Trail: Pohono Trail: Glacier Point to Crocker Point Distance: 20 miles round-trip Elevation: 4,333' ft. Location: Yosemite National Park, CA Permits: A wilderness permit is required for overnight backpacking. Trip Date: May 2024
“I’m so glad you mentioned Crocker Point, most people skip that one,” said the ranger issuing my wilderness permit. She was right, days after Memorial Day and I enjoyed Crocker Point to myself. The Pohono Trail: Glacier Point to Dewey Point was the trail I chose for my second backpacking trip that week. This is my story for a quick overnighter on the Pohono Trail last month.
Just one day after getting off the Hetch Hetchy Loop, I drove across the national park to Glacier Road. My journey started at 9 AM. From Glacier Point, it is approximately 8.5 miles to Dewey Point along the Pohono Trail. I logged just a little under 20 miles because I didn’t want to miss the viewpoints or Sentinal Dome, which were all incredible!
The Pohono Trail offers views I’d only dreamed of! I was grateful to experience a night on the trail to soak in the views in its entirety. With the national park reservation system in place, the trail seemed very quiet, and I only ran into a few groups of people backpacking the trail that day. It was fun hiking up to Sentinal Dome and seeing new views from all around.
To be quite honest, for me- the Pohono Trail was only ever as epic as its viewpoints. The in-between miles through dense forest, and downed trees was only worth it because of the 4+ viewpoints. Don’t knock it til you try it for yourself! I would 100% hike this trail again. There is some water to be carried, but when hiked in the right season, you won’t have to carry much. I carried 3L from Bridveil Creek ( approximately less than 2.5 miles), which was a little unecessary due to the amount of seasonal creeks and snow melt at the time.
Be sure to arrange extra time to stop and soak in the views along the way. I particularly enjoyed the views and the seating from Dewey Point and probably spent the most time there before making my way to Crocker Point. When I arrived, it was after 4 PM with 5 hours of sunlight. Two hikers were leaving, I waited til 6 PM to set up camp. I was happy to locate a camping area away from the main viewpoint. There was space for at least 3-4 tents, and views that brought tears to my eyes as the sun started to set on the valley.
I couldn’t believe I had the place to myself. Surely, I was expecting someone to arrive a little before or after sunset, but it was an experience I won’t soon forget! I enjoyed instant ramen, with boiled water from the creek of the waterfall I had been starring at from camp. The colors fell on the valley and just as fast as the colors came, they disappeared. It was a very quiet and warm night, to say the least. I slept with my rainfly halfway open to possibly get a glimpse of the sunrise, and so glad that I did. It wasn’t the most epic sunrise, but it was a beautiful experience.
I specifically chose this trail because I am a sucker for loop hikes. It wasn’t until I hopped on the trail that I realized there is a longer version of the Pohono Trail that visits even more viewpoints with a hike UP to Glacier Point! If I were to do this hike again, I would opt for the longer version in hopes of being able to visit ALL of the viewpoints!
