Hiking
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite Valley, California · 3 days · Challenging
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)