(4 miles--3 hours--Round trip 1/2 day)
For years there was a search for a point in Yosemite from which the
five great waterfalls--Upper and Lower Yosemite, Vernal, Nevada and
Illilouette--might be seen. The quest was finally ended when in 1897
Mr. Charles A. Bailey and a friend computed the location of such a
point by triangulation. To their surprise it was not one of the
dominating summits, but occurred rather low on the west flank of
Grizzly Peak. The first ascent on June 14, 1897, proved the
calculation to be correct and the crag was named Sierra Point in honor
of the Sierra Club.
The trail starts from ~Happy Isles~, which are 2.3 miles distant from
Yosemite. Here we turn south on the main ~Vernal~ and ~Nevada Falls
Trail~ or cross Happy Isles by the footpath. A quarter mile takes us
to a spring and water-trough, where the ~Sierra Point Trail~ branches
to the left and ascends the flank of ~Grizzly Peak~ by switchbacks. A
leisurely ascent may be made in forty-five minutes. From the point is
not only a good view of the falls but an impressive panorama. The
depths and distances are accentuated by the promontories being above
the observer and the canyons far below.