Artist Point Trail — Attraction in Oakhurst

There are three places to enjoy the great view that Ansel Adams made famous: From the parking lot just outside the Wawona Tunnel on the highway 41. This is the easiest and does not require any hiking. From Artist Point on the old Wawona Road, which requires you to hike 2miles with an elevation of 500 feet. From Inspiration Point on pohono trail, it is a 2.6 mile hike with an elevation of 950 feet.

Form all three places, you have the similar vista of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall. The reason people take the hike to artist point and inspiration point is there are far fewer people at these vista points.

The Artist Point trail started from the Tunnel View parking lot, the first half mile is the Pohono Trail (same for Inspiration Point Trail). It is a very steep incline and switchback. You will gain 500 feet very quickly, Then you will meet the cross road of pohono and the old stagecoach road (i.e the old wawona road). There are signs at cross road, just make a left turn at the intersection and you will be fine. Continue 0.5 mile you will reach the Artist Point (one more mile will send you to the bridalveil fall parking area where old wanowa road meets the new wawona road). The final 0.25 mile is all downhill with about 200 feet elveation.

There is no sign of the point, but you can not miss it. If you are lucky, most likely you will be the only one at the spot. It is a great place to take some serious photos. If you visit the place in April or May, do continue another 50 yards, you will see a small waterfall run...

This is a "real" hidden gem! After exiting the Wawona Tunnel driving towards Yosemite Valley, turn into the left parking lot or the right side parking lot. At Tunnel View, large crowds assemble for this outstanding view. Try the right side parking lot if possible. There, about half way down the parking lot, you will see some steps going up to the Pohono Trail. This is the beginning of the Artist Point Trail.

The first 6/10 mile is fairly steep with some views of Yosemite Valley. At 6/10 mile, you will come upon an old stagecoach road. There will be a sign here pointing straight to continue to the Inspiration Point vista. BUT, at this stagecoach road, turn LEFT (when we were there no sign was in place for Artist Point) and then descend a bit for 1/2 mile. At some places you will have to climb over fallen trees. You will definitely notice the Artist Point vista to the left with a steep uphill rock formation to the right.

There is a nice bench type rock for pictures and to rest. Do this hike. When we were there in September 2017, there was no one else there! Outstanding views (without the crowds)! View: El Capitan, Cloud's Rest, Bridalveil Fall, Half Dome. Elevation at parking lot: 4390'; elevation at Artist Point: 4701'. The round-trip hike is 2.2 miles. Highly recommended and a somewhat tough hiking going up for the first 6/10 mile of your hike. Take some water and...

Artist Point in Yosemite National Park is a little tricky because it’s not one of the more popular or well-marked trails in the park, yet it has some of the most stunning views of Yosemite Valley. The trailhead started with little fanfare at the left side of the Tunnel View parking lot. The trail itself is 2.6 miles up&down, and around 800 ft of elevation gain. There is no actual signage for Artist Point on the trail, so it was a little bit confusing to get to. The trail was a little steep, with a lot of inclines at the beginning, some basic switchbacks, rocks to scramble on, and more than a few fallen trees to go over or around... Overall it was an easy to manage crossing. After hiking 0.7 miles up, the trail continued on the left at the intersection, and it flowed downhill for about 0.6 miles. The trail leading to a rock on the left that looked like a little bench …And yeah that is Artist Point! As mentioned above, it has the most amazing views (without the crowds). It has a similar vista/viewpoint of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Falls. It is an breathtaking photo ops spot. Overall…. It’s a great hike for all levels and a great leg stretcher if you are going to Yosemite Valley. So for your next trip to Yosemite, this trail should be on your ToDo list. I know, I would love to do it all over again for an easy hike and...