View to the East
View to the West
The point is located on the southwest arete of Grizzly Peak, up (way up) and to the left of the trail from Happy Isles to Vernal Falls. The actual climb is just over 800 feet, but it seems much more due to the steepness of the trail. No ropes are needed to reach the point, but you will be using your hands and feet to scramble over rocks, particularly near the beginning. Anyone in good health can make the climb, but if you have a real fear of heights you may not want to go due to some exposure at the middle and upper portions of the trail.
The Sierra Point trail was the steepest trail in Yosemite Valley, which is probably the reason it was finally abandoned due to frequent rockslides. The point is notable for several reasons and it's a shame that the trail is no longer maintained. This point is the only place in Yosemite, and possibly the world, where you can see five major waterfalls at once (Vernal, Nevada, Illilouette, and Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls). You have an unobstructed 270-degree view from Mount Broderick and Liberty Cap to the east all the way around to North Dome across the valley to the north. In addition, there's an excellent view of Glacier Point Apron below Glacier Point, where you can see the debris field from the enormous 1996 rockfall that snapped hundreds of trees between the bottom of the cliff and the Happy Isles Nature Center. The trees were actually downed by a hurricane-force airblast that was driven ahead of the debris. You can see that the blast reached much further than the debris itself.
In 1916, at the age of 14, Ansel Adams took his first trip to Yosemite and wrote in a letter to his Aunt Mary in San Francisco, that 'yesterday I went up to Sierra Point and enjoyed lying on my chest and looking over the edge-about fifteen hundred feet down-perpendicular.' He also reported that he had already made thirty photographs with his new Kodak Brownie-his first camera. The pictures were nothing special, but this trip inspired him to keep returning to Yosemite for the rest of his life. You'll be standing at the same spot that inspired Ansel Adams many years ago.
OK, now how to get there. Start at Happy Isles (the Valley Shuttle Bus has a stop here) and walk across the bridge and then turn right (south) along the east side of the river for a couple of hundred yards to the start of the John Muir Trail at 37° 43.845′ latitude, 119° 33.484′ longitude. There's a large sign here giving distances to several landmarks along the trail. Start on the trail and in about 100 yards you'll see an interpretive sign titled 'ROCK PILES'. Leave the trail here and start scrambling straight up through the boulder field. This is a rockslide that completely obliterated the original trail, which used to start a ways to the right and go diagonally up to the left. After climbing a couple of hundred feet you'll notice the boulder field narrowing down. You can move left into the dirt or continue straight up at this point. Either way you should quickly pick up the remnants of the old trail which is now climbing diagonally up from left to right. Just keep looking around and go up the easiest way possible. If you are getting into heavy brush or very steep rock you are not on the trail. If you hit it just right (like the second time you do it), it's really not a bad trail. The trail continues up steeply to the right until you come out into the open with the rock wall on your left. From here on there are rocks piled up like staircases, or steps cut into the rock like you see on many trails. The trail is probably covered with leaves due to limited use, but one or two parties a week typically use it in the summer. Keep looking for switchbacks as you go up. When you finally get to the top the trail traverses to the right about 50 yards, ending at the point, but it's easy to miss a switchback and take a 'sucker' trail to the right too early. These trails quickly deadend into heavy brush, so you know they're not the right trail.
When you finally reach Sierra Point you will find the old guardrail still solidly in place. It is made out of standard pipe fittings. To prove you were there, email me the answers to the following questions:
1) How many elbow fittings are in the guardrail?
2) How many tee fittings are in the guardrail?
3) How many cross fittings are in the guardrail?
Enjoy the view!
Note that I will delete logs that are not validated by emailing the answers above.