Sentinel Dome and Taft Point - Yosemite NP, CA

On Wednesday we went on a loop hike to Sentinel Dome, then Taft Point along the Pohono trail, and back to the starting point. This roughly 5 mile loop begins and ends off the Glacier Point Road. Sentinel Dome and Taft Point lie on the South wall of Yosemite Valley. There was once a famously photographed Jeffery Pine tree that grew atop Sentinel Dome until it died during a drought in the 1970's. Taft Point offers similar views as Glacier Point (but without the crowds) and is know for its giant fissures that open up to the valley below.

Download route in Keyhole Markup Language (KML) format for use with GPS units and mapping programs. Disclaimer.

For this adventure, Jason’s mom, grandfather, and uncle decided to join us. After a one hour drive up from the valley, we arrived at the trailhead just after 9:30AM. We were greeted by a cloudless, sunny sky and few other hikers on the trail. As we headed out, we soon entered a forested area with a well-worn path, but no trail markers. The 1.1 mile hike to the base of Sentinel dome was relatively easy, as most of the elevation gain in this leg of our journey came when we scaled the dome. Though there is no trail to the top of Sentinel dome, one can easily traverse the Northeast granite slope to the top. It was here that we encountered a patch of snow, stippled with sun cups.

   

   

Once atop the dome, we were rewarded with unimpeded views of the Valley, Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, North Dome, and El Capitan. After a brief rest, we descended the dome and continued on to Taft Point.

   

As we left the worn granite slopes of Sentinel Dome and once again entered the forest, we encountered more snow. The trail was lost at times, but we were able to easily find it with the aid of our GPS. Walking along this trail to Taft Point, we had a beautiful view Yosemite Falls. We could even see the trail to the top of the falls as it zigzagged up its left side. As we walked through the snow, we saw bear tracks, but luckily no bears. During this portion of our hike, we only encountered one other group of hikers.

   

   

When we arrived at Taft Point, the views were breathtaking. Before climbing to the Point itself, one passes the famed fissures – large cracks in the granite walls of the valley. Peeking down the fissures, one can catch a glimpse of the valley floor 1000+ feet below. After daring to peer down some of the fissures, we continued to Taft Point. From here we could see most of the valley, including El Capitan, the Royal Arches, the entire length of Yosemite Falls, Nevada Falls, and of course, Half Dome. Though there is little shade at Taft Point, we were able to find a tree to rest and eat lunch under. As we ate, we were greeted by a few lizards and some inquisitive ravens. The wildlife here seemed to outnumber the hikers.

   

   

With full stomachs and hydrated bodies, we began our return trip to the trailhead. We soon entered another forested area and found more snow. The trail was difficult at best to find and unidentifiable in most areas. This is where we relied completely on the GPS to get us back. At one point, we found yellow trail markers in the trees, but they too quickly disappeared.

   

After Jason navigated us out of the snowy forest, we encountered more hikers, most asking if they were on the right path to Taft Point. When we arrived back at the trailhead, we found a sign that warned hikers of snow on the Taft Point trail. It advised would-be adventurers that hikers had been lost in the area recently and people should be prepared with a map and compass or GPS. Hopefully the recent warm temperatures will melt the large snowpack and reveal the trail soon. Though tired at the end of our five mile journey, everyone was in good spirits, commenting that this was one of the more scenic hikes in Yosemite.