Glacier Point

Glacier Point Visitors - Yosemite  2016

Fritos and Beer - Yosemite  2016

When I got back to the Sentinel Dome trailhead parking lot, around 10:30 AM, all spaces had been taken and cars were parking on the side of the road. I drove on up to Glacier Point and found that the lower parking lot was full but with still plenty of spaces in the upper lot.

I walked down one of the trails leading away from the point, scrambled up a hillside towards a convenient log, pulled my Kindle out of my pack and had my Fritos and beer lunch.

When I returned to the parking area, both lots were full up, and there was a line of traffic snaking back up the road for a mile. I was a little disconcerted, trying to picture being stuck in traffic for an indefinite amount of time inside a national park. (UPDATE: See this 2017 Modesto Bee opinion piece.) Early rising is a must; alternatively, plan a winter visit, as I did for Zion earlier this year.