Taft Point is one of the best short hikes in Yosemite for jaw-dropping, cliffside views.
With so much to see in Yosemite National Park and so little time, what are the best stops and hikes? Taft Point is one of them. If you are looking for an easy hike with breathtaking views, this is the trail for you.
It doesn’t rain very often in Yosemite in the summer, in fact, it hadn’t rained in over 3 months! But of course, a small storm hit us as soon as we decided to go hiking. The drive from our condo was about 20 minutes. Once we got there, we sat in our car in the parking lot in front of the Taft Point and Sentinel Dome trailhead for about 20 minutes waiting for the rain to stop. It stopped around 5:30PM, just in time for us to do our hikes while daylight was still out. The trail split two ways, to the left was Taft Point trail and to the right was Sentinel Dome. Between us walking there, taking pictures, and walking back the hike took about one hour total . The road is pretty well-marked and the trail is short—1.1 miles or 1.7 km in each direction (roundtrip 2.2 miles or 3.4 km). At the end of the path, there is an overlook over Yosemite Valley alongside rock fissures and bordering pine forests.
Be careful as you make your way to the point. There are cool along the way, but if you accidentally step in one, it’s a thousand foot drop! They are everywhere along the point so watch your step as you get to the top. Feel free to get a closer look, but remember to keep your distance.
Taft Point is NOT for the faint of heart. I am terrified of heights as you all know, so getting me to go to the top of Taft Point took a lot of persuasion on Pat’s behalf. I almost cried…no joke. And the strong wind from the edge of the cliff didn’t help because it made me feel like I was being pushed off the edge. There is a small bar wrapped around the point, so it’s safe for people to climb to the top and look out. The view was stunning, in fact you could see El Capitan right below you, but I didn’t have the courage to look down, so Pat did it for me. As it nears sunset, you won’t find crowds in this area since everyone is heading to Glacier Point. You’ll just run into one or two people, which makes the trek even more worth while.
On our way back, I stopped as I saw something moving in the distance. Mine and Pat’s eyes widened as we spotted our first Black Bear of the trip cross our path. Apparently, it is rare to see Black Bears in Yosemite, and we had seen one within 1 hour of being in the park. They usually come out during dusk and sunset, which is why we probably spotted this one in a lesser frequented area of the park. Pat and I were super scared, but pumped after seeing the bear, and continued along our way, making sure there were no other bears trailing behind us. With enough time to spare before sunset, we decided to hike one more short trail next to Taft Point before heading back home for the day Sentinel Dome. For more on the hike to Sentinel Dome, read my post The Best Sunset in Yosemite: Sentinel Dome.
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