Olmsted Point Nature Trail is an easy, 0.25-mile out-and-back trail that features panoramic views of Tenaya Lake, Half Dome, Mt. Hoffman, Yosemite Valley, and Clouds Rest. The trail traverses primarily over granite rock. You'll see some erratic boulders staggered along the slopes, as well as twisty juniper trees that are able to grow right from the granite surface.
This heavily-trafficked trail in the Sierra High Country is popular for tourists taking photographs of its spectacular views, and if you bring binoculars, you can watch the line of climbers as they cable their way up Half Dome. As with all trails along the Tioga Pass, accessibility is seasonally limited, with the road opening from May (sometimes June) to October, depending on snow levels.
Children are allowed on the trail, but pets are not. There are no restrooms or water fountains at the trailhead, and the closest vault toilet is located 1.5 miles away, at the exit for Tenaya Lake. The trail experiences moderate-to-heavy traffic, although the large parking lot at the trailhead rarely fills up. However, you'll find many people stopping to take pictures from the parking lot.
Olmsted Point Nature Trail is accessible from a large parking lot adjacent to Tioga Road. From Yosemite Valley, take Hwy. 120 ten miles to the turnoff onto Tioga Road. Travel 30 miles east to reach the parking lot for Olmsted Point. From the east entrance to Yosemite on Tioga Pass, you will travel 18 miles west to reach the lot.
While this is one of the most popular viewing areas in the Yosemite high country, the parking lot is large and rarely fills up completely. Many passing this spectacular, panoramic vista will simply stop to take photos from the parking lot before continuing along Tioga Road, allowing for relatively quick turnover in parking spaces. In the event that the lot does fill up, there are a few spots on the shoulder of the road where you can park as well.
The 10-20 minute stroll on the mostly level trail is worth it, offering even more spectacular views of Tenaya Canyon, Clouds Rest, Half Dome, and Lake Tenaya. This short trail over granite leads to a viewpoint on the front side of the dome formation and gives you a less obstructed view of the valley below. To the south, you will see Half Dome from a unique perspective if you have binoculars, you can watch as the climbers ascend the dome via the cable system.
Hiking back to the parking lot, take notice of the boulders, which stand apart from the surrounding rock and were displaced by glacial action. You'll also see twisted juniper trees climbing determinedly from cracks in the granite surface.
If you'd like a bonus hike on your stop at Olmsted Point, the granite dome across the highway on the north side of Tioga Road provides similar views as Olmsted but has less tourists, allowing for more solitude than the Olmsted Point Nature Trail. This hike is likewise about 10 minutes to reach the top.
Note that Tioga Road is only open seasonally, typically from May through October. During the winter, snowpack can rise up to 30 feet and generally prevents access. Tioga Road passes through 26 major avalanche zones and the dangerous task of snow removal sometimes delays the road's opening into mid or late June.
Olmsted Point is named after landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and his son, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., who are most known for their contributions in the designs and development of Central Park in New York City, the Florida Everglades, Acadia National Park, and Niagara Reservation in Niagara Falls, New York. Olmsted Island at Great Falls of the Potomac River in Maryland is also named after Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
The father and son were important activists in the conservation movement and involved with the establishment of the National Park system. Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove were the first lands protected by Congress as a national park for public use, and Frederick Law Olmsted was appointed as the Chairman of the first commission to manage the park. His policy report on the protection of Yosemite's wildlife and scenery is now considered a classic national park treatise.
In 1961, Tioga Road opened to automobile traffic, allowing access to the lookout at Olmsted Point. Tioga Pass is the highest highway pass in the Sierra Nevada and in California as a whole.
