Explore California - view hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
reviewed 
Recommend spikes and snow shoe. Took us 12 hrs. Skipped eagle point. Worth the hike and amazing views
Hiked on 4/10. Took me 8.5h, skipped Eagle Peak, but visited Yosemite Falls on the way back. If you are comfortable hiking through the snow that starts close to the Upper Yosemite Falls junction, you are good until the end. I brought crampons, but ended up not using them. I'd definitely recommend following the trail on your phone, ensured me a few times that I'm still on track. I started at 7am and was the only person on El Capitan. Crazy views, definitely worth the hike!
Still lots of snow from top of falls to summit. Trail is doable in hiking shoes but takes a lot longer. In some places snow is packed down and is easy to walk on, but you can sink knee to thigh deep in many places. Definitely worth the struggle, as snow starts to clear up about 2 miles from the top. (Hiked 4/05/2021)
As others have posted, we had deep snow with an icy surface shortly after upper Yosemite falls and made the mileage much tougher. Hoped to make it to El Capitan but our pace was too slow to think we could make a day trip of it. Yaktrax a big help with the grade and the ice. Beautiful views from the peak and so happy to have done it!
Favorite hike of all time. Drove up from sea level same day so hike was challenging but absolutely worth it. Beautiful views and terrain changes made it quite the adventure. Bring LOTS of water and snacks, prepare for 8+ hours of hiking. (Hiked 11/07/2020)
Completely snow covered after Yosemite Falls. Didn’t make it past Eagle Peak. We only had regular boots on and trekking poles - think we needed snowshoes. Snow is beginning to melt, which made it extra difficult. Sank into the snow knee or waist high many times. Trail is hard to spot. (4/3/21)
As many have shared, the first 3 miles are tough. But that paled in comparison to how difficult it got when I reached the part of the trail where there was still a lot of snow. First of all, I must have been one of the first to hike that part of the trail that morning. It was hard to stay on the trail. But the most frustrating part was falling through the snow multiple times. If the conditions are anything like I experienced, you MUST have snowshoes. Otherwise, there is no way to make it to the top of El Cap, unless you want to do the last few miles in the dark. I bumped into 3 other parties and they all expressed the same frustration. Nobody was able to do the whole hike. But with that said, I loved the challenge and the views are amazing. I will be back next year, with snowshoes.
Did once on 03/28/2021, the snow after upper fall is thick, and then get thicker and thicker, some parts of the trail are super icy and slippery, please be aware. The view on the peak is worth it.
Incredible hike (3/23/21). It was packed snow pretty much the whole way after the top of the falls. Hit Eagle and El Capitan, took us about 12 hours total.
The hike up to Yosemite Falls was beautiful as usual. A little snow in spots but not too bad. Used yaktrax a near the top in the morning but barely needed them coming down. The stretch from upper Yosemite falls to Eagle Peak is much less steep but the trail is covered in several feet of. Definitely needed traction there. Luckily the trail had been trafficked enough to pack it down a bit. Very pretty. We only saw one other group and had the peak to ourselves for lunch. Tough hike but to worth the view!! We left at 9am. Got to the top of the falls at 11am. Got to Eagle Peak at 1:15p. Had lunch. Stopped at the falls around 3:15p. Back to the valley floor at 5:30ish.
Fantastic and incredibly grueling! Started at 7, got back at 530. This included a 45 minute stop at El Cap and a 15 minute stop at Eagles Peak. You have a gorgeous view of Half Dome for a majority of the hike. The wooded trail is quite snowy and icy. Had a few minor falls but I didn’t have poles or spikes. Definitely would do again with poles!
It was great started from the lodge. Alittle after 8 finshed around 6 bring a headlamp as it got dark around 515. There was a good amount of ice cover between El Cap summit and upper falls. Spikes worked great. We loved this trail. I’d say we stopped 4 times to snack and chill. Blowing and hour and a half.
This recording starts at the top of the first 3.5 mile switch backs.
My husband and I hiked this trail 11/20 (for my birthday!) and we really enjoyed it. Neither of us are major hikers - but both pretty physically fit and the trail was very challenging. This is essentially the Upper Yosemite Falls trail plus a few extra miles of relatively flat hiking through woods to get to the glorious view. The additional miles were very snowy but we managed fine even without poles. A very worthwhile and physically challenging hike! Also both my husband and I used Garmin watches that tracked this as a 12 mi hike taking about 6 hrs (4:45 moving time - we stopped a lot!).
The trail to the top of Yosemite Falls is clear of ice and snow. After that the trail is mostly snow with an easy to find path. No snow gear needed. It really is 16 miles, my phone died on the way back. You would have to start very early to not hike some of the way back in the dark. I left my car at 9am and returned at 7pm. Stop at Colombia Rock for a 10/10 night time view if you happen to be there in the dark on the way back.
One of the best views i think you can get of Yosemite Valley. alot of elevation gain at one time. lots of snow the last 3 miles but not a bad walk through it.
