Sentinel Dome and Taft Point Trailhead — Hotel in Oakhurst

I highly recommend this place. Family and I thought it would be a better idea to drive to Gracier Point first and on the way back was to stop by Taft Point. WRONG!! We spent over one hour in parking lot traffic. So go to Taft point first, then leave your car and walk down to Gracier. Another reason why Taft Point is better is because of the view. There is no railing to grab onto. A slight push of the wind can literally kill you if you don't have a steady standing position. Please be careful about the deep drop hiding behind bushes. I highly recommend that you bring a spare car key and give one to another person in case you fall through the cracks. You're dead for sure, but at least your family/friends can still go home. Its going to take a few hours for the tow truck to go up there. They'll grieve on you but for sure they don't want to be stuck there. Height plus velocity of how fast you are falling and probably downwards wind pushing you even faster, not only you're so dead, your body will explode upon impact. You've heard about people last wish is to scatter them throughout Yosemite? That's you, but not in ash form but flesh and bones. Spewing bloody parts all over the place. So be careful. Check out...

This is one of my favorite Yosemite hikes, here's why: if you are willing to hike 1 -2 miles you will get some of the best views of Yosemite Valley. From the Taft Point Trailhead you can hike 1.5 miles to Sentinel Dome where you get 360 degree views of the Yosemite. You can hike 2 miles to Taft Point and look down sheer cliffs to the valley floor. A lot of people propose marriage at Taft Point. You can do a bonus hike to Glacier point (about 4 miles round trip) Here's the rub.... You HAVE TO GET THERE EARLY. Parking can be non existant with a traffic nightmare. I go off season, usually in November around Thanksgiving and I have the place to myself. I would never try to drive to Taft Point during holidays or in the spring or summer unless I was prepared to get there before 7am.. If you just drive up mid morning, you will sit in bumper to bumper traffic all day...

New Road, New Parking Areas - The Glacier Point road was closed for all of 2022 and just re-opened in the summer of 2023. The Sentinel Dome Taft Point Trailhead now has additional parking. There is a new parking area about 100 yards before where the original parking was. The new parking has roughly 25 spaces and there is also additional paved space to park just past the original lot on the right hand side of the road. The original parking is still there. Two years ago there was always 50 cars parked in the dirt before and after the lot, now the new lot and the wide spot past should take some of the pressure off. The pictures are from Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 5:30 pm. These lots will be filled during the day, but come for sunset and you will probably find...