Taft Point

Taft Point is a viewpoint in Yosemite National Park, offering wide views of Yosemite Valley, Yosemite Falls, and El Capitan. The main attraction of Taft Point is the giant fissures in the mile-high granite rock, which are breaks and cracks in the mountain that drop directly down to the valley floor at some points. The point is named after the 27th president of the United States, William Howard Taft, who visited Yosemite in 1909. The Taft Point trailhead is located about five minutes before the end of Glacier Point Road, and the trail itself is a 2.2-mile hike from the trailhead, with a 200-foot elevation change. The trail begins somewhat unguarded from the sun but transitions into a shaded flat walkway through a green meadow. The final approach of the hike is slightly downhill on a rocky surface. The trip from the trailhead takes about 1-2 hours. The point is fairly remote and unpopulated, and the dropoff at Taft Point is steep, making it a potentially hazardous location