; this is an easy choice for a low-key walk and early-summer flowers, as long as you're comfortable with an unmarked start and faint tread near the meadow. This route turns around in the meadow. Longer wilderness trails continue south beyond it.
Find the junctionThe Westfall start is unmarked, directly across Glacier Point Road from the signed McGurk…
The Westfall start is unmarked, directly across Glacier Point Road from the signed McGurk Meadow Trailhead. Follow the path to a junction about two-thirds of a mile in and continue straight; the other branches lead toward Bridalveil Creek Campground and Badger Pass. The path is short, smooth and mostly level, with a small stream to cross before the meadow. Snowmelt can make that crossing wet.
In the meadowThe path enters a meadow nearly half a mile long and becomes hard to see in the grass.
The path enters a meadow nearly half a mile long and becomes hard to see in the grass. A tall metal post marks the entrance; notice it so you can pick up the return route. Early summer is the best window for flowers. Bigelow's sneezeweed and corn lilies are among the meadow plants reported here. The day-hike route is easy, but don't count on a clear tread once you are among the grasses.
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.
