12/31/2023 0 Comments Clouds rest summit![]() ![]() Early trailbuilding in the park seemed to promote the construction of stone staircases. The trail was very rocky here, seemingly intentionally. The open granite interspersed with forest on this ridge was quite pretty and made the ascent a bit more bearable. ![]() The trail started climbing up a ridge rising above Tenaya Canyon. Over the next 0.7 miles, the trail crossed three streams (or in my case, three dry streambeds) while staying fairly flat after the third stream crossing, the trail began one of the two main ascents of the hike. Leaving the outcrop, the trail descended slightly into a forested basin. At three-quarters of a mile from the trailhead, a granite outcrop to the right of the trail provided my first view of my destination for the day: 9931-foot Clouds Rest. The trail soon left the creek and passed through forest interspersed with areas of open granite. At the right time of year, this stretch of trail is probably quite scenic, with the creek flowing through green meadows, but the scene was a bit sad with the creekbed entirely dried out. Rejoining the trail to Clouds Rest, I followed the wide and flat trail through the forest as it paralleled the dry creekbed of Tenaya Creek. The trail led to a quiet beach where I enjoyed views of rounded Stately Pleasure Dome reflected in the lake's calm morning waters. Before continuing to Clouds Rest, I turned left and took a 0.1 mile detour to the shoreline of Tenaya Lake. After crossing the creekbed, I came to a trail junction: the left fork led along the eastern lakeshore of Tenaya Lake, while the right fork continued towards Sunrise Lakes and Clouds Rest. ![]() This crossing may be difficult earlier in the year when there is heavy snowmelt, but during my August visit there was no water in Tenaya Creek. The trail crosses Tenaya Creek, a crossing aided by a series of well-placed rocks for rockhopping. A number of trails branched off from the trail in its opening stretch, all of which I ignored until reaching Tenaya Creek about a sixth of a mile into the hike. Signs along the trail indicate that this hike is perhaps as long as 15 miles round trip, but it is closer in distance to 13 miles. I followed the boardwalk leaving the trailhead, which put me on the trail towards Sunrise Lakes and Clouds Rest. If you're looking for a fairly challenging hike to the top of a well-known Yosemite landmark with some of the best views in the park, Clouds Rest is the hike for you. The trail to this summit is a bit long but the hike as a whole is not terribly difficult the ridgewalk at the end may bother acrophobes but this ain't Angels Landing. That's a shame, as the views from Clouds Rest are arguably grander than those from its more famous neighbor. Although a popular destination, Clouds Rest is still far less sought after than Half Dome and the hike to its summit is quieter than the trails in Yosemite Valley. A fairly lengthy day hike to this summit peaks with an airy walk along an open granite ridge that delivers a rare combination of Yosemite Valley views with far-reaching High Sierra views. Clouds Rest is a massive mountain of granite rising to nearly 10000 feet in the heart of California's Yosemite National Park and provides the sweeping views that one would expect from a peak of its height at this location. ![]()
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