Hike Report - North Dome 2006
Sean’s Pictures From North Dome
North Dome, Yosemite National Park
Highlights: In-your-face view of Half Dome
Location: Top of Yosemite National Park, CA
Scenery: 10 Stars Distance: 9 miles round trip
Elevation: 7,531 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,790 ft
Hike Time: 4.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Condition: Well-maintained trail
Hike Type: Out and Back
Lara, James and I tackled North Dome Last Friday. Yes James and Lara ditched school (gasp!) for this exciting adventure, but it was well worth it. Standing across the valley from Half Dome, North Dome makes for a perfect afternoon day hike or a leisurely backpacking destination. From the top, you are promised an in-your-face view of Half Dome and exceptional views of Yosemite Valley and Tenaya Canyon below. You can reach the top by two trails starting in Yosemite Valley, the Yosemite Falls Trail and Snow Creek Trail. The trail we took was by way of the Porcupine Creek Trail, starting from Tioga Road, just past the Porcupine Flat Campground.
If you try this adventure, be sure to bring plenty of water, as there is none at North Dome (though hikers kept promising us!), unless you head towards Lehamite Creek, a worthwhile side trip in itself. And as always, don't forget your camera! Critters were not abundant, but a few mosquitoes visited us. A chipmunk or two were about, and we saw a deer and some raccoons in the valley. But who needs critters when you have a spectacular view of the Valley. You can even see where Sean went hiking last week, Illouette Falls in the distance.
Be sure to take the one-mile detour to see the natural arch rock formation, Indian Rock. It looks like we missed it, but we did drive to Tanaya Lake for a beautiful sunset and a quick tour of Tuolumne Meadows.
There really is nothing more to this hike than following signs and the slight ups and downs of the trail. The one spot for potential difficulty is when the trail plateaus above the actual dome and you can view it from the north below you. The plateau drops off towards the dome and doubt of whether a path exists down the drop off arises. Don't worry, descend towards the dome and a path will present itself. If you find yourself not on a visible path for more than two minutes, you are probably going the wrong way.
This was a moderate hike, had spectacular views of the valley (especially Half Dome and Cloud's Rest), and took a round trip time of just under 4 hours. If you are looking for good views of El Capitan and the valley floor, try to do this hike in the morning, so that the sun is favorable. I recommend doing this hike in the mid-afternoon. Half dome looks incredible when the sun is shining off its sheer face.
We enjoyed a sumptuous all-you-can-eat buffet in the valley at Curry Village at dusk. It felt good to eat, warm up and relax a bit before the long drive home.
Well, we had to get James back to school. Lara and James had a great time visiting and I look forward to them coming up for another hike. Did I mention Hetch Hetchy Valley in winter? It was a spectacular weekend, ending with lunch on Sunday at the Hilmar Cheese Company before heading home. Other highlights included dinner at Angelini’s with Aaron’s family, the Running Club Banquet, a lay-day Saturday, the pumpkin patch, and being in the company of Lara and James. Maybe with a few more days off, I can write the story on the San Jose Half Marathon.
This weekend, includes the Four Bridges Half Marathon in Folsom. Wish me luck!
Lara’s Pictures From North Dome
North Dome, Yosemite National Park
Highlights: In-your-face view of Half Dome
Location: Top of Yosemite National Park, CA
Scenery: 10 Stars Distance: 9 miles round trip
Elevation: 7,531 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,790 ft
Hike Time: 4.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Condition: Well-maintained trail
Hike Type: Out and Back
Lara, James and I tackled North Dome Last Friday. Yes James and Lara ditched school (gasp!) for this exciting adventure, but it was well worth it. Standing across the valley from Half Dome, North Dome makes for a perfect afternoon day hike or a leisurely backpacking destination. From the top, you are promised an in-your-face view of Half Dome and exceptional views of Yosemite Valley and Tenaya Canyon below. You can reach the top by two trails starting in Yosemite Valley, the Yosemite Falls Trail and Snow Creek Trail. The trail we took was by way of the Porcupine Creek Trail, starting from Tioga Road, just past the Porcupine Flat Campground.
If you try this adventure, be sure to bring plenty of water, as there is none at North Dome (though hikers kept promising us!), unless you head towards Lehamite Creek, a worthwhile side trip in itself. And as always, don't forget your camera! Critters were not abundant, but a few mosquitoes visited us. A chipmunk or two were about, and we saw a deer and some raccoons in the valley. But who needs critters when you have a spectacular view of the Valley. You can even see where Sean went hiking last week, Illouette Falls in the distance.
Be sure to take the one-mile detour to see the natural arch rock formation, Indian Rock. It looks like we missed it, but we did drive to Tanaya Lake for a beautiful sunset and a quick tour of Tuolumne Meadows.
There really is nothing more to this hike than following signs and the slight ups and downs of the trail. The one spot for potential difficulty is when the trail plateaus above the actual dome and you can view it from the north below you. The plateau drops off towards the dome and doubt of whether a path exists down the drop off arises. Don't worry, descend towards the dome and a path will present itself. If you find yourself not on a visible path for more than two minutes, you are probably going the wrong way.
This was a moderate hike, had spectacular views of the valley (especially Half Dome and Cloud's Rest), and took a round trip time of just under 4 hours. If you are looking for good views of El Capitan and the valley floor, try to do this hike in the morning, so that the sun is favorable. I recommend doing this hike in the mid-afternoon. Half dome looks incredible when the sun is shining off its sheer face.
We enjoyed a sumptuous all-you-can-eat buffet in the valley at Curry Village at dusk. It felt good to eat, warm up and relax a bit before the long drive home.
Well, we had to get James back to school. Lara and James had a great time visiting and I look forward to them coming up for another hike. Did I mention Hetch Hetchy Valley in winter? It was a spectacular weekend, ending with lunch on Sunday at the Hilmar Cheese Company before heading home. Other highlights included dinner at Angelini’s with Aaron’s family, the Running Club Banquet, a lay-day Saturday, the pumpkin patch, and being in the company of Lara and James. Maybe with a few more days off, I can write the story on the San Jose Half Marathon.
This weekend, includes the Four Bridges Half Marathon in Folsom. Wish me luck!
Lara’s Pictures From North Dome
Labels: adventures
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