Taft Point and Sentinel Dome - Yosemite National Park, CA

Trailhead - Taft Point/Sentinel Dome

2.4 miles RT/Taft Point

2.1 miles RT/Sentinel Dome

400'+ Elevation gain

Taft Point

Taft Point offers one of the most breathtaking (and it might really take your breath away for its sheer drop!) views of Yosemite Valley. And it's only a little over 1 mile without much elevation gain to get there.

Driving for Glacier Point on Glacier Point Road, just before arriving Glacier Point, there is a parking lot for the Taft Point/Sentinel Dome
 
The hike is easy for family and kids as well. Just hiking a little over a mile, you can get to see jaw-dropping vistas of the Yosemite Valley with El Capitan and other well-known granite statues of Yosemite.  DO NOT stand close to the edge along Taft Point.  It's sheer drop!  If you are with little children, make sure to keep them stay with you and away from the edge.  If you are acrophobia, don't look down.

The hike also shows amazing formations of the fissures which visually illustrate the Yosemite Valley's geological formation before your eye.  Like Glacier Point, Taft Point can be also best experienced at sunset, overlooking the beauty of El Capitan and the Yosemite Valley.


Sentinel Dome

Sentinel Dome is, perhaps, one of the Yosemite's easiest hikes to experience spectacular panoramic views of the Yosemite Valley in all directions and beyond including peaks of High Sierras and Sierra Crest. When the skies are clear, you can see:

To the west....Yosemite Valley and all the way to the Merced River canyon.
To the north....Yosemite Valley with El Capitan, Eagle Peak and Yosemite Falls.
To the east....Nevada Fall, Half Dome, North Dome, Clouds Rest, Mt. Watkins and more.
To the south....Horse Ridge/Buena Vista Crest in Yosemite Wilderness.

Famous Jeffrey Pine on Sentinel Dome

The dead tree on Sentinel Dome is the Jeffrey pine that became world famous for the 1940 Ansel Adams photo. The tree was killed by drought in 1977 and fell over in 2003. And yet, it still exists there as its legacy continues.

The hike to Sentinel Dome is easy and pleasant like Taft Point although it gets a little rocky part of the way and climbs the moderately steep face of the dome to the top for a short distance.

For an option to combine hiking Taft Point and Sentinel Dome, you can hike along a loop trail connecting Taft Point and Sentinel Dome instead of making back and forth hikes to the trailhead to do both hikes. The loop trail travels facing to the Yosemite Valley off and on with stunning views of the Yosemite Valley....and the trail is less crowded and quieter if you prefer.  You can also hike to Glacier Point from Sentinel Dome in 1.6 miles.