The easiest hikes in Yosemite National Park, by the numbers
Of the 225 trails in Yosemite National Park in our dataset, 40 (18 percent) rate easiest on the gain-and-distance scale we use, run 1 to 6 miles and climb 500 ft or less; these are the 25 with the lowest rating.
Foresta Falls Trail has the lowest rating: 1 ft of gain over 1 mile, 1 ft per mile.
Across the 25, gain runs from 1 to 397 ft and distance from 1 mile to 5.5 miles; the median gain is 151 ft and the median distance 1.7 miles.
23 of the 25 are point-to-point routes; the rest are loop (1) or out-and-back (1).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foresta Falls TrailHigh Sierra | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9% | 3,992 to 4,308 | 1.4 | |
| 2 | Smith Peak TrailHigh Sierra | 5.5 | 2 | 0 | 48% | 4,824 to 7,686 | 4.7 | |
| 3 | Lake Eleanor South TrailHigh Sierra | 1.2 | 27 | 23 | 14% | 4,692 to 4,861 | 8 | |
| 4 | Waterwheel Falls TrailHigh Sierra | 4.2 | 14 | 3 | 43% | 6,208 to 7,887 | 10.8 | |
| 5 | O'Shaughnessy Dam ViewpointHigh Sierra | 1 | 70 | 70 | 13% | 3,501 to 3,814 | 11.8 | |
| 6 | Merced Grove Trail (Old Coulterville Rd)High Sierra | 1.7 | 43 | 25 | 17% | 5,456 to 5,929 | 12.1 | |
| 7 | Lower Yosemite Fall TrailHigh Sierra | 1 | 75 | 75 | 10% | 3,964 to 4,033 | 12.2 | |
| 8 | Virginia Canyon TrailHigh Sierra | 4.1 | 26 | 6 | 13% | 8,556 to 9,320 | 14.6 | |
| 9 | McGurk Meadow TrailHigh Sierra | 1.9 | 69 | 36 | 12% | 6,790 to 7,058 | 16.2 | |
| 10 | Dewey Point MeadowsHigh Sierra | 1.9 | 109 | 57 | 6% | 7,267 to 7,345 | 20.4 | |
| 11 | Bills HillHigh Sierra | 1.2 | 225 | 188 | 12% | 4,360 to 4,562 | 23.2 | |
| 12 | Rutherford and Anne LakesHigh Sierra | 1.1 | 257 | 234 | 22% | 9,521 to 9,761 | 23.8 | |
| 13 | Ghost Forest TrailHigh Sierra | 2 | 151 | 76 | 7% | 6,980 to 7,087 | 24.6 | |
| 14 | Lukens LakeHigh Sierra | 1.7 | 179 | 105 | 17% | 8,029 to 8,346 | 24.7 | |
| 15 | Lake Eleanor TrailHigh Sierra | 1.4 | 227 | 162 | 15% | 4,676 to 4,801 | 25.2 | |
| 16 | Sentinel Dome TrailHigh Sierra | 1.3 | 248 | 191 | 18% | 7,713 to 7,961 | 25.4 | |
| 17 | Summit PassHigh Sierra | 2.1 | 162 | 77 | 25% | 9,336 to 10,194 | 26.1 | |
| 18 | Carlon Falls TrailHigh Sierra | 1.5 | 254 | 169 | 18% | 4,331 to 4,492 | 27.6 | |
| 19 | Lembert Dome TrailHigh Sierra | 1 | 397 | 397 | 44% | 8,773 to 9,170 | 28.2 | |
| 20 | Young LakesHigh Sierra | 1.7 | 242 | 142 | 21% | 9,731 to 9,971 | 28.7 | |
| 21 | Bishop Creek TrailHigh Sierra | 1.3 | 317 | 244 | 14% | 4,729 to 4,957 | 28.7 | |
| 22 | Snow Creek to Porcupine CreekHigh Sierra | 4.4 | 94 | 21 | 27% | 6,760 to 8,096 | 28.8 | |
| 23 | Peeler Lake TrailHigh Sierra | 2 | 241 | 121 | 29% | 9,175 to 9,583 | 31 | |
| 24 | El Capitan to Upper Yosemite FallsHigh Sierra | 4 | 121 | 30 | 26% | 6,659 to 7,598 | 31.1 | |
| 25 | Camp Mather Trail | 2.4 | 247 | 103 | 14% | 4,536 to 4,897 | 34.4 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band easiest (under 50), 1 to 6 miles, no more than 500 ft of gain, ordered by rating asc, miles asc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Yosemite National Park" here means the 225 trails in Yosemite National Park in our dataset, not every trail in Yosemite National Park.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Foresta Falls Trail.
Easiest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other parks in our dataset.