Up high: Washburn Point and Glacier Point

On our maiden visit to Yosemite National Park, we had merely scratched the surface of that rocky attraction up on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. It was a day trip and we couldn’t fit Glacier Point into it.

Before and after that trip, I’d been seeing so many pictures of Glacier Point on the internet. I also kept running into Instagram photographs from the high-altitude vista point, over and over again reminding me that there should be no missing it, the next time I was up in Yosemite.

And then an impromptu trip happened over Thanksgiving Holidays last year. And when I looked up the National Park’s official website the alerts told me that Tioga Pass and Glacier Point Road were both closed as it was November. Although they had put in a line saying we could call a particular number to check for current conditions, I didn’t seem hopeful about being able to go up there. But on the evening of Day 1 in Yosemite, while we were making our way to our accommodation in Yosemite West, we passed the entrance to the Glacier Point Road and hadn’t seen a sign saying that it was closed. So the next day, we thought we’d try our luck. And thankfully luck was on our side. Glacier Point was open that day!

Glacier Point Road

Glacier Point Road turns off Wawona Road and is a 16-mile drive up into the higher altitudes. The drive through the narrow mountainous road through evergreen trees took us to Glacier Point one of the most breathtaking vista points in the park, this one at an elevation of over 7000 ft.

On the way up there, we went around a curve on the road and got to a point where the trees made way for a panoramic view of the tops of the humongous cliffs of Yosemite National Park. It was the Half Dome that first came to view. And seeing it from a vantage point made it look kind of different from the sight it is from Tunnel View or Yosemite Valley. We were at a point called Washburn Point.

Washburn Point, Yosemite

After we parked and walked to the look-out, there in front of us were the Vernal and Nevada Falls and also several other prominent points like the Liberty Dome, Mt. Broderick, Clark Range and even Little Yosemite Valley.

The view from Washburn Point, Yosemite National Park, CA.

Vernal Fall (lower left) and Nevada Falls (on the right).

Clark Range (And can you spot Nevada Falls on the left side of the picture?)

We spent a few minutes taking in the landscape created by the glaciers. Then, we forced ourselves back into the car to see what the seemingly more promising Glacier Point had in store.

And dear tripper, believe me — I was not prepared for what I was about to see. The view from there was something else. The mile-long hike from the parking lot had several different views to show, each better than the last. There were the sights that we saw at Washburn Point: The Half Dome and the Nevada and Vernal Falls but this view was a notch higher.

See it for yourselves:

Glacier Point Overlook, Yosemite

Glacier Point was like the cherry on top as far as the drive and the sights of the day were concerned. There was more to see here; there was all that we had seen at Washburn Point and more.

The view from Glacier Point

There was the Half Dome and the what’s known as the Grand Staircase (Nevada and Vernal Falls).

Then, there was the Yosemite Falls,

You can see both Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls, from here.

And the Overhanging Rock

And the Tenaya Canyon

And Panorama Cliffs, to name a few of the lithic attractions there.

And here’s Curry Village down below. And the Merced River:

Ah! What an overwhelming day it was.

Who wouldn’t be tipsy from a trip to Glacier Point?!

Some tips for the Trip to Glacier Point:

• Glacier Point Road is closed during the winter. While you plan your trip, you might want to check the current conditions at the park. If you are there in fall, you just might get lucky as we got.
• Washburn Point is on the way to Glacier Point. As such, I strongly recommend you stop there ON YOUR WAY to Glacier Point and not after. You can see why, in the pictures.
• Put aside a good half day or more to explore both points: Washburn Point and Glacier Point. Washburn is a small stop but there’s a lot to see at Glacier Point; you are going to want to spend more time there than you initially planned.

If you missed the post on Yosemite Valley, you might want to see the sights now–

Exploring the valley up in the mountains

You might also like:

Lithic landscapes on Tipsy from the TRIP

Linking this post to–

Our World Tuesday