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Expert Review of Cloud's Rest

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Parks and Outdoors Review of Cloud's Rest

Away Travel Expert: Ann Marie Brown

ParksExpert Rating Recommended for:
Birding,Day Hiking,Outdoor Skills

Parks and OutdoorsExpert Tips & Helpful Hints

• Hiking to Cloud's Rest is as much of an epic journey as hiking to more celebrated Half Dome, but with far fewer people elbowing you along the way. With a 2,300-foot ascent and nearly 14 miles to cover, this trail is not for casual hikers. Many believe that Cloud's Rest's summit vista far surpasses that of Half Dome, in part because when you are standing on top of Half Dome, you can't see it.
• Cloud's Rest tops out at 9,926 feet, which is 1,000 feet higher than Half Dome. The submit view is sublime, taking in Tenaya Canyon, Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Tenaya Lake, the Clark Range, and a medley of peaks and ridges.
• If you're feeling hot and sweaty after the day's efforts, you can stop at the Sunrise Lakes for a swim on your walk back to your car. The first lake is only a quarter-mile off the trail to Cloud's Rest.