North Dome Trail

North Dome Trail climbs out of the high country off Tioga Road to a bare granite summit that stares straight across Tenaya Canyon at the sheer north face of Half Dome — a vantage most Valley visitors never see. It's a roughly 9-mile round trip rated moderate to strenuous, with a rolling route that trades uphill for downhill along a ridge before a final scramble up the dome's rounded granite back. Plan on most of a day, typically 5 to 7 hours.

The Route

The hike starts at the Porcupine Creek Trailhead on Tioga Road, well east of Yosemite Valley proper. After a short stretch through mixed-conifer forest and a crossing at Porcupine Creek, the trail passes through a meadow and follows a series of signed junctions — stay alert for the turns, since several trails cross here before the final push to the summit.

The View & Indian Rock

North Dome is one of the only spots in the park where you see Half Dome's face head-on rather than in profile, with Tenaya Canyon dropping away beneath it and Yosemite Valley visible far below. On the way, hikers with energy left can take a short, steep spur trail to Indian Rock, the only natural granite arch in Yosemite reachable on foot.

What to Know

• Tioga Road is a seasonal route, typically open only late spring through fall — check current park conditions before you go
• The summit and much of the ridge are exposed granite with real drop-offs; keep kids and pets close near the edge
• No permit is required for a day hike here, unlike the Half Dome cables