Camping Swanking - June 28 - July 3

innerSpaceman · 05-18-2007, 08:36 PM

Well, then I'll say this for MouseWife's sake.

My favorite hike/stroll in the Park is on the cliffs above the Valley, with the trailhead located on the road to Glacier Point. This hike, which features only one difficult section, is better than Glacier Point by far.

It's a loop which first goes out a tangent to a spot called The Fissures, which are a series of five gaping cracks in the cliff where you can look straight down to oblivion. Right nearby is beautiful Taft Point, with its fantastic view of El Capitan.

The hike backtracks a bit, through a beautiful fern valley, and then downhill through a lovely forest till it reaches and parallels the rim of Yosemite Valley, with stunning views directly across to Yosemite Falls.

Then the trail heads uphill and comes to the base of Sentinal Dome. There's a stunning view of Half Dome from here and, if you climb to the top of Sentinel Dome (not really that arduous), you are afforded a spectacular 360-degree panorama of Yosemite Valley and the Sierras.

Returning to the bottom of Sentinel Dome, there's a short cut path (not very scenic) leading back to the Parking Area where the loop began. It's about a 4 mile trek, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. After the Mist Trail, absolutely the best hike in the Park ... and far easier.

View Poll Results: What Weekend's Best for The Great Outdoors of Swank?
May 12 / 13 (means missing Mother's Day)	2	12.50%
May 19 / 20	1	6.25%
June 16 / 17 (means missing Father's Day)	1	6.25%
June 23 / 24	4	25.00%
June 30 / July 1 - did I mention my Bday's the 2nd?	9	56.25%
May 5 / 6 (includes Cinco de Mayo!)	3	18.75%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 16. You may not vote on this poll

05-18-2007, 08:36 PM	#11
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	Well, then I'll say this for MouseWife's sake. My favorite hike/stroll in the Park is on the cliffs above the Valley, with the trailhead located on the road to Glacier Point. This hike, which features only one difficult section, is better than Glacier Point by far. It's a loop which first goes out a tangent to a spot called The Fissures, which are a series of five gaping cracks in the cliff where you can look straight down to oblivion. Right nearby is beautiful Taft Point, with its fantastic view of El Capitan. The hike backtracks a bit, through a beautiful fern valley, and then downhill through a lovely forest till it reaches and parallels the rim of Yosemite Valley, with stunning views directly across to Yosemite Falls. Then the trail heads uphill and comes to the base of Sentinal Dome. There's a stunning view of Half Dome from here and, if you climb to the top of Sentinel Dome (not really that arduous), you are afforded a spectacular 360-degree panorama of Yosemite Valley and the Sierras. Returning to the bottom of Sentinel Dome, there's a short cut path (not very scenic) leading back to the Parking Area where the loop began. It's about a 4 mile trek, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. After the Mist Trail, absolutely the best hike in the Park ... and far easier.
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