It has grown on me!

Thursday, August 31, 2023

【Hike】Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point - Yosemite National Park in California

As I mentioned in my previous entry, my husband and I went to Yosemite National Park for hiking last month. During this travel, we visited the park twice. On the first day, we hiked to Vernal Fall and Mirror Lake. On the second day, we hiked Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point. It was a strenuous hike and walked 12 miles in total that day, yet we really enjoyed our hike. The views from Glacier Point was breathtaking!

My Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point Walking Summary (UA MapMyWalk App)

Tips for Walking on Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point.
・Apply sunscreen on entire body.
・Wear sunglasses and hat with high UPF.
・Bring a lot of water and some snacks.

・Drink water often.
・You can bring your dog.
・It's a strenuous hike.

・Apply insect repellent before hike. (A lot of mosquitoes!)

・Bring trekking poles

・Extremely weak cell service

My Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point Walking Summary (UA MapMyWalk App)

This time, we also parked at Yosemite Valley Lodge Parking Lot and walked a round trip to Glacier Point.

My Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point Walking Summary (AllTrails App)

Yosemite Valley Lodge Parking Lot to Four Mile Trailhead

Shuttle Stop #7 Close to Yosemite Valley Lodge Parking Lot

That day, we left our hotel located in El Portal at 7:30 a.m. and headed to Yosemite National Park. This time, we also parked at Yosemite Valley Lodge Parking Lot. We were going to use a free shuttle bus from the Shuttle Stop #7 to Shuttle Stop #11. However, the bus was as extremely packed as the previous day, so we decided to walk to the Four Mile trailhead. Actually, it was faster to walk to the trailhead than using the bus. It took 15 minutes or so to walk there.

The Shuttle Stop #11 Is Located at The Four Mile Trailhead.

We started walking at 8:40 a.m. It was a very quiet and beautiful morning. On our way to the trailhead, we saw a very beautiful family of deer. The adorable twin fawns were running around their mother. It was my first time to see wild twin fawns!

The views from the path were already spectacular!

Yosemite Falls

Swinging Bridge

Merced River

Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point

Around the trailhead, some hikers were applying insect repellent. Indeed, for the first one mile from here, there were always some annoying mosquitoes around us. I thought that we should have brought insect repellent to keep bugs free. However, I was wearing long sleeve clothing, Uniqlo AIRism Mesh UV Protection Full-Zip Hoodie, and long pants, so I only needed to protect my face and neck from bugs.

There was the warning sign. We had known that the Glacier Point can be accessed by hiking only. Despite this warning sing, the gift shop was actually opened at the Glacier Point that day. Although we didn't know that until we got to the top.

Compared to Mist Trail we hiked on the previous day, Four Mile Trail was not crowded at all. It's very quiet. I just couldn't stand the buzz of mosquitoes for the first one mile.

Because it was early morning, we were able to walk under the shade of trees for a few hours. We hiked up the steep hill.

We enjoyed the view from the trail. We were able to see Yosemite Falls while walking.

We crossed over the stream a few times.

The giant log almost completely blocked the path.

Upper Yosemite Fall and Lower Yosemite Fall

We were able to see Yosemite Valley from above.

Half Dome

We noticed that we were eventually walking above the Yosemite Falls!

I read Four Mile Trail reviews on AllTrails, and some hikers encountered a bear on this trail on the previous day. I think that it was this area.

We crossed over another stream.

We finally made it to the Glacier Point! We were surprised that there were many people who didn't look like hikers. Then, we noticed that Glacier Point was fully opened, so many people were able to access here by car. We hiked up the steep trail for four to five hours to get here though. 😂

Glacier Point

The views from Glacier Point were spectacular! Many people were taking photos from the view point.

Gift Shop at Glacier Point

We noticed that the gift shop was opened. They were selling some souvenirs, some sandwiches, chips and ice cream bars at reasonable prices.

We purchased some souvenir and ice cream bars. These Mexican La Michoacana ice cream bars were $1.29 each. As soon as we started having the ice cream, we forgot how tired we were. It made us feel refreshed. 😋 We enjoyed iced cream and beautiful views at the same time.

Half Dome, Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall

Yosemite Falls

Royal Arch, North Dome, Mirror Lake and Half Dome

At that time, there was the information board for Pika Fire, which was caused by natural lightning.

From the Glacier Point, we saw white smoke coming from Pika Fire at Yosemite National Park.

Pike Fire

Glacier Point Geology Exhibit

Liberty Cap and Nevada Fall

We were still able to see snow capped mountains. We really enjoyed magnificent views from the Glacier Point.

Half Dome, Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall

Going Down Four Mile Trail to the Trailhead

After enjoying stunning beautiful views, we decided to hike down the trail around 3 p.m.

Going down the Four Mile trail was much easier than hiking up, but it was more slippery. In addition, there was little to no shade and hot in the afternoon.

Yet, we were able to enjoy the spectacular views while walking.

Finally, we made it to the trailhead! During this hike, I tried to take a break as often as I needed before I got super tired, and I tried to hike at my own pace. These are very important for me to complete a strenuous hike. It ended up being a 10-hour hike in total. (My moving time was 8 hours and 40 minutes according to AllTrail App.) Our legs were sore after walking for long hours, but we felt accomplished after completing strenuous Yosemite hikes.