Yosemite Nat'l Park: Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point

Date Hiked: 14 October 2019
Distance: 10 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,300 ft
Difficulty: Hard
Trailhead: Four Mile Trailhead in Yosemite Valley

Glacier Point offer panoramic views of the Yosemite Valley

As soon as I started spending extended amounts of time in California, I began scouring my calendar for free time to visit Yosemite National Park. I figured there must be some reason that the park has gained so much popularity and name recognition. So, when I learned that I had a long weekend for Columbus Day (and that I couldn't travel back to Washington), I started preparing for a trip up to Central California. I packed up my rental car and left from San Diego on that Friday evening. I travelled through miles and miles of farmland, citrus and nut trees as far as the eye can see. The towns were quiet, dry, and smelled of fertilizer. It felt just like something out of a John Steinbeck novel and was oddly beautiful. After a long drive, I settled into my hotel (along with a multitude of other Yosemite tourists) and got ready for an early morning.

The morning wasn't quite as early as I wanted, but it was enough to avoid too much traffic at the entrance point. I was giddy with anticipation driving into the park and it didn't take long for me to be witness to one of the more famous view sin all of Yosemite: Tunnel View.

Visibility wasn't great due to a nearby forest fire, but the view was still nothing short of spectacular

After emerging from a stone tunnel, could see the entire Yosemite Valley, including El Capitan and Half Dome looming in the distance. I snapped a few pictures and then drove down into the Valley. It was still early, so I was actually able to find parking across the street from the trailhead (every parking spot in Yosemite would be filled by noon.) The air was crisp, the leaves of the deciduous trees were turning golden, and cyclists were zipping by. I started the hike up Four Mile Trail, happy just to exist in that moment. After the first few switchbacks, I turned around and had a great view of the commanding El Capitan.

The switchbacks of Four Mile are exposed enough to provide this view for most of the hike

The switchbacks didn't end anytime soon, climbing pretty steeply for almost the entirety of the 4.5 mile ascent. Thankfully, he never-ending view of the The Valley encouraged plenty of breaks to stop and take in the scenery. The trail is mostly stone and occasionally passes through patches of evergreen trees. It was through these wooded portions that I very nearly ran into a bobcat, literally. We locked eyes for a moment until he decided that he wasn't interested in me and continued on his way. After a final push, I finally arrived at Glacier Point.

The granite cliffs seemed to go on forever

Admittedly, Glacier Point was not my favorite part of this hike. The views were expansive and beautiful, but that was only if you could fight your ways through the crowds to see them. Because Glacier Point can be accessed by a park road, it is an extremely popular destination for tourists. It was a Saturday and Columbus Day weekend, but I (foolishly) didn't expect there to be just so many people and felt overwhelmed. I didn't spend long at the top and ducked back down to the switchbacks and more secluded views of El Cap.

I finished up the hike and was greeted to even more people on the valley floor than when I started my hike in the morning. It was a beautiful autumn day and park guests were picnicking, biking, and holding photo shoots. I still had time left in the day, so I walked around the trail that circles the Valley to see climbers scale El Cap at sunset.

Overall, Four Mile was great exercise and provided plenty of good views of Yosemite. The crowds were a bit of a bummer, but I should have expected it while visiting one of the most popular national parks on a holiday weekend. If I return to Yosemite, I think I'd like to seek out some of the lesser known areas of the park.