Sentinel Dome Trailhead

The Sentinel Dome Trailhead, on Glacier Point Road, is where two of Yosemite's most rewarding short hikes begin: the walk up to Sentinel Dome and the trail out to Taft Point. Both start from the same paved lot and cover easy-to-moderate ground for a payoff most Valley hikes can't match — a granite summit with a clear view in every direction.

The Hike to Sentinel Dome

Sentinel Dome is a 2.2-mile round trip with about 430-460 feet of elevation gain, taking most hikers 2 to 3 hours. The trail stays nearly flat for most of its length, then finishes with a short, steep scramble up bare granite to the roughly 8,100-foot summit. From the top you get an unobstructed 360-degree view — Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, and the high country beyond, all at once, without the crowds that gather at Glacier Point itself. The dome's famous Jeffrey pine, made iconic by Ansel Adams' photographs, died in the 1970s drought and stood for decades afterward as a bare, wind-sculpted snag — but it finally toppled in an August 2003 storm, so what you'll see on the rock today is the fallen trunk and stump, not the standing tree from the photos.

Getting There

The trailhead sits on Glacier Point Road, which closes for the season at the first heavy snow (usually November) and reopens once it's cleared, typically late spring through early summer. The parking lot fills fast on summer weekends; overflow parking has been added nearby, but arriving early or hiking midweek makes finding a spot much easier. Vehicles longer than 30 feet aren't permitted past this trailhead.

Also Starting Here

The same lot is the trailhead for Taft Point, a shorter out-and-back to a fenced overlook above sheer cliffs. Experienced hikers often link the two into a single loop.