About This Trip
Yosemite rewards the ambitious. This three-day plan skips the valley floor crowds and goes straight for the high country: Half Dome cables, Clouds Rest ridgeline, Glacier Point at sunset.
Highlights
- Half Dome via the cables (permit required)
- Clouds Rest ridgeline, better views than Half Dome, far fewer people
- Upper Yosemite Falls, 2,425-ft drop, one of the world's tallest
- Glacier Point and Taft Point at sunset
- Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias
Day-by-Day Plan
Day 1
Big Objective Day: Half Dome, Clouds Rest, or Upper Falls
- Half Dome via Nevada and Vernal Falls, 16 mi RT, 4,800 ft gain (permit required)
- Clouds Rest from Tenaya Lake, 14 mi RT, arguably better views than Half Dome
- Upper Yosemite Falls, 7.2 mi RT, 2,700 ft gain, spectacular close-up of the falls
Day 2
Iconic Viewpoints + Sequoias
- Glacier Point, sunset views of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley
- Taft Point, exposed ledge overlooking the valley, one of the best in the park
- Mariposa Grove, walk among 500-year-old giant sequoias
Day 3
Hetch Hetchy or Second Big Summit
- Hetch Hetchy Reservoir circuit, granite walls, two waterfalls, wild and uncrowded
- Clouds Rest (if not done day 1), quieter than Half Dome, equally stunning
- Half Dome (if permit secured for day 3)