Four Mile Trail Yosemite Hike Guide
The Four Mile Trail is a popular hike located in the Yosemite Valley of this California National Park. The hike starts at the valley floor and takes hikers up to a variety of viewpoints eventually ending at the Glacier Point overlook. For ambitious hikers, you can add on the Sentinel Dome for an even longer day. The Four Mile Trail is a great hike for those looking to get a unique perspective of the valley and Yosemite Falls when it is running.
Four Mile Trail Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Four Mile Trail + Sentinel Dome
Four Mile Trail Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 10.4 Miles RT / 13.4 Miles RT with Sentinel Dome
Elevation Start: 3,973ft
High Point: 7,224ft / 8,122ft Sentinel Dome
Total Elevation Gain: 3,600ft to Glacier Point /4,300ft to Sentinel Dome
Estimated Time to Complete: 6-8 Hours RT
Difficulty: Difficult What does this mean?
Class: Class 1/ CLass 2 for Centinel Dome – What does this mean?
Season: May – November (Closed outside of this window) View trail conditions here.
Directions to Four Mile Trail
Trailhead: Four Mile Trailhead
Getting Here: First, navigate to the Yosemite Valley within the National Park. Starting the Four Mile Trail has a lot of variables. If taking the shuttle, stop at Valleywide Stop #11. If driving, you can park at the TH itself, just down the road at the Swinging Bridge Picnic area or at the much larger parking lot across the Merced River. More on parking below…
Parking: Parking for this hike can be tough, but luckily there are lots of options. First and the easiest is parking at the TH itself along the road. There are very limited spots here and I have seen a car get towed for illegal parking. Next is right down the street on the left at the Swinging Bridge Picnic area – this lot can fit about 20 cars. Finally and by far the easiest is the day use lot just south of the visitor’s center. If you park here you add about a half mile of additional hiking to the totals listed above. There are restrooms at the Swinging Bridge area.
Fee: $35 as of 2022, visit this page for more information.
Reservations: As of 2022, reservations are NOT required to enter Yosemite National Park.
Summary
Dogs: Dogs are not allowed on this hike or any other one in Yosemite National Park.
Camping: Yosemite has a number of campgrounds and lodging options.
Hike Xfactor(s): Yosemite Falls
The Four Mile trail is an awesome hike regardless of the time of year you tackle it. However, if you are able to visit this hike from May – the beginning of August you will have the opportunity to add a massive plus to this hike: the views of Yosemite Falls across the valley. There are a number of spots to see them along the steep trail.
Hike Tip(s):
- Bring hiking poles to help your legs on both the way up and down – this hike is STEEP with elevation gain almost the entire time.
- Skip the Union Point viewpoint – views here are good but you can get the same, if not better, views along the trail itself.
- When you reach the top of the Four Mile Trail, be sure to head over to Glacier Point. This could be easy to miss if you are just staring at the Half Dome views from the end of the trail.
- If you want even more unique views – add on the additional 3 miles RT to the top of the Sentinel Dome. This hike starts to the right of the Four Mile Trail when you reach the top.
Best Views: The views on the Four Mile Trail are great from start to finish. Having different lightning from the direction of the sun adds a unique perspective to views that you might have already seen. From the summit, the look over to the Half Dome, El Cap and of course down into the Yosemite Valley itself are all awesome. A+ views on this one.
Four Mile Trail Yosemite Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Women’s)
- Backpack (Winter)
- Backpack (Summer)
- Food & Water
- Hiking Poles – 120CM
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Microspikes – only needed during later Fall months
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, GoPro 360
- Optional: Drone
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Four Mile Trip Report: October 2022
Thanks to a follower recommendation, the Four Mile Trail was “the hike” on our quick day in Yosemite National Park. We arrived later in the morning to the TH and finding a spot to park was tough at first. Eventually we found one and made our way over to the trail start.
The hiking was flat for about 2 seconds and then immediately started uphill and continued up a number of sections of steep switchbacks for miles. The odd part about the Four Mile Trail was the paved trail underneath. It was not great in sections, but was paved from start to finish on this 5 mile trail.
Even with Yosemite Falls dry for the season, the views on this one were outstanding. When we finally reached the top of the trail, we stopped for a snack and some pictures. I wanted to add on the Sentinel Dome and Jackie was game, so we kept climbing a bit higher. This section of trail took us through a tall cedar forest by some radio towers and eventually across an old paved road. We had the Sentinel Dome to ourselves and the views of El Cap and over to the Sierra Nevada Mountains were both excellent.
On the way down, we stopped at Glacier Point which we missed on the way up and were very happy we did. To peer straight down, thousands of feet below, to the valley of the park was unforgettable. Hiking back to the TH was quick but still required a lot of attention from the loads of loose sand and dirt over the crumbling paved path.
I would highly recommend the Four Mile Trail as your one hike if you only had time for one in Yosemite National Park. PS: if heading to the West side of the park, BE SURE to check this link for the most up to date road conditions for 120.
