When to visit the Sentinel Dome Panorama
The Glacier Point Road, which provides the only access by car to these hikes, usually opens around late May or early June, depending on conditions. Once the road opens, trails can remain wet and/or snowy for a few to several weeks. The Glacier Point Road usually closes sometime in November.
National Park Services
Sentinel dome hike is one of the most satisfying hikes not only in Yosemite, but in all of California. With relatively minimal elevation, from the Sentinel Dome Trailhead to the peak of the rock you will enjoy some of the best panoramas that the golden state has to offer.
Parking by the Sentinel Dome Trail Head
Visitors will fill up the limited parking by the trailhead relatively quickly, it can fit 15-20 cars only (from what I recollect). Thus, make sure that you leave your hotel as early as possible. This parking spot should be your first destination of the day if you’d like to make the most of the day and encounter some of the most pictures vistas on your way to the Glacier point.
Furthermore, besides scaling the Sentinel Dome, you might want to incorporate the hike to the Glacier point located only a mile or so down below. A stopping point on the four mile trail to the Yosemite Valley. Just keep in mind that if you start from the Sentinel Dome parking you will be walking down hill to the Glacier point. You will be scaling pretty steep path on the way back.
We had a good time walking this trail even with a little guy in a front pouch. Besides our little mishap that happened at the Glacier point the entire experience was pretty amazing. Initially we skipped the Sentinel dome to go down as quickly as possible, however swung by the peak on the way back and got to capture some of the most breathtaking California Perspectives ever.
The Sentinel Dome Peak in Yosemite
One thing to keep in mind, there’s no protective railing anywhere around the rock and the sides of the hemi-spherical formation abruptly end at the most unexpected turns. If you have kids hiking on their own you’d better keep a close eye on them.
Every year a bunch of fools fall off the rocks at the Yosemite National Park. It’s a good idea to be mindful of your surroundings and keep your children at the arm’s length at places like this
Swing by the Taft Point if you still have gas in your tank after hiking for 2-3 hours. The Taft point is a cool spot to take some iconic portrait shots of the entrance to the Yosemite valley.
Useful information from the Yosemitehikes website for your research.
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