Hike Glacier Point

Glacier Point-Panorama, John Muir Trails

9 miles one way with 3,200-foot elevation loss.

Panorama Trail delivers the promise in its name: fabulous views of Half Dome, Liberty Cap and Clouds Rest. Each turn in the trail brings the hikers another dramatic vista. Even Yosemite icons Vernal and Nevada falls, so difficult to glimpse simultaneously from the valley floor, can be seen in a new light--together--from Panorama Trail.

These super views make this hike the park’s best one-way trip down to Yosemite Valley’s Happy Isles. A car shuttle is necessary or, better yet, board one of the regularly scheduled buses to Glacier Point.

Glacier Point was the launch pad for Yosemite’s after-dark, crowd-pleasing Firefall. Piles of burning embers were pushed over the edge to create a spectacle that was popular for nearly a hundred years before it was halted in 1968.

While your descent to Yosemite Valley may not be as dramatic as the Firefall, it will be one to remember. On the way to Happy Isles you’ll get a great at-the-brink view of Illilouette Fall, visit Nevada and Vernal falls, and travel the historic John Muir Trail.

Directions to trailhead: Follow Glacier Point Road all the way (16 miles) to its end at Glacier Point. The signed path begins at the east end of the parking area.

The hike: After a brief climb, the trail forks--Pohono Trail to the right and our Panorama-Glacier Point Trail to the left. Descend among red fir, blackened but not killed by a 1987 wildfire, enjoying the first of the panoramic views between singed trunks.

At 1.7 mile, the path passes a junction with Buena Vista Trail and soon offers a short connector trail leading to a viewpoint for Illilouette Fall. After another quarter-mile descent the path leads over a bridge over Illilouette Creek, then ascends Panorama Cliff above the fall. With the climb come more fabulous views, including a heart-stopper from Panorama Point.

The trail begins a mellow descent, leveling out as it heads eastward to a junction with Mono Meadow Trail. A mile-long switchbacking descent through the forest brings you to a junction with John Muir Trail. Continue a bit farther for an eye-popping look to the brink of Nevada Fall, then return to the JMT for the hike to Vernal Falls. (See Vernal and Nevada Falls walk description.)

After crossing the Merced River on a bridge, the John Muir Trail delivers you to Happy Isles. Walk or take the shuttle bus to Curry Village.

Yosemite National Park Hiking and Trail Guide

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Hike Glacier Point

Glacier Point-Panorama, John Muir Trails