Moran Point

Moran Point is a granite overlook on the Four Mile Trail, about 1.7 miles below Glacier Point and just past Union Point. Sitting around 5,000 feet in elevation, it's named for Thomas Moran, the 19th-century landscape painter best known for the Yellowstone paintings that helped persuade Congress to create that park in 1872. Moran painted Yosemite too, and his work helped spread the valley's fame back east — though Yosemite itself had already been protected since the 1864 Yosemite Grant, years before his visit.

Getting There

The Four Mile Trail climbs from Yosemite Valley, near Yosemite Falls, up to Glacier Point — roughly 3,200 feet of gain over about five miles one-way, all switchbacks with no shade to speak of. Moran Point comes late in the climb, after Union Point, as a natural place to catch your breath before the final push to Glacier Point.

What You'll See

• El Capitan and Cathedral Rocks across the valley to the west
• Yosemite Falls dropping from the north rim
• Half Dome rising to the east

The overlook sits on exposed granite with no guardrails, so keep kids and dogs close and stay well back from the edge — especially on windy days or if the rock is wet.

Good to Know

There's no water, restroom, or parking at Moran Point itself — it's a stop along the trail, not a trailhead. Most people reach it hiking up from the Valley or down from Glacier Point as part of a longer Four Mile Trail day.