Artist Point Trail Map


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Distance:  2 miles (3.2 km) round trip
Elevation at trailhead:  4,400 feet (1,340 meters)
Elevation Gain:  500 feet (150 meters)

The yellow line marks the first half mile of the Pohono Trail, which departs from the Tunnel View and somehow arrives at Glacier Point thirteen miles later even though nobody ever actually sees it moving. The switchbacks are not, unfortunately, the result of trail builders paid by the foot, but rather a game attempt to moderate a challenging climb - 500 feet in just over half a mile. Squiggly trail lines are never a good sign.

Still, your task will be much easier than what faces the Pohono hikers, who'll have another 2,000 feet to climb. Instead, you get to turn left onto the old stagecoach road into Yosemite Valley (the orange line on the above map) and gradually descend a couple hundred feet over just under half a mile to reach Artist Point. There will likely be several fallen trees to squeeze over, around, or possibly under, but other than that the second half of the hike isn't challenging. You won't miss the Pohono/stagecoach intersection; it's signed (you want to follow the sign pointing to the Bridalveil Fall parking area, which is a mile and a half beyond Artist Point) and - well, it's a road, albeit a narrow one; you don't overlook that sort of thing. There have been a few reports of hikers not finding signs at the intersection; if the park service has temporarily removed them for some reason, you still shouldn't have any problem finding the intersection itself. Turn left (east/downhill) here to continue to Artist Point.

If you zoom out, you can see the spot where the old stage road merges with Highway 41, marked by a blue balloon. Here's a Google Street View panorama of the location. (The link seems to be broken on iOS; try it on a computer instead.) It's not hard to find, but you likely won't notice it unless you're looking for it. See the main page for more details about hiking to Artist Point from here instead of from the Tunnel View.