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!)   
・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. 


The View from Glacier Point

       Hiking Four Mile Trail was not easy at all but worth the views. If you are an avid hiker, you should try this hike. 👍

 

      Next time, I'm going to share with you what I purchased at Yosemite National Park.

 



      These are my entries related to Yosemite National Park.

1.【Hike】Vernal Fall via Mist Trail

2.【Hike】Mirror Lake

3.【Hike】Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point

4. What I Purchased at Yosemite National Park


         If you like hikes, you can check out my previous entries related to hike I tried from the book, 50 Hikes in Orange County.

1. San Gabriel River to Turtle Overlook (Long Beach/Seal Beach)

2. Dana Point Headlands (Dana Point)

3. Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (Huntington Beach)

4. Bayview Trail (Newport Beach)

5. Crystal Cove Tide Pools (Newport Beach)

6. Aliso Peak (Laguna Niguel)

7. Pecten Reef Loop (Aliso Viejo)

8. Bommer Canyon (Irvine)

9. Laurel Loop (Laguna Beach) 

10. Mariposa Trail Loop (Laguna Beach)

11. Little Sycamore Canyon Loop (Laguna Beach)

12. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary (Irvine)

13. Wood Canyon Trail (Aliso Viejo)

14. San Onofre State Beach (San Clemente / Oceanside)

15. Guna Peak (Laguna Beach) 

16. Oak Canyon Nature Center (Anaheim)

17. Horseshoe Loop at Irvine Regional Park (Orange)

18. Upper Hot Spring Canyon (Lake Elsinore)


     There are my entries related to my hikes I found on AllTrails App.

1. San Clemente Beach Coastal Trail (San Clemente)

2. Talbert Regional Park and Fairview Park (Costa Mesa))

3. Turtle Rock and French Hill Loop (Irvine) 

4. Back Bay Loop Trail (Newport Beach)

5. Black Star Canyon Falls Trail (Silverado)

6. Vernal Fall via Mist Trail (Yosemite National Park) 

7. Mirror Lake (Yosemite National Park)

8. Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point (Yosemite National Park)

 

 

      These are my entries you might like.
■Walking Along Shoreline in Long Beach, Los Angeles CA (October 2019)

■Dana Point Headlands - Dana Point, CA (September 2019)

■San Clemente Beach Coastal Trail - Hiking Trail Next to The Railroads (September 2022)

■Quail Hill Loop Trail in Irvine, CA (April 2019) 

■La Jolla Cove in San Diego (March 2019) 

■San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine (February 2019)

■Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach (January 2019)

■Swimming with Wild Dolphins (Big Island, Hawaii, January 2015)

■Dolphin Watching in Dana Point (July 2017)

■Our Whale Watching Trip (Dana Point, August 2013)

■San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine (March 2017)

■La Jolla Cove - Beautiful Spring Wildflowers and Wild Animals (2018)


       My entries related to wild animals can be seen here.

       My entries related to Orange County Hikes can be seen here.

       My entries related to sunset can be seen here.

       My entries related to hiking and walking can be seen here.



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