Review: Day Hikes in Yosemite National Park, 25 Favorite Hikes

Want more out of Yosemite than just the view from the tour buses or from your campground? Day Hikes in Yosemite National Park provides an introduction to Robert Stone’s 25 favorite day hikes in the park that should give you a taste of what is beyond the roads and viewpoints of Yosemite. 

At only 72 pages, Robert Stone’s Day Hikes in Yosemite National Park, 25 Favorite Hikes is meant as an introduction to what he thinks are the best day hikes in the park. By no means expansive or all encompassing, this book instead focuses on the 25 hikes to provide the reader with an introduction to Yosemite.

The hikes are scattered throughout the park and include trails in Yosemite Valley, along Glacier Point Road, through the Giant Sequoias and in North Yosemite. The hikes include:

In the Valley area
Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, Mirror Lake and Tenaya Canyon Loop, East Valley Loop, Lower Yosemite Fall and Bridalveil Falls.

Along Glacier Point Road
Bridalveil Creek, Taft Point and the Fissures, Sentinel Dome, and Four-Mile Trail

In the Giant Sequoias
Mariposa Grove and Merced Grove

In North Yosemite and along Tioga Road
Cascade Creek, Harden Lake, Lukens Lake, May Lake, Tenaya Lake, Sunrise Lakes, Lower Cathederal Lake, Tuolumne Meadows and Soda Springs, Elizabeth Lake, Lembert Dome, Lyell Canyon, and Gaylor Lakes

The hikes have all been chosen for their outstanding scenic beauty and the variety that the various hikes offer. In general, they are between easy and moderate hikes and run in length form an hour or so to several hours of hiking.

Simplified guide maps are provided with each description and are adequate for the trails included. Readers who want more information not provided on the included maps should look for a detailed topographic map of Yosemite – which are available through most outdoor sports stores.

An index map is provided in the beginning of the book, marking the locations of each of the hikes so they are easier to find when you are traveling through the park.

Each hike begins with the distance of the hike, the estimated hiking time, the elevation gain (and thus loss too) and what topographic map the trail would be located on. The trail descriptions are very detailed and provide mileages for various landmarks, trail junctions and other meaningful markers along your hike.

So if you are looking for a useful guide to day hikes throughout Yosemite National Park, take some time to pick up a copy of Day Hikes in Yosemite National Park, 25 Favorite Hikes and you’ll be happy that you did.

Originally published on Epinions.com