(28 miles--4 to 5 hours by auto)
A trip to Glacier Point should be part of everyone's Yosemite
itinerary. Many motorists prefer to make the excursion by road instead
of by trail. The round trip from Yosemite can be made by machine in
one day, but it is better to reserve accommodations in advance at the
Glacier Point Hotel and remain there over night to view the sunrise
over the High Sierra. Another excellent plan is to send one's machine
around by road while one walks or rides to Glacier Point via the
Vernal and Nevada Falls Trail (Trail Trip 1), returning to the valley
via Chinquapin Road. The description of the first 14.5 miles of this
trip, which follows the Wawona Road as far as Chinquapin, will be of
interest to those leaving Yosemite by that route.
From Yosemite Village we follow the ~Bridalveil Road~ (Road Trip VI-A)
down the valley four and a half miles to the Bridalveil Checking
Station, where the Wawona Road turns to the left. Here all motorists
must register. For safety the park regulations permit the ascent on
even hours only, and at a speed of not more than twelve miles per
hour.
We now climb steadily beneath a dense forest of pines, fir, incense
cedar, oak and laurel, and at one and a half miles halt at ~Artist
Point~ (Alt. 4701, 750 feet above the valley floor). The view of the
~Gates of the Valley~ to the east is claimed to be one of the most
perfect of all Yosemite landscapes.
Gradually climbing another 690 feet we finally halt at ~Inspiration
Point~ (Alt. 5391). The view of Yosemite is similar to that from
Artist Point, but with the depths and distances more impressively
accentuated. Across the canyon is ~Fireplace Bluff~. A view-finder
beside the road indicates each point of interest. All machines should
be registered at the Government Checking Station. Telephone
communication and water are here available.
About half a mile beyond Inspiration Point is ~Fort Monroe~ (Alt.
5540), an old-time stage relay station. This is a fair campsite for
auto parties. A good spring will be found near the Pohono Trail
junction. The visit to the wild-flower gardens and many fine lookout
points of the ~Pohono Trail~ (Trail Trip 18) is an especially fine
one-day walking trip from this point.
Our road now leads thru most magnificent pine forests, which open now
and then to give us short glimpses of the canyon of the Merced,
thousands of feet below. About two miles from Fort Monroe the
~Hennessy Trail~ (Trail Trip 25) branches to the right and descends to
El Portal, ten miles distant. ~Grouse Creek Crossing~, a half mile
further, is a good auto camp. Fishing is fair downstream.
Another two miles takes us to ~Avalanche Creek~. There are here no
camping places and the stream contains no trout. _Caution_: The worst
turn on the road is about 200 yards beyond the crossing. One mile
beyond Avalanche Creek the ~Sunset Trail~ (Trail Trip 24) leaves the
road at the right, descending to the Mid-winter Ranger Station near
Arch Rock on the El Portal Road.
One mile further is ~Chinquapin~, an old stage relay station at the
junction of the Glacier Point and Wawona Roads. There is here a ranger
station and during the summer gas and oil can be obtained. In the
vicinity are many good camp sites. An excellent spring will be found
200 yards north of the ranger cabin. Fishing is fair in ~Indian Creek~
about a quarter of a mile southward; best fishing is downstream. Many
deer are generally to be seen in the region. Chinquapin is especially
noted for its wonderful sunsets. Before leaving, all machines should
take water.
The main road continues southward to Wawona and the Mariposa Grove of
Big Trees and thence to Merced, Madera and Fresno. Our route turns
eastward and climbs abruptly 1300 feet in the next three miles to the
head of the canyon of Indian Creek. This long, hard grade takes us to
the 7500-foot level, where we are at last on the gently sloping
plateau above the valley walls. The following eleven miles is a
delightful succession of mountain meadows and forests of red fir,
lodgepole pine and other sub-alpine species. Numbers of deer can
almost always be seen from the road, especially early in the morning.
~Peregoy Meadow~, about five miles from Chinquapin, was famous in the
early days for its wayside inn on the "Yosemite Trail" from Clarke's
(now Wawona). The old buildings have long since disappeared, but the
trail, now called the ~Alder Creek Trail~ (Trail Trip 19), is still
used. From Peregoy Meadow to Glacier Point are many fine camp sites.
About one mile eastward is ~Bridalveil Creek Crossing~. Fishing is
good upstream, and fair about one mile downstream, but generally poor
near the road.
At a trail junction about one and a half miles further, the ~Ostrander
Lake and Buck Camp Trail~ (Trail Trips 20 and 21) turns southward
(right). Here one may park his machine and walk to ~Ostrander Lake~
via Trail Trip 20 and return, a fifteen mile one-day round trip. The
lake offers some of the best fishing in this section of the park.
Swinging gradually to the northeast the road passes to the east of
~Ostrander Rocks~. A trail to the right leads to Mono Meadow and the
basin of the Illilouette. Three miles further at ~Pothole Meadows~ the
~Peregoy Meadow Trail~ (Trail Trip 19) leaves the road at the left. A
short distance beyond and at the same side of the road is the ~Pohono
Trail~ turn-off (Trail Trip 17). A half mile further, just as the road
starts its final descent to Glacier Point, is a trail to the left
leading to ~Sentinel Dome~. The summit is but a few minutes distant
and from it is revealed a vast panorama of the High Sierra.
A gradual descent in the final one and a half miles takes us past
several lookout points to the road termination at ~Glacier Point
Hotel~. Excellent accommodations are here obtainable. The overhanging
rock and ~Glacier Point~ are 200 yards northward. (For trips from
Glacier Point see Trail Trips 1, 2, and 16 to 23.)