Most people visit Yosemite and spend their trip in the Valley. Some make it to Glacier Point Road, and drive their car to the end. I realized last year that I’ve traveled this road 5 different ways (including by car), which is pretty unique.

Near the end of May, I had the chance to ride the road by bike for the 2nd time, and it had me thinking about all the trips I’ve made along each stretch of this road without a car.

Snowshoeing is a fun one, and also the first way I traveled on GP Rd without a car. My favorite snowshoe trail that involves Glacier Point Road is to Dewey Point. In the winter, the road isn’t plowed past Badger Pass. You can park at the ski hill, and on the north-ish end of the parking lot, there’s a trail leading back out to the road.

Check out the etiquette sign before you start. Snowshoes keep to the right, and don’t walk on the ski tracks.

You spend about a mile on GP Rd, then just past the pit toilet (assuming it’s not covered in snow), cut left/north. It’s pretty easy to follow the blazes on the trees, and likely other’s tracks.

The view is most excellent from Dewey Point. It’s easy to pick out El Capitan across the Valley, and Half Dome is small and off in the distance.

The second mode of transportation without a car was walking. This was not on purpose. We were planning to snowshoe, but the snow was packed solid and snowshoes were unnecessary. We ended up walking 11 miles on the snow to Glacier Point. Not surprisingly, we were the only ones on foot. 😆 Everyone else had skied there.

It was a miserable final 3 miles back to the car. Talk about achy feet. I don’t recommend walking to Glacier Point. 🙂

The next way to travel Glacier Point Road is on cross country skis. I did this earlier this year, and it was a blast. I hadn’t been on XC skis in about 7 years – since I skied Midland City Forest in Michigan. I was just as bad as I remembered being.

The path out of the parking lot to GP Rd slopes downhill. I immediately started sliding out of control and lost my balance, and ended up wiping out in the ditch. I would proceed to fall 3 more times during our 11 mile trek. 😂 Cross country skiing wins the most entertaining mode of transportation for sure.

And finally, the bike. It’s a pretty tough road to cycle on, but so much fun. The first 6 miles are uphill at 4-6% grade, which isn’t too bad. Then you get a nice little downhill, then another 3ish mile climb with a similar grade as the start.

Then there’s a nice 2 mile downhill to Glacier Point. It’s curvy with pine needles on the ground, so it’s a slow decent. It leads to one of the most magnificent views of the park.

The 2 miles leaving Glacier Point are the steepest. I think I saw 11% grade briefly on my bike computer. Once you’re done with that, it’s downhill, not as steep uphill, then the final 6 miles of fun downhill back to the car.

Overall, it’s 32 miles, ~3500 ft of elevation gain.

This year was special because this road will be closed for all of 2022 for construction. I’ll be excited to ride on smoother pavement next year!

How many ways have you traveled this road?