Have any of you ever hiked to the top of North Dome in Yosemite? If so what was the hike like how long,how hard etc.I'm going in June and was thinking of hiking to the top of North Dome.Let me know.
Have any of you ever hiked to the top of North Dome in Yosemite? If so what was the hike like how long,how hard etc.I'm going in June and was thinking of hiking to the top of North Dome.Let me know.
God almighty!!!
Quick, someone call the attendants!
Believe it or not, North Dome didn't go anywhere since last year. Try searching your own thread!
Hey Rol,RELAX!!!! I just wanted someone advice on hiking to the top of North Dome. I've never done it before.
ROL does have a point. There is not a lot to add to the conversation from last year on this topic.
There is not a quick and easy way to get to the top of North Dome. It will be an all-day hike no matter how one does it. Only do it if you are in good condition, have proper clothing/boots, and take plenty of food and water for the day. It would not be a hike for the average hiker, let alone couch-potatoes. Make sure that you have what it takes to survive a night out in the hills and still be able to walk out the next morning.
I have never hiked up to it from the Valley -- it would be a long difficult hike, though some map-reading skills and a little cross-county hiking would shorten the hike a little (and if one did not mind hiking straight up a mountainside). A loop via the Yosemite Falls and Snow Creek Trails would be doable if you are in very good condition. Or just up and down via Snow Creek trail.
Unless we get non-stop snow this Spring, I imagine HWY 120 will be open in June, so you can approach North Dome from above and return the same way (taking a couple of flashlights would be best in case you got delayed and returned in the dark.) If you have a way of getting back to your car left on Hwy 120 (there is a shuttle service, you'd have to check with the park about it), then a one-way hike from HWY 120 to the Valley via North Dome is the easiest way -- but it would be the next day that you'd be able to get your vehicle.
Vaughn
The safest way to approach North Dome is as Vaughn indicated. DO NOT attempt to reach the dome from the valley floor unless you are a skilled climber. The North Dome Gully has sections of exposed Class IV. It is steep, and there is loose rock. Several people have been killed there over the years; mostly during the descent. Stay away!
--P
Preston-Columbia CA
"If you want nice fresh oats, you have to pay a fair price. If you can be satisfied with oats that have already been through the horse; that comes a little cheaper."
It's a straight forwarded out and back hike from the TH at Porcupine Flat on 120 - about 8 miles RT from the car taking the Indian Ridge route with just the typical elevation gains/loses you would expect in the Sierra. Indian Rock with its arch is an interesting side trip - just 1/2 mile or so off the main trail. If you go light you won't have any problem at all: Easy hike and very popular.
Thomas
Just as a cautionary tale, I did it the dumb way in late September. Started from the floor, went up the Tenaya switchbacks, to Snow Camp Creek (or whatever it's called), to the dome, over to Yosemite Falls and down. It was absolute hell, even with only 25-30lb total. I took 5 liters of water and had to beg for extra. The guy who looked fresh as a daisy approached from hiway 120, and he had plenty of time to take photos. I got some great views, but w/o camping there or bringing lots of lighting to get back to the hiway, you can't get any golden hour shots. If you can get a camping permit, by all means do it. It's glorious, as long as no storms come up. Let me repeat -- unless you are in good shape, the Tenaya switchbacks are miserable. They are harder than anything else I did in 50 miles of hiking the park, except for getting down the Falls trail in the dark at the end of that day. I ended up collapsing in the store trying to down some Gatorade, and couldn't walk the next day.
The time I hiked from Hwy 120 to Indian Rock (skipped North Dome this trip), then cross-country to Snow Creek Trail and down to Mirror lake I had my 8x10 (60 lbs or so). It was dark as I reached Mirror Lake. I made it to the Awahnee Hotel and had to call my friend to pick me up. He lived about a mile away (behind the AA Gallery), but I literally could not make it that last mile. And it usually takes a bit to get me that way...in fact I do not think I have ever been that tired except for a day of bicycling in New Zealand when I did 70 miles (w/ about 80 lbs on the bike) on a small bowl of granola (and a over-the-handlebars crash, to boot!)
I was extremely foot-sore and a bit low on food energy and a bit dehydrated. "Bonking" is the term, I believe. I think it was the cross-country part that did my feet in -- steep and long with that much weight on my back. The switchbacks down to Mirror Lake were the final touch. By the time I was hiking below Mirror Lake, I tried not to stop because it hurt my feet so much to get started again -- but I had to make many stops anyway. Fortunately I recovered fairly well the next day.
The previous trip I had just the 4x5 -- a little less than half of the weight of my 8x10 load. I left Hwy 120, went to Indian Rock, the North Dome, then over to Yosemite Falls and down the trail. Arrived on the Valley floor as it got dark, and walked to my friend's place. Wiped out, but not foot sore like the second time.
Ericpmoss -- I did not even think someone would attempt to go straight up to North Dome -- at least no one with a LF camera (well, perhaps Drew in his younger days!)
Vaughn
Below is an image I shot of Indian Rock with its arch some time back but never printed until this Monday after reading and posting to this post:
Toyo 45CF, Rodenstock 75mm Grandagon (minus a UV filter I'm afraid), Oriental RC Glossy.
Thomas
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