ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Best Yosemite Hikes

Updated on May 4, 2015

My Best Yosemite Hikes

I wanted to share my fav. Yosemite National Park trails with you as I love Yosemite National Park.

I would call these trails the best trails in Yosemite but they may not be the ones you like best. I tend to like somewhat adventurous hikes and love getting to a high vantage point with a great view. You'll see that passion reflected in the hikes I've featured here as they are all fairly long and strenuous, but most can be done in a day.

I've also included a list of resources you should check out if you are planning to go to Yosemite as it's definitely worth checking the weather and road conditions before you go.

If you haven't been to Yosemite, go. Go now!

Well maybe not right now, but certainly add it to your list of places to visit at least once in your life.

Have you been to Yosemite?

See results
HIking Half Dome
HIking Half Dome

Hiking Half Dome

A truly superb hike....

I think this is the ultimate in Yosemite day hikes. The scenery is out of this world, and at 17 miles it's a good distance out and back. The hike is made up of a trail hike till you get to the Dome and then you climb up the cables to the top. It's great fun, but if you don't have a head for heights this probably isn't the best hike for you.

You really need to be in good shape to do this hike as not only is it long, but there's 4,800 ft of height gain, and loss. I found coming down was quite hard on my knees so if I did it again I'd definitely bring hiking poles, the small ones that can fit in your pack as you don't need them for the whole hike.

The summit of Half Dome is at 8842ft so if you aren't already acclimatized to that altitude you may well find the thinner air affecting you as you get towards the top.

A Half Dome permit system has been introduced recently on the trail as it can get very busy, so if you're planning to do it check permit availability before you finalize your plans. You'll find details of the permit scheme is on the National Park Yosemite site link in the resources section at the bottom.

Half Dome Permits - Now needed

Permits are now needed on the Half Dome trail if you're planning to hike the cables to the top. A lottery system is used and the National Park site has all the details. Make sure you plan ahead to book your place, you don't want to miss out.

How long do you like your hikes to last?

See results
Clouds Rest Yosemite
Clouds Rest Yosemite

Clouds Rest

Another 'airy' hike

I've done this trail a few times now and always found it a lot less crowded than many of the main Yosemite trails but the view from the top is a wonderful open panorama of Yosemite and a stunning view of Half Dome.

There are a number of ways to get to Clouds Rest depending on whether you want to hike from the Valley floor or start at the higher elevation of the Tioga Road. I chose the latter, starting from the Sunrise trailhead.

The final part of the trail is very exposed and if you don't have a head for heights it's probably better to avoid that last part. The hike up is a joy in itself, although some parts are quite strenuous.

Safety first: Due to the exposed nature of the final part of the trail it's not the best one to do if it's actually covered in clouds and should definitely be avoided if there's any risk of lightening.

Sawtooth Ridge - the quiet backcountry

Last but certainly not least

Not to be confused with the many Sawtooth Ranges, Sawtooth Ridge is in the NE of Yosemite and it's is the most northerly group of peaks to exceed 12,000ft.

I did a great weekend backpack trip here. We were climbing Matterhorn Peak, the highest point on the ridge, but the hike in to our overnight camping spot had the most beautiful views.

It's a short, but very steep approach from the Twin Lakes trailhead on the eastern side of the Sierras. (the trailhead is on private land so there's a small fee to pay to the Mono Village resort for overnight parking).

Check these sites before you go

You'll need to know about the weather, winter snow road closures and tire chain restrictions as well as summer traffic calming measures.

Would you go backpacking in Yosemite?

I think it's one of the best ways to explore Yosemite - do you?

Don't forget to check the weather before you go

Half Dome safety

Learn about climbing Half Dome safely

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)