Yosemite

Clouds Rest to Quarter Dome

Summer 2026

We backpacked through Yosemite from the high country to the valley, starting at Cathedral Lakes Trailhead and hiking over Clouds Rest before spending the night near Quarter Dome. In total the trip was around 23.5 miles, with 3,800 ft of elevation gain. It was a short trip, but it ended up feeling much bigger: a long approach through mosquitos, a windy summit on Clouds Rest, an off-trail scramble to Quarter Dome, sunset from camp, and an early morning hike out through the Mist Trail.

Day 0

We drove into Yosemite the day before the hike and met up with the group while everyone finished getting permits and sorting out cars. After spending some time in the valley, we drove across the park toward the east side and stayed near Lee Vining so we could start early the next morning.

Day 1

We woke up at 4am and drove to Cathedral Lakes Trailhead. A couple people dropped off a car at the Sunrise Trailhead, so the rest of us started hiking slowly and waited for them about a mile in. The trail was pretty, but the mosquitos were relentless for a lot of the morning, which made the early miles feel much harder than they should have.

As we continued toward Clouds Rest, one of us rolled an ankle and the group stopped to tape it up. After that we kept moving upward, eventually reaching the narrow ridge near the summit. Clouds Rest felt much more exposed than I was expecting, but the view was incredible. We spent some time at the top looking across the valley and toward Half Dome before starting the descent.

On the way down, we changed the plan so that not everyone needed to hike out through Sunrise the next morning. After splitting off, a smaller group continued toward Quarter Dome. The final stretch was off trail and took longer than expected, with a lot of scrambling over open granite, but it was worth it. We reached the summit near sunset, ate dinner on the rocks, and watched the light fade over Half Dome. After dark, we could see headlamps from people coming down the Half Dome cables.

Day 2

We woke up around 4:45am to watch the sunrise. The morning was clear and quiet, and the view from Quarter Dome was amazing. I balanced my camera on the rocks for a few long exposure shots, then we made breakfast and took our time packing up camp.

The hike out was harder than expected. The descent toward the valley was long, and by the time we reached the Mist Trail my legs were shaking on the stairs. The trail also got more crowded as we got lower, especially near the waterfalls. We eventually made it to Happy Isles around noon, tired but happy to be done.