Sentinel Dome was once known the Jeffrey Pine at its peak made famous by Ansel Adams’ photograph, but now it’s just an easy hike to epic views in Yosemite!
Yosemite many hard hikes, but it also has a lot of easy ones. And because there’s generally not a lot of ugly to be found in Yosemite, even the easy ones don’t leave you hanging on the the views. Sentinel Dome is one of those hikes. It’s excellent bang for your buck.
The trail to Sentinel Dome starts at the same trailhead as Taft Point (another shorty but goody). We arrived in the late afternoon with enough time to do both hikes, saving Taft Point for sunset.
Like Taft Point, the trail to the dome itself isn’t anything to write home about. Maybe the most interesting thing on the way are the large Jeffrey pines that smell like vanilla (or butterscotch?) – take a whiff!
The trail is also very easy until you finally reach the dome! It wouldn’t really be a dome if there wasn’t a little bit a scramble to get up it:
Thankfully, the scramble is a short one, and the top you’ll be greeted with views of the Valley, including another great view of Half Dome itself.
Since this hike is so short, we highly recommend also doing the hike to Taft Point when you return to the trailhead for an amazing, less-crowded than Glacier Point sunset spot!
