North Dome Trail in Yosemite National Park

I promise myself over and over again not to go on hikes over 6 miles round trip since I love leisure strolls in the woods. Well, the best views are mostly accessed by hiking high, and generally that entails either elevation gain or a decent number of miles.

The North Dome hike was 9.2 miles from the parking lot at Porcupine Creek. Don't get fooled by the small difference in elevation between the start of the hike and the end of it. The actual elevation gain is about 1750 ft (or so my MapMyRide app said). It is a difficult hike, at least it was for me. The worst part was when you get to the end, you have to hike down and then up, very steep! The views were totally worth the effort though.

We had to cross a couple a streams. And there was snow!

About a mile from the destination, there is a turnout where you can see the Indian Arch, the only natural arch in Yosemite. It reminded me of Arches National Park, but the granite seemed more sturdy than sand-like stone in the Arches.

2/3rd of the trail is shaded by the trees, but when you get closer to the North Dome, you are hiking on granite with very few trees in sight. A nice breeze can help out, and if there are some clouds in the sky, they protect you from the heat just a bit.