Cloud’s Rest

Best hike ever. Strenuous and beautiful. Worthwhile if you can handle the air thinning out. I should have trained for this.

By far one of the most difficult hikes I have ever done in my life. Much more difficult than Half Dome.
«What is worthwhile is difficult»
The views from the top are amazing. Do this hike from the valley floor, it is much more challenging and pushes yourself to the limit at 10,000 feet above sea level. It is harder to breathe up there, but the stunning views of the entire valley, including looking DOWN at the top of Half Dome is one of the best views I have ever set my eyes across.
TIPS:
–Leave early (we left around 6:50am to catch the 7am bus from the lodge)
–Bring good hiking shoes and a supportive backpack with at least 5 Liters of water.
–Bring a lot of food and snacks. I ate something every hour of the hike and it really energized me and got me through the grueling parts. Bring trail mix, energy Goo, whatever keeps you motivated.
–Plan to arrive back at the hotel around 6pm
It is hilarous talking to the other hikers who drove all the way to Tenaya Lake and then hiked to the top, taking the easy route. They appear like they strolled through a park and although frustrating, it makes you feel like a SAVAGE pro-​hiker.

The views from the top are beautiful, but the hike to and from it from Tenaya Lake was so so in terms of scenery. You do get a nice variation of scenery including meadows, rocky switchbacks, a lake and a stream or two, but definitely not comparable to the Panoramic Trail that takes you from Glacier Point through three waterfalls (Illilouette Falls, Nevada Falls, and Vernal Falls).
My husband and I are in our late 30s and early 40s and do not hike often. I run regularly while my husband plays volleyball once a month, and we both found this trail to be quite challenging. We started the 14.5-mile roundtrip hike from Tenaya Lake at 9:30am and were able to get to the top by 1:30pm. We headed back by 2pm and were back at Lake Tenaya by 6pm. This is taking into account regular rest breaks and each of us carrying small backpacks containing four 16-​oz bottles of water, a sandwich, leftover dinner, a bag of trail mix and a bag of almonds. It then took about 1 hour to head back to the Valley where we were staying.
Hope this helps anyone considering hiking Cloud’s Rest!

I did this hike with my bf 7/​10, it was little bit raining, it was worth the effort. Great view from the top, it was about 16 miles round trip from sunrise lakes trail head, at least that was my Fitbit told me :-) we are in good shape and did a good speed, 3.5 hours going up, half an hour rest on top, and little over 3 hours to get back the parking lot.
Parking lot was not full at 8:30am, and there are enough parking across the parking lot along the road. Not many hikers on the trail either, quiet and nice. Start early and enjoy the view!

I’m only writing this review for all the people who are scared of heights like I am. Don’t worry about it! The videos of it make it seem way more intimidating than it is. I usually have a strong fear of heights that kick in and somewhat paralyze me, but this did nothing of the sort. Even at its narrowest, the base is plenty wide enough for you to feel comfortable. Also for a good portion, you can trek up from the side of the ridge, which will allow you to lean-​in towards the ridge, giving you some semblance of support. The view from the summit is amazing, and quite better than anything I’ve ever seen from the trails in yosemite valley, and I think I’ve seen them all, including glacier point, upper Yosemite falls, Nevada falls, vernal falls, and sentinel dome. Don’t think twice! Do this trail! I started from tenaya lake, which cut the distance by about 6 miles, even though it’s about an hour drive from the valley.

Right when I thought accomplishing Half Dome was awesome. Jeeze, Cloud’s Rest was twice as awesome! I personally thought the hike up to Cloud’s Rest is a bit more challenging since my friends and I did a backpacking trip up to Cloud’s Rest. Those switchbacks are NO KIDDING, especially when each of us have to carry around 30−35lbs of our camping gears up with us.
The hike was definitely not as boring as Half Dome. There’s so much to see, and the view getting there is quite nice as well. We started off from Tenaya Lake and hiked 7.0 something miles. That took us 5 – 6 hours. Which is pretty good consider having to lug our backpacking pack with us. Switchbacks incline was insane. Of course when there’s an uphill, we have our downhills as well. I personally thought going uphill is easier on the knees than going downhill. DEFINITELY get a pair of trekking poles. They really help and you would thank yourself for getting them.
Another tip: You will have to bring enough water to get to a creek and refill them. You would also need to get a filter. I would recommend the Sawer Filter for around 24.99 that can be attach to a water bottle and you can drink straight off from it. I, myself, had 2 bottles of 1.5 liters of Smart Water bottle, and a 2 L camelback bladder. I say you can get away just having 3 liters of water with you before you get to the creek to filter out the creek water. The creek water is super clear but of course we still need to filter out some bad stuff.
Oh! Also, there’s A LOT of mosquitos. so do bring mosquito repellent or deet free repellent because man. my friends and I all got some battle scars from those mosquitos. They really are something…
After a long 5 – 6 hours hike, we finally reached the bottom of Cloud’s Rest. Okay, seriously. from reading all these Unilocal reviews really freaked me out and made me had doubts about ascending to the top of Cloud’s Rest. If you have a fear of heights, don’t let that stop you because it’s seriously NOT BAD. You can crawl up there if you want but it’s seriously not bad and it’s totally WORTH IT!
The view is absolutely AMAZING. It’s higher than Half Dome so you can actually SEE Half Dome. Bomb-​digity. You can also see a lake from afar. I’m not sure if that’s Tenaya Lake or Sunrise Lake. But there’s a tiny «pond» from afar. Haha.
I absolutely recommend going here, it’s less crowded than hiking to Half Dome AND you don’t need a permit to ascend. You can definitely do a Dayhike without the backpack.

14.5 mile roundtrip hike if starting from Tenaya Lake and a wonderful stroll througH the meadows. Pretty steady incline except for the initial switchback and the last 500-​ft where you climb to the summit. You’ll get a great view of Half Dome (8836 ft) and El Capitan (7573 ft) on the right side. Overall a great 360 view of the Yosemite Valley that stretches for hundreds of miles. A little tip is that coming here in June 2015, there were many mosquitoes, so be sure to pack some repellant!

I hiked clouds rest and half done from the valley floor 2x’s each. Of the two, clouds rest has the more incredible view due to the smooth face that almost looks like a massive slide down into tenaya canyon. Its also is higher in elevation than half dome and you get a slight downward view of half dome. The frontal view of mt Watkins also makes you realize what a massive rock that is. you can’t usually see it in all its glory from the more famed lookouts like glacier point.
Although I took the crazy mans route and did clouds rest from happy isles (22miles round trip), clouds rest has been my favorite hike of all time. It’s a very lonely trail. Hiked it once by myself and only saw one other person the entire 2.5 hrs from the half dome clouds rest fork. Though I hiked clouds rest before you had to get permission to hike half dome so I would expect that has led to a few more hikers changing their plans and hiking clouds rest. Also I know there is a shorter route from the tenaya lake area but that trail supposedly thins out a lot near the top with steep drop offs on both sides.
Half dome beats clouds rest from the aspect of how cool it looks and the uniqueness of the cables. But the experience of clouds rest sticks in my mind and when you are up there you feel like it’s such a beautiful view that very few have seen. Do it!

Unilocal didn’t like my last review of this ‘business’…so, this one includes no humor and just the facts.
It is VERY HARD TO get here, at least 10 miles roundtrip with lots of uphill. It would really help if the parking lot was closer.
Also, for how hard it is to get here, the view should be MUCH BETTER. I’m expecting to see St. Peter’s gates for the level and duration of effort to get here.
Finally, there is NO FOOD OR DRINK available for purchase here. In my opinion that’s inexcusable.
I reallly think there should be porter service to bring me here, on a mule or pedicab (with shocks of course).
Otherwise, it’s just not worth it.

The views are SPECTACULAR! I hiked Cloud’s Rest as part of a 3 day hike. We started at Glacier Point and camped the 1^st night at Buena Vista/​Mono Meadows trail junction. We then camped 2 nights at Little Yosemete Valley making it a more managable 11 mile round trip. Backcountry permit for Little Yosemite Valley can be difficult to get during the peak of summer If you can’t get overnight permits or only have a day, it’s definitely worth it for the amazing views!

Absolutely beautiful views at the summit, but this is hardly a «strenuous» hike at all. In fact, I’d say it’s rather easy, if you’re starting at Tenaya Lake and hiking the 14 miles round trip. The majority of the hike, unfortunately, is incredibly boring. It’s a long stroll through meadows, with little to no real view. All of the «good stuff» is concentrated into the last 5% of the hike. Worth it? Yeah, just to see it once. But definitely not one that I’d want to come back year after year for (i.e., Half Dome).

Me and two friends completed this hike while spending two nights in Yosemite on August 19 – 20, 2014. We woke up early at Hodgdon Meadows campground (5am!) & made our way up the Tioga Road to the Sunrise trail. There is a parking area at the trailhead that tends to be pretty full, but we didn’t have a hard time finding a space that early in the morning. We each brought about 2 – 3 liters of water and lots of snacks/​lunch. The first mile or so is a peaceful stroll, but shortly after the trail starts climbing… And I mean climbing! All three of us are in good shape and we had to take multiple breaks. The high altitude and strenuous climb gets your heart pumping! Follow the signs towards Clouds Rest. About 2 miles from the summit, the clouds rest trail is not labeled on the sign, but someone wrote it on the bottom. I’m afraid of heights and I was able to summit Clouds Rest after a mild freak out. The granite is very stable and has good traction. The ridge is on average about 20 feet wide, but gets pretty narrow in areas (5 – 10 feet). The summit opens up and feels like the great plains after crossing over the ridge. We ate lunch and spent about 2 hours at the summit. The hike down was a lot faster, but was very hard on my knees (I have bad knees, the other two in my group don’t and didn’t have an issue). I used trekking poles which helped. We did not have an issue with bugs, but it was quite dry. It was chilly early in the morning, but warmed up drastically by the time we descended. I wore a few top layers which helped. Overall, the hike took about 8 – 9 hours, with 2 hours spent at the summit. The views are incredibly breathtaking! Definitely recommend this hike to anyone who wants a full day hike that gets your heart pumping, both physically and because of the views!

Amazing hike! It was so challenging for me, but totally worth it when you get to the top! The switch backs were brutal, and my lack of sleep didn’t help. It went a little downhill from there then a bigger incline toward the top. I had to take several breaks and felt drained, both mentally and physically, but once we reached the top, it all went away. The views are beyond spectacular! I’m not afraid of heights but caught myself getting dizzy a few times looking down. Going downhill may be painful for those with knee problems, but it’s definitely easier than the uphill climb! Amazing hike overall!

GORGIOUS. AMAZING VIEW.
This is actually better view than half dome. You can see very iconic Yosmite scenery.
There are several ways to get to the top. It can be really hardcore (lots of uphills, or just downhills), dayhike or backpacking.
I did half dome and cloud’s rest in a day. It’s tough but also rewarding… it’s is awesome to see half dome I was two hours ago.

One of the best hikes of my life. It’s a long 14 mile hike if you start at Tenaya Lake so make sure you start early. The trail starts at the West End of the lake so make sure you look for signs on your right side if you’re coming from Yosemite Valley. We left curry village at 530 and started our hike roughly around 7.
The hike is relatively flat the first 1.5 mile. After, you’re going to be climbing a mountain of rocks or stairs (made of rocks). This is going to get your heart pumping. It’s basically a mile to 1.5 mile 1000 ft incline, kinda like a stair master workout. It’s gonna be hard for those that are novice hikers (such as me) so make sure you take breaks. Don’t get discouraged though! It’s definitely doable. To note, the view from this area is beautiful.
After this part, you’re gonna have a slight descend to a beautiful meadow area. It’s relatively flat at this area. Along with the meadow, you’ll be crossing picturesque creeks, streams, lakes, flowers, etc. This part was probably about 2 miles. I thought this part of the hike was the most beautiful (besides getting to the top).
However, make sure you bring mosquito repellent! You’ll be crossing a total of about 5 – 6 bodies of water and there WILL be mosquitos. Luckily for me, I went during the end of summer where most of the water was gone. To note, bring toilet paper since you will be needing to, uhh, do your business somewhere along the hike. Remember, you will be hiking 14 miles and you’ll be downing water at the same time lol.
After, it will another 2 miles of a gradual incline. This part was not as brutal as climbing the rocks I felt like. Good thing was that it was gradual. Bad thing was that it wasn’t too shady and it was HOT!
Finally, you reach the Cloud’s Rest foot trail. At this point, it’s basically a ¼ mile scramble to the summit. It’s gonna be hard for those that have a fear of heights since on either side of those rocks is just a 9000 ft drop. But it’s definitely doable. It’s all about mentality. Just make sure you prepare yourself ahead of time. Initially, the foot trail is about 25 foot wide. It’s a bunch of flat rocks. It gradually gets more narrower at parts that is probably about 5 ft in width. Just make sure you take your time and watch your footing. If you want to relive the moment, wear a GoPro! I did that and I enjoyed watching the video over.
After you reach the summit, it’s a relatively flat area about 50 feet in width. And boy, the view here is magnificent. You see EVERYTHING. And you feel accomplished.
It took us about 4 hours to the top. And 3.5 hours down. We spent an hour at the top eating lunch. Make sure you bring A LOT of water.
The way down was kinda brutal on my knees. Especially when you reach the rocks. My knees started killing me. And I decided to wear my trail runners so my feet was dying from the jagged rocks. So make sure you wear hiking shoes that offer a lot of support.
Overall, one of the best experiences of my life. Definitely enjoyable. And it’s not crowded at all!

This is a fabulous day spent at Yosemite. It is a bit on the long side, especially if you’re stopping to really enjoy the scenery (I would suggest a min of 7 hours to do it RT), but definitely not difficult.
You will be walking along mostly shaded paths in a variety of terrain. Bring 2 liters of water, and a hiking stick is helpful, though not necessary.
And by the second half, you are mainly going up on a decent slope — nothing crazy, and then you hit the infamous ridge! Now this takes some explaining — I had read tons of reviews about how paralyzing this spot is for those afraid of heights. And though I frequently challenge myself with hikes and heights, I remain quite fearful — and this is no exception. Indeed it was the toughest challenge I had ever imposed on myself with respect to heights. The ridge is a generous 5 feet or so at some points, and is a gentle pile of relatively flat rocks — but as you look left and right to your 8,000+ feet drop to death, you can really feel some real fear!
This is probably what took me the most time on the trail — just making it across that ridge! I was super slow, but people around me were really nice and helpful. Slowly slowly I made it to the finale — which is lots of wonderful land to feel comfort on. The views are amazing and yes, you can even see the Half Dome poles with some very good zoom.
Clouds Rest is a lot less treacherous than HD (fewer deaths, and a lot less crowd), but that ridge is incredibly intimidating for those with vertigo or heights issues — there is just no explaining it. But you CAN do it and you will feel so proud of yourself once you get past it!

Half Dome Jr. Lite? Well, I can’t really compare since I haven’t hiked Half Dome yet (totally on the bucket list) but from my party who has hiked Half Dome, they say HD is much more challenging & more satisfying at the top due to the potential of death (falling off the cables?)!
This 14+ mile hike seems like a good alternative to HD if you hate crowds or dealing with the limited permits, etc… Great work out, not crowded at all & the view at the top is amazing!!! You can see parts of HD & other gorgeous areas (I don’t go to Yosemite that often so I can’t name all the stuff we saw at the top). The trek to the very tip of Cloud’s Rest is a bit scary — just don’t look down!
Bring poles, hiking boots, TONS of water/​snacks, a yummy lunch for once you’ve hit the top, and maybe a poncho because it started thunder storming when we got to the top (early Aug)!

A hike I wanted to do since I first visited Yosemite last summer, I got to tick this off my list on June 26^th. Touted as the premier viewing spot in the valley, this is a tough hike which we started at 10am from Tenaya Lake after passing Olmstead Point on the way (a great viewing spot in itself).
The majority of the hike is through wooded areas, which is preferable on a hot day, and after a couple hours hiking you will start to see some fantastic views of Tenaya Canyon. We made it up in 3 and a half hours and came down in 2 and a half. I would rate it as strenuous on the way up and moderate on the way down. I wore running shoes which fared well on pretty even ground and took two canteens of water as well as 5 protein bars.
The final ascent up the ridged spine to the summit gets quite hairy, being scared of heights I found myself getting lower and lower to the granite slabs beneath me, but it was worth every moment once I reached the summit and gazed upon the 360 degree view. Half Dome doesn’t look too far away, yet the cable section and climbers are not nearly visible, while the view of Tenaya Lake in the opposite direction looks like a painting you just walked out of.
I have included some pictures and would recommend this hike to anybody who is looking to do a day hike which provides uparalleled views of the valley and surrounding areas. I’ll be hoping to do it again next year for sure!

Just the highlights.
Gorgeous Trail:
The 14 – 15 mile round trip trek from Tenaya Lake to the top of Cloud’s Rest was the longest hike I’ve ever done but I couldn’t imagine more beautiful scenery than what I witnessed along every single mile. I finally understand why Yosemite draws people from all across the globe.
People are awesome:
Why can’t all people be as friendly as the ones I met on the trail? I exchanged countless greetings, laughs, and encouragements from complete strangers along the entire hike. Maybe we were all delirious from the elevation gain but still. this was pretty cool.
I conquer all fears:
I definitely had to stomach a few omg-​I-​might-​fall-​and-​die feelings when I was hiking/​crawling the last narrow rock ridge up to the end of the trail. It didn’t help that there was a slight wind while I was making my way across. Getting over my fears and making it all the way was worth all the fears that ran through my brain =). Make sure you keep going even if you need to go super slow along this final stretch!
Chillin’ at the Top of the World:
That is essentially what we did at the summit while checking out Half Dome and a 360 degree panorama of the Yosemite wilderness. We explored every nook and cranny while munching down our lunch of ham and turkey sandwiches. Unfortunately our only regret here was not taking a jumping picture before leaving but we decided we wanted to live to see dinner and our families back home.
My mountain playground:
After drinking all my water (3 water bottles and 2 sports drinks) and consuming my snacks (2 energy gels, 3 cliff bars, and 1 pack of sports beans) I did small stints of trail running along the way back which was ridiculously fun and energizing! I did kind of regret it though after I was struggling the last 2.5 miles (downhill switchbacks with a log of rocks) back to the parking lot.
Nature Calls:
Quoting my friend, «Taking [care of business] at the top of the world.» after we drank too much water and didn’t want to hike back to the treeline and come back. This involved finding a ledge on Cloud’s Rest where people weren’t looking and there wasn’t much wind.

Activity Type: Hiking
Nearby City: Curry Village
Length: 12 total miles
Elevation Gain: 1,800 feet
Trail Type: Out-​and-​back
Skill Level: Strenuous
Duration: 7 hours or overnight
Season: Late spring through fall
Trailhead Elevation: 8,125 feet
Top Elevation: 9,926 feet
Local Contacts: Yosemite National Park
**********Geographically CR sits in the middle of Yosemite***********
This summit not only has the loftiest name of the mountains that overlook Yosemite Valley, but it also has the most commanding view over the grandeur that is Yosemite. Half Dome sits well below the apex of Clouds Rest, and the jaw-​dropping 360degree view encapsulates some of the finest vistas in the entire Sierra Nevada Range. Toward the trailhead, Tenaya Canyon adorns a tableau that resembles an ethereal painting more than reality. One might expect to see the colossal hand of god reaching down to create brushstrokes when staring into the east toward the canyon, the high Tuoloumne area, and Tenaya Lake.