Sentinel Dome

It's recommended that visitors head up shortly before sunset, and bring a blanket or extra layers to hang out to watch the sun go down. If there are a few clouds in the air, even better. After dark you can see some lights from small towns far off in the distance. Make sure to bring your headlamp for the descent! The route is fairly easy, as the trail starts down from the parking area with a rocky incline up the dome, but nothing too difficult. The harder part is coming back up to the car in the dark! For daytime outings, this one is easy for families or most anyone. Access is tricky since it's a long drive from the valley to the trailhead, but even being right off the road, you won't have to battle too many crowds. The Glacier Point Road, which you'll need to take to access the trailhead, is closed in the winter months, making trail access extremely difficult.Most folks will use the trail as described above but it does, however, continue over Sentinel Dome and down to Pohono Trail.