Taft Point Is One Of The Great Day Hikes In Yosemite

The fissures are these huge, deep cracks between the rocks. These gaps are hundreds of feet deep and allow you to peak at Yosemite Valley below. You don't really see the fissures until your standing right on top of them.

Taft Point was names after the US President, William Howard Taft. John Muir visited with President Taft in 1909 to get the President to prevent a dam being put up at Hetch Hetchy. And because of President Taft's visit to Yosemite Natl Park, this lookout point was named after him.

Where Is Taft Point Yosemite?

To get to this great day hike at Yosemite, get yourself to Glacier Point Road. Go 13.2 miles (2.3 miles before the parking lot at Glacier Point) and you will see a sign on the left that says Taft Point.

Start your easy downhill (and mostly flat) hike at the trailhead. You'll cross over a creek and walk through a forest before arriving at the fissures. There are five unique...and kind of scary fissures. There are no rails here to keep you from going over the edge to the valley below. So, if you have small children, make sure that they are holding your hand at all times.

Just uphill and past the fissures, you will see Taft Point. A small rail on the rocks is a great lookout point. The scenic Yosemite view is of the High Sierra Mountains, El Capitan, the Cathedral Spires, the Three Brothers, Yosemite Falls, Sentinel Rock and of course Yosemite Valley.

This hike is 2.6 miles round trip. And since its downhill getting to the fissures and Taft Point, that means it is an uphill hike getting back to your car! So bring some water with you.

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