The most beautiful view of Yosemite Valley

The legendary John Muir considered the view from Eagle Peak to be the most beautiful view of Yosemite Valley.

That is not why I decided to summit Eagle Peak. Not because I don’t agree, but because I wasn’t aware that John Muir made that comment until after my hike.

It was 10am by the time I made my way to the Yosemite Valley visitor center. I intended to be at the center at opening time (9am) but was delayed by the multitude of inexperienced hikers I had spent the previous night with. They would likely be strolling around the valley, as they lacked the ability or desire to do anything with elevation change. I, on the other hand, had no intention of wasting a day with so many possibilities, a day where I can truly test my physical limits. After making plans to meet back at the car, ready to leave, at 3:30pm, I ran the half mile to the visitor center.

“I’m looking for a hike of around 10-15 miles. What do you recommend? I’m especially interested in Upper Yosemite Falls and Snow Creek,” I asked the park ranger.

“Have you considered Eagle Peak? It’s about 15 miles round trip. There may be splotches of snow but crampons are probably not necessary. If you have them, you might as well bring them though,” the park ranger replied while handing me an 8.5x11 unglossed paper map with the trail to Eagle Peak highlighted.

“Haven’t considered it. Thanks for the recommendation!” I hollered back as I quickly exited the visitor center.

And I was on my way. I had 5.5 hours to go 15 miles. Given my recent forays into hiking (read: this past Monday - Presidents’ Day), I estimated that I could ascend and descend at around 20 minutes per mile. This was mostly based on having walked around 13 miles (~2700ft vert) in around 4 hours this past Monday.

It took around 20 minutes to speedwalk to the base of Upper Yosemite Falls trail, a total distance of around 1.3 miles. And then the climb started. The sign at the trailhead read, “Upper Yosemite Falls - 3.5 mi. Eagle Peak - 6.0 mi.” Looks like the park ranger’s estimate was spot-on. 1.3 + 1.3 + 6.0 + 6.0 is around 15 miles.

The switchbacks of the Upper Yosemite Falls trail quickly proved me wrong. The grade was absolutely savage. And further exacerbated by my heavy bag filled with 4.5L of water, two jackets, about 2 pounds of food, and a few first aid kids, plus a camera bag. I was carrying over 20 pounds between the two bags. And I was booking it because I had a deadline to be back at the parking lot.

It ended up taking 1:37 to get to the intersection where Eagle Peak trail branches off of Upper Yosemite Falls Trail. 3.2 miles in 1:37. That’s 30 minute miles. 30 minute miles composed of max effort. I didn’t bother considering the ramifications of the slow ascent as I continued straight onto Eagle Peak trail. Right by the intersection, there was a woman was laying on a large flat rock, softly snoring, with waterfall sounds in the background, and only upon reflection do I note the absurdity of that situation.

Turns out the park ranger was wrong. There was snow. It did not melt fully. It froze into ice. Eagle Peak trail was 2.8 miles. The entire length was iced-over snow. And I trudged onwards. Because a commitment is a commitment. I committed to reaching Eagle Peak, and some damn ice wasn’t going to upend my plans. The grade was lower than that of the switchbacks earlier, but maintaining pace was even more difficult. I quickly found out that the best way to not slip was to step on the pine needles and mosses that had fallen onto the ice. Even with this technique, I still slid all over the trail like a doe on an ice pond.

I had started Eagle Peak Trail at around noon. It was 1:20 by the time I finally crested the final ridge and made my way up the large rocks of Eagle Peak. My boots were full of pine needles and melted snow. It was also quite chilly with the wind. But as soon as I climbed the tallest rock I could find, all I could do was stare in awe at the surroundings. Half Dome to the left. Glacier Point straight ahead. Panorama Trail in between. Upper Yosemite Falls on the extreme left. Sentinel on the right. And the top of El Capitan on the extreme right. All the main Yosemite attractions in one view. It was by far the most majestic scene I have ever seen. And definitely one I hope to revisit again in the future.

After snapping a few pictures for posterity, I climbed back down from the rocks and evaluated my situation. It was 1:30. It had taken about 3 hours 30 minutes to get from the visitor center to the peak. I had an agreement to get to the parking lot by 3:30pm. I had 2 hours to descent 7.5 miles. And haul ass I did. About 5 minutes into the descent (basically ice skating downhill), I met the first people I had seen in over 3 miles and chatted with them a few minutes. When I started ice skating again, I promptly smashed my boot through the ice and tumbled to the ground, hard. After gingerly getting back up, I started up again at a more sedate pace. I reached the Upper Yosemite Falls intersection by 2:30. 4.5 more miles to go. And I further accelerated.

The traction under my feet felt nice. The ridiculous grade did not. I ended up running for most of the next 4.5 miles, all the while with knees whining. I was late. I made the parking lot by 3:59pm exactly. The final 4.5 miles with 3000 ft of descent took 90 minutes. 20 minute miles on the steepest descent of my life.

The end result is 5300 feet of elevation gain over 15 miles in less than 6 hours. And definitely the most intense muscular and cardiovascular activity ever. My heart rate averaged 140 over 6 hours (including stops). 10/10 would do again, highly recommend.

John Muir was right.