There are many great trails around Glacier Point, sentinel dome is one of the most rewarding short trails. Sentinel Dome is the 2nd highest point around Yosemite Valley, only after Half Dome. The trail is about 3.2 mile round trip, with an elevation around 400 feet. It is definitely not a challenging trail. But the last part of the trail to the top is steep, and may be demanding for some people because it is above eight thousand feet. Sentinel Dome shares the trailhead and parking lot with Taft Point trail. It is 7 miles west of Glacier Point. The parking lot fills up quickly in the morning. You can park along the Glacier Point Road once the lot is full. The trail head has a small restroom, but I would avoid it if possible. The trail starts with crossing a wooden bridge over a stream, like every place of the Yosemite in May, lots of water. Then the trail gradually climbs up with granite rocks among the pines. You will reach the base of the dome after 0.8 mile, then take a sharp left straight up onto the exposed dome. The last 0.3 miles are straight up. In May, there are still many spots with snow, melting water trickles down the rock surface, which can be slippery. Once at the top, you will be rewarded with the panoramic views that include Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, and over a dozen High Sierra peaks, which can be identified using a metal plaque embedded in a boulder at the summit. Not far from the plaque is the fallen skeleton of a gnarled Jeffrey pine. Be sure to take a picture with it as a souvenir. The Sentinel Dome has the best sunset view in the valley, better than Glacier Point. But it is kind of tricky to hike down the dome and walk all the way back to the parking lot in the dark. Personally I prefer to enjoy the sunrise instead to sunset. Update: The parking lot will be expanded and renovated in 2022.

These hikes might be the lowest effort, best view hikes you can do in Yosemite. We were there in October and the small parking lot was full. We were able to park on the side of the road. It was about an hour drive there from Yosemite Valley. The hikes to Taft Point and Sentinel Dome are both about 2.2 miles round trip. You can make it into a loop, but it's actually longer to do that than to do both separately. Because of that, we did both separately. We hiked to Taft Point first. It's a pretty flat very easy hike. The views are great at the end. Then we went back and hiked to Sentinel Dome. This hike was more steep, especially at the end. It was still fairly easy though. I thought these views were even better since you were higher up. You could see Half Dome on one side and El Capitan and the valley on the other. For the difficulty level, these are some of the best views you can get in Yosemite.

This one of my toughest hike of the year. I started at the valley. I parked a mile away from the 4 mi trail trailhead, since there is no more parking spots available. I arrived 9:15am on a weekend, probably should have arrived earlier. The hike is about 14-mi round trip with an elevation gain of 4,309 ft. The trail is a little bit steep, and have a lot of switchback. I am in awe with the different views of the Yosemite falls as I go up. At some point, I can see both the upper and lower cascades. I have a quick stop at Glacier point. The views of the valley especially Half dome and the two falls Nevada and Vernal are amazing. I also stopped to take a bite of an ice cream cone as refreshment. I continued the hike towards Sentinel Dome. The view is more spectacular, it is a 360 view of the valley. The pictures below will speak for themselves. Enjoy..

One of the best views ever. Hike from Glacier Point is a relatively easy 1.5 miles one way, but it's a steady uphill trek the whole way there. It felt significant colder at the top than at Glacier Point, so bring an extra layer.

Just WOW!! Not very hard, 1.1 miles. The path is very clearly delimited. Is a bit difficult for little kids or people with difficulty walking because going up is a bit steep and the last 0.1miles you need to climb on top of the mountain. We went to see the sunset and we had time to get back to the parking lot before it got dark. Going down is very easy because is not to much climbing. Get water and snacks. It takes around an hour to go up and down. To avoid waiting and not finding parking you should go as early as possible, or later in the afternoon. The entrance in the park is 35$, you can reuse the entrance ticket for a week.

It is a wonderfull place to be. You will have an amazing view over the Yosemite Vally and you see the Half Dome. It is a nice place to watch the sunrise or the sunset as we did. I can not remember how long the hike was but the trail was good and easy.

What a great hike, would loved to have had a better view, smoke from the wild 🔥 🔥 fires. The trail is beautiful and hiking up the dome was gratifying and peaceful

Excellent hike! It's generally easy, except for the final stretch up the dome itself. But the views att the top at worth it! Definitely recommend this

By far the most amazing views that make Yosemite special. Getting to the summit was amazing. I don't know how to describe it. Being up there with only 6 other people and being able to take it all in was amazing, cathartic, idk how to explain it. It makes you feel small. I would do this hike any day of the year. If you are inspired by pictures from half dome these view put it to shame.

Breathtaking panoramic view from the dome! Not so strenuous hike up there.