Four Mile Trail Yosemite

Four Mile Trail from Yosemite Valley to Glacier Point - May 13th, 2015.  My friend Dan and I started this hike on a cool day, 39 degrees at the trailhead @ 7:30am.  Glacier Point was at 24 degrees. The well marked trailhead on the valley floor has parking on both sides of the road.  The signage shows the trip up to Glacier Point to be 4.6 miles.   We started out with coats and long pants, and within a 100 yards we started the never ending ascent up the trail.  Soon we hit the switchbacks which continue up all the way until the last quarter mile of the hike.   Along the way the views of Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, and the valley floor below just continue to get better.  At about half way up it was time to layer down to long sleeve shirts and shorts, due to the effort, we were both well heated up.  However, with a storm moving in, the temperature was not warming as we continued to gain elevation.  At about 3 miles or so there is a short trail and signage for Union Point, a great place for a snack and great views.  However, the views are spectacular all the way up.   We continued our ascent up the switchbacks, until we finally made a turn which brought into full view Half Dome, Clouds Rest, as well as the rest of the southeastern features.  Soon, the switchbacks end and you are left with nice easier little climb to the tourist/snack shop at Glacier Point.  From here you can hitch a ride back down, buy a ticket (space available) on a tour bus, or take the all downhill hike back down to the start of the trailhead.  This hike is strenuous but very doable.  Take your time and enjoy the views and you should make it up without too much difficulty.  Having hiked Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Panorama Trail, and more from the valley floor, I would say this trail and it's continuous climb is longer than any section on any of these other trails.  The other trails are longer and may have some short stretches which are slightly steeper, but none are as unrelenting as this short challenging hike.    It took us 2.5 hours for the hike up, and, just for comparison I have previously completed the Half Dome  (8 miles or so) hike several times, ranging from a best time of 3.75 hours (one way) when I was younger to 5 hours, when hiking with others who were a bit less experienced.   On this day I was suffering from allergies which were quite bad, so I think this is really more like a 2 hour hike up for a fit hiker.  Enjoy and don't miss this great hike!