One of the day hikes I have always wanted to do was the Panorama Loop in Yosemite. Since I had the time, I made the drive up to El Portal and pitched my tent at the Indian Flat RV park, as I could not secure a site in the park proper. I drove into Yosemite Valley and grabbed one of the last parking spots for Bridalveil Falls. While we had a low snow year, the falls were still flowing nicely. After enjoying the light mist from the cascading water, I headed over to view Yosemite Falls, parking near Sentinel Bridge. From there, I walked over to follow the trail to view Lower Yosemite Falls. Along the way, I gazed up at Half Dome, knowing that I had once stood atop that majestic piece of granite. From the viewpoint of the falls, I strolled over to the Village Store to find a sticker or maybe a shirt. They had a nice “I made it to the top” sticker, so I grabbed one for myself and another for Ted. After looking for my dinner options, I settled on the Base Camp Eatery. Since tomorrow was going to be a long, hard day of hiking, I headed back to my tent to turn in.
I awoke just before dawn and quickly got ready, enjoying some oatmeal and a coffee. Again making the drive back into the valley, parking at the trailhead for the Four Mile Trail. The Panorama Loop is actually a combination of several trails: the Four Mile Trail, the Panorama Trail, and either the Mist Trail or the John Muir Trail. I chose to start on the Four Mile Trail, as it would have me ending near Curry Village. Two other cars were already parked alongside the road. This trailhead only had space for about 10 cars, so I was glad to be doing this hike before Memorial Day. Otherwise, I might have had to park on the other side of the valley and walk over, or wait for the shuttle buses to be running.
I gathered my pack and set off. The trail climbed up the wall of the valley, but at mostly a steady grade. Views of El Capitan and Yosemite Falls would appear from beyond the trees. My first destination was Union Point, offering an uninterrupted view of the valley. While I had gained a fair amount of elevation, I still had more to gain.
The trail swung southward, and Half Dome came into view for the first time. This also meant I was nearing my next destination, Glacier Point. After reaching it and chatting with some visitors about hiking up Half Dome, I headed to the store. I grabbed an ice cream sandwich and a soda. They also had pre-made sandwiches which sounded better than the tuna kit I had brought. Plus, it was mostly all downhill from here, so carrying a second lunch wasn’t going to be a burden. I enjoyed that ice cream out on the amphitheater, soaking in the stunning views. While I would have loved to just sit there for a long time, I still had a lot of miles to cover.
Now on the Panorama Trail, the vistas shifted to the Yosemite backcountry. Snow still clung to the mountain tops off in the distance. The trail crossed several small streams, some even flowing for a time on the trail itself. In a few weeks, I suspect they will be dry. Before too long, Illouette Falls came into view, which was my next stopping point. I took a short side trail to a viewpoint to marvel at them. This is actually the best place to view it, given how the water actually flows.
Once at the bridge over Illouette Creek, I took a short break. I initially thought I might have lunch there, but I was still full from that ice cream sandwich, so I decided to wait until Nevada Falls to enjoy it. Sadly, I saw the amount of trash scattered about the sandy beach, so I had to clean up what I could before continuing.
Now the trail would climb away from the falls. After about a mile and almost 600 feet of gain, I took another short trail to Panorama Point. I stood on an outcropping and took in the views. The trail leveled out for a while before descending toward Nevada Falls. I passed the closed junction to the John Muir Trail and found a nice shady spot near the river to enjoy my lunch. I took my time, soaking it all in. It was busy with groups of all kinds milling about.
That sandwich hit the spot, along with the Fritos, but it was time to descend down the Mist Trail. This was one part of the hike I was not looking forward to. This portion of the trail is steep and will also be crowded. Alas, there was no alternative, so down I went. This was also why I remembered to bring my rubber tips for my trekking poles to navigate the granite.
After crossing the river again at the Silver Apron, I left the Mist Trail to take the connector trail to Clark Point. This would allow me to bypass the crowds at Vernal Falls, and the wetter section of the Mist Trail. Upon reaching Clark Point, I was now back on the JMT. The final miles went quickly, and I was soon at Happy Isles Trailhead. I waited a bit for the shuttle to Curry Village, where a cold beer and some food awaited me, then decided to just make the flat one-mile walk. What’s one more mile after doing about 16?
At Bar 1899, the cold beer and pretzel bites were just what this hiker needed. I was also going to get a pizza, but there was a 45-minute wait, so I opted for a burrito instead. Since it was over two miles back to the car, I waited for the shuttle this time.
Finally back at the car, I changed into a dry shirt and made my way up to Tunnel View to enjoy the shadows slowly working their way across the valley. Again, this parking lot was almost at capacity. I can only imagine what Memorial Day Weekend would look like in a few days. As I looped back through the valley, I stopped at El Capitan Meadow. I decided to stroll out a bit, hoping to spot a climber’s headlamp on El Capitan. There, I ran into a gentleman with a nice spotter’s scope trained on a few climbers. He allowed me to look through it before he packed it away. He told me that those climbers were a 7-year-old attempting to become the youngest to climb El Cap and his brother, who was aiming to be the youngest to climb it twice (along with their support crew and father). To learn more about their successful climb, visit https://samadventure.com/.
It had been a long day, and while some astrophotography was tempting, I had a long drive home the next day. I awoke early and made breakfast while I finished packing up my site before making the drive home. The final stats for this hike were 15.5 miles, in 7:58 with over 4,507 feet of gain.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. I am the co-author of Urban Trails: San Diego, available now!
In 2019, I became the third person to complete the San Diego 100 Peak Challenge. Not stopping with that accomplishment, I set my sights on the harder San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list, which I completed in 2021. In addition, I have conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and both the Arizona-Winter and Arizona-Summer).
I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.