Spring hike in Yosemite NP: Yosemite Point (2114m) and Castle Cliffs (2250m)

Another mandatory part of the California tourist program is to go to Yosemite National Park. In spring, it's not that crowded, the waterfalls are most impressive, and in the past winter, there has not been much snow, so let's go!

A hike that is suitable if you only have 1 day and have to drive back the same day, leads to Yosemite Point. If you feel like gaining a few more meters of altitude, you can ascend a bit more on the trail to North Dome.

The route is very easy to find - just find the big trailhead sign near Camp 4 and follow the path (and the crowd). The path goes up fairly quickly and reaches the Columbia Rock (~1500 m), which has already some nice views. From there it descends ~50 m to go around a cliff, and reaches a saddle point near the bottom of the Upper Yosemite Fall. From there it winds steeply, without any rest, to the top of the fall. To get to Yosemite Point, cross the creek (which turns into the waterfall just a few meters below) and head south. Yosemite Point is a viewpoint situated directly on the edge of the cliff, and the view of the valley is stunning. Don't fall :)

However, despite its impressive look from the valley, Yosemite Point is clearly not a peak. Thus, serious hikers have to ascend a bit more. There is a rock ~100m above that looks promising. Unfortunately, it turns out that it is clearly not a peak, either. I followed the trail to North Dome until it reaches a saddle point. The nearby "peak" probably has at a prominence of ~10m. That's not bad, given that everything is a glacier plateau. :) Google Maps says the rock below is called Castle Cliffs, so I just named the waypoint after that. The view is non-existent, so after getting the work done, I headed back to Yosemite Point and had lunch.

Return to the car on the same way.