El Capitan via Yosemite Falls Trail - Yosemite, CA 10-1-2016

El Capitan via Yosemite Falls Trail
16 miles RT
3,600 Elevation Gain

Hiking to the top of El Capitan was my bucket list for a long time ever since I saw El Cap when I visited Yosemite for the first time back in my college days. I still remember vividly the awestruck sensation I felt when I saw the looming "monolith" in the Yosemite valley. Along with Half Dome, El Cap is a famed icon for many rock climbers just like Mt. Everest for mountaineers.  

The hardest part of El Cap hike via Yosemite Falls Trail takes place for the first 3.2 miles of Yosemite Falls trail trekking up and up the rocky and slippery granite trail gaining 2,700 feet elevation. After the steep and rocky trail of Yosemite Falls, the trail continues through the forest gaining about 1,000 feet elevation up and down in 4.7 miles. Eagle Peak Trail connects with El Cap Trail, so that's an option to explore on the way to or back from El Cap. I hear the views from Eagle Peak are unbeatable.
  
No pain, no gain. The reward you see from the top of El Cap is unforgettable! Take in breathtaking panoramic views of Yosemite Valley and High Sierras. Splendid. It's a must do hike if you want to stand on the top of El Cap....unless you are a hardcore rock climber to challenge scaling the granite monolith - 3,000 feet vertical.

By the way, I saw bears twice.  The first bear was an adult bear about 3/4 miles from El Cap and the second time was three young ones (larger than a cub, but not fully grown adult) about 1.5 miles from El Cap on the way back to trailhead. They all ran away as soon as they saw me, but one of the three actually climbed up a tall tree!  Wow, bears can climb a tree so fast!....faster than a squirrel?  No kidding.  Well, if you encounter a bear on the trail, do not be scared. Here's a rule of thumb staying safe around bears.

Happy Hiking!  :)

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.