Along the southern rim of Yosemite Valley there is a trail that connects every major viewpoint along the entire valley rim. This trail, the Pohono Trail, is an unknown gem in Yosemite National Park.
Maybe it’s not popular because of the difficulty, the climb out of the valley ascends about 3,500 feet. Perhaps the massive popularity of viewpoints like Glacier Point and Taft Point attract all the attention with their short views accessible via quick and easy walks. For whatever reason, the Pohono Trail is an absolute gem that gets you away from the crowds, and one of the best hikes you’ll find in Yosemite, and really the entire country!
Miles/Elevation:
10.4 miles
3,629 feet vertical gain
About Yosemite National Park:
Located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, Yosemite National Park is one of the largest and most popular parks in the entire National Park System.
Steeped in history, Yosemite has played a major role in the development of environmentalism and conservation in the United States since the late 1800’s. In 1864, President Lincoln created the Yosemite Grant, which did not make Yosemite a national park, but did set the precedent that would lead to the creation of Yellowstone National Park.
Yosemite was ceded to the State of California and ran by the state for much of the late 1800’s. Eventually, in 1890, Yosemite National Park was created, and stronger protections were put in place to preserve the park.
Beyond the National Park Service, the legendary naturalist John Muir is perhaps best known for his advocacy in favor of preserving Yosemite National Park. A giant in the history of conservation, Muir, who fell in love with the mountains after a serious industrial accident, became arguably the most influential figure in preserving the natural landscapes of the west. His relationship with President Theodore Roosevelt and the expansion of federally protected lands may be the greatest achievement of this era of conservation!
Getting To Yosemite:
Located in Central California, Yosemite is fairly remote, but can be reached from a number of major cities. The closest large city is Fresno, and Fresno’s airport is the best choice if you are flying in. Other cities located within a three hour or so drive with major airports include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Sacramento.
From these cities or any others, you’ll then likely need to drive to the park. There is a regional public transit system called YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transit System), and can be useful if you are trying to get to Yosemite Valley. However, I generally advocate having your own car when exploring the mountains. It just makes it easier to explore and get around.
Once you’re in Yosemite, there is a transit system that can get you around the park, however it is not running in 2021. Go to the Yosemite NPS website for more information on public transit in Yosemite. When it is running, the public transit can get you to many of the major trailheads in the park.
Getting To The Trailhead:
For a shorter hike, simply turn around at Inspiration Point!
The trailhead for this hike is at the Tunnel View viewpoint just outside Yosemite Valley. From the valley, take Wawona Road heading south. Tunnel View is about 1.5 miles from the intersection of Wawona Road and the valley loop road, Southside Drive.
From anywhere north, west, or east of Yosemite Valley, first drive to Yosemite Valley, and then take Wawona Road to Tunnel View. From the south, follow Wawona Road towards Yosemite Valley. Pass through Wawona Tunnel, and immediately upon exiting the tunnel you will be at Tunnel View.
For parking, you can park in the main Tunnel View parking area right at the viewpoint, but there is a more spacious and quieter parking lot just across the street. I’d recommend parking here.
Tips:
- Get an early start. The climb begins at a fairly low elevation, so it’ll be hot, especially near the trailhead.
- Be bear aware. There are frequent bear sightings here.
The Pohono Trail:
To Inspiration Point:
There is no warm up period whatsoever on this hike so get ready to feel the burn right from the start! From the parking lot, take the stone steps up from the pavement and begin the ascent.
The trail immediately begins with a set of tight switchbacks and pretty much continues with the switchbacks all the way to Inspiration Point! When you aren’t on switchbacks, expect steep trail blasting it’s way straight up the slope!
Throughout the initial climb you will get occasional looks out over Yosemite Valley. The view at the start of the day from Tunnel View is incredible, and as you climb that view gets better and better. You’ll probably spend most of your time on the climb focusing on your burning legs or staring at the ground trying not to trip, but turn around and enjoy the view from time to time; it makes for a great way to catch your breath!
Once you pass the intersection with the old Wawona Road, continue through another group of switchbacks as you approach Inspiration Point. There isn’t much for waypoints or reference points, but if you’re still climbing, you aren’t there yet!
However, you will eventually reach Inspiration Point (which I realize will feel like it’ll never come). You’ll emerge onto a flat open area, and looking around, there won’t really be much of a view! I was super surprised at first because I figured it was now overgrown and there was nothing to see! A bit of a disappointment after the work I just put in! Inspiration Point does still exist though, so just look around a bit for it and take in the view at the first viewpoint of the day!
To Stanford Point:
Beyond Inspiration Point, the incline briefly levels off as you re-enter the Yosemite forest, but before long you’ll be climbing again. There are a couple of switchbacks just beyond Inspiration Point, but other than those few, the trail is mostly devoid of them. When you climb, it will either be straight up the slopes, or as a rising traverse across them.
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The forest beyond Inspiration Point is very green, very leafy, and when I was there in June, was filled with flowers. It’s kind of strange to see a lush green forest up here in the middle of Yosemite, but it was there! To go along with the green and the flowers, there were quite a few insects too! Fortunately, the mosquitoes weren’t bad, and the bees left me alone!
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After passing through the leafy forest and continuing to climb, the foliage reverts to the classic pine forests you would expect to find here. From here all the way until you reach Dewey Point you will be hiking through this pine forest, and while it’s not actually that far, it does drag on a bit. The climbing is difficult, and there isn’t much for views in the woods. I would definitely rank this as the least interesting stretch of the hike.
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About 2 miles after passing Inspiration Point, you will crest the largest climb of the hike and begin descending towards Stanford Point. In this area, you’ll start having peaks through the trees toward the iconic features of Yosemite, and this crest marks your imminent arrival.
After about half a mile and 200 feet of descending, you will reach a hard right hand turn in the hike. In front of you, there will be a use trail to take heading down towards the top of the valley walls. This is Stanford Point!
The view at Stanford Point is nothing short of astonishing, and all the greatest features of the park lie laid out beneath you! El Cap dominates the view on the north side of the valley, and in the distance Half Dome and Clouds Rest loom on the distant skyline. This already might be a better view than Tunnel View, but the views still get better!
To Crocker Point:
Once you’re at Stanford Point, the rest of the hike all the way to Dewey Point goes really quick, and from Stanford Point to Crocker Point, it’s only half a mile. Unfortunately, Stanford Point is at kind of a low point. Remember, before Stanford Point there was a couple hundred foot descent? Well, after Stanford Point, there is a 350 foot climb to reach Crocker Point.
Crocker Point is basically right off the trail, and it’s not as much of a protrusion as Stanford Point. It’s more of just a really cool viewpoint at the side of the trail rather than a true point (not that it makes a difference). And when I say really cool, I mean maybe my favorite view in all of Yosemite!
El Cap still dominates the left side of the panorama along the North Rim, and in the distance Half Dome and Clouds Rest still dominate the horizon. However, the really cool thing about Crocker Point is the foreground!
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Directly in front of the viewpoint, and thousands of feet below you, is one of Yosemite’s most famous waterfalls, Bridalveil. From Tunnel View, Bridalveil is one of the most prominent features, often dominating the right side of most people’s images. From here though, the view of it is much cooler! It’s not often that you can look down thousands of feet on a waterfall that itself is hundreds of feet tall!
Above and to the right of Bridalveil Falls are the dramatic and rugged Leaning Tower and Cathedral Rocks. From the valley, these formations aren’t the most eye-catching (compared to El Cap and Half Dome not much is) but from above you really get a sense of their scale and brutality!
To Dewey Point:
Getting from Crocker Point to Dewey Point requires another ¾’s of a mile or so of hiking, and with about 300 more feet of climbing, it’s a relatively moderate final approach. By this point, significant stretches of trail are along or within view of the valley rim, and at the crest of the final climb, you will see the slabs of granite which lead to Dewey Point itself!
After a very short descent, you’ll follow the granite slabs out onto the point as Yosemite Valley begins falling away from you on 3 sides! The point itself is atop a set of boulders at the farthest protrusion of rock. I didn’t quite feel comfortable climbing onto the farthest rock, it’s a little sketchy and does require some class scrambling moves with really serious exposure, so I settled for stopping on the first rock!
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
There isn’t too much to say about the view: it’s incredible, insane, pick your word! This is the highest of the viewpoints on the hike, and that higher vantage point does give a broader view. To be honest though, I think I prefer the view at Crocker. Here you cannot see Bridalveil Falls, and the looks at the Cathedral Rocks don’t feel quite as epic. Half Dome is also partially obstructed by the closer Sentinel Dome. It’s still truly a world class view, but I think it just shows how amazing Crocker Point is!
Hiking Down:
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Dewey Point, and took my time at the vista. After some food at one of the best dining rooms imaginable, I began the return hike.
Annoyingly, there is a bit of climbing on the return hike, and considering you’ll have climbed over 3,000 feet by this point, the short climbs on the return trip will feel tougher than they should! The short climb above Dewey Point only takes a couple of minutes, but you’ll have a 600 foot descent down towards Stanford Point followed by a 200 foot or so climb. Again, nothing crazy, but it’ll feel tougher than it sounds on paper.
Yosemite is bear country so make sure you’re bear safe!
The descent from Stanford Point to Inspiration Point is steep but goes quickly. The trail is very nice on that stretch, and it allows for fast hiking. However, upon reaching Inspiration Point, you’ll have a tough final descent to the trailhead.
The descent is rough and steep, so you will need to take it a bit slow, and it may wear on your already tired knees! But, soon enough, you’ll be back at Tunnel View, enjoying still more world class views!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 9/10
If you want great views, they really don’t get any better than this, and isn’t that the main reason most of us go hiking? Maybe you want solitude; in that case this trail is great too. I think I saw less than 5 groups of people the entire hike, and that’s on a Yosemite Valley hike!
Sure the trail for the first stretch isn’t great up to Inspiration Point, but a mile or so each way of rough trail on a 10 mile plus hike isn’t anything too bad, and for the rest of the day the trail quality is generally excellent. The only reason this isn’t a 10/10 trail for me is the long sections of uneventful forest walking, but the viewpoints are honestly astonishing.
Pros:
- World class views
- Mostly excellent trail quality
- Vertical ledges and dropoffs
- Lightly traveled
Cons:
- Steep and slippery trail to begin
- Long sections of uneventful forest hiking
Alternative Hikes:
When to Hike the Pohono Trail:
Hiking in Yosemite is a three season activity. Winter usually brings quite a bit of snow, and the entire park is liable to experience winter storms. While lower elevation areas of the park may be hikable in winter, I really wouldn’t say Yosemite is a four season hiking destination.
Purely in terms of weather, fall and spring are the best times of year to hike in Yosemite. Summer can get extremely hot, and hiking in 95 degree heat isn’t fun for most people! The one issue with fall is that fire season can either close down areas of the park, or more likely will blanket the park with smoke. In good years, it’s hardly an issue, but some years it’s harmful to even be outside.
It is also worth considering when Yosemite is busiest. This is one of the busiest parks in the country, so be ready for crowds if you visit in peak season, namely summer. Some people are really turned off by the crowds, and I agree if you only visit the valley, but there are always places to get away from the big crowds. This can cause issues with finding campsites in the park though.
Overall, I would say that late spring is probably the best time of year to visit Yosemite. The temperatures are comfortable, rain is rare, and the crowds are lighter than summer. Late autumn is also a great time to visit as spring may still have snow lingering on the trails.
The last thing to consider when planning your visit is that the high elevation roads through the park close for snow. Tioga Pass and Glacier Point Road both close from winter to whenever the snow melts (usually May or June but it varies). Spring will limit where you can go in the park, so if you really want to explore the high country, wait at least until late June!
Links For Further Reading:
Tunnel View to Dewey Point | Map, Guide – California | AllTrails
Yosemite’s Pohono Trail from Tunnel View to Taft Point (and Beyond)
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