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Dewey Point via Badger Pass Ski Area

Yosemite National Park, California

5.0/5
based on 4 reviews

Details

Distance

7.36 miles

Elevation Gain

761 ft

Route Type

Loop

Description

Added by The Outbound Collective

Explore the high country of Yosemite National Park and Dewey Point...especially if you can do it in the snow!

Take the one-hour shuttle ride from the Yosemite Lodge to the Yosemite Ski Area, so that you don't have to worry about driving in the snowy conditions, or finding parking. If you don’t own snowshoes, you can easily rent a pair from the rental shop for the day. Current rates are $24.00 for a full day, and $21.00 for a half-day.

There are several trails in the area for both snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, but we thought Dewey Point would be the most scenic as it takes you about 3.5 miles out to the edge of the cliffs overlooking Yosemite Valley. The trail starts right outside of the rental shop, and begins with a slight ascent up the Glacier Point Road for about one mile. There are two trails that intersect with the road, that will take you to Dewey Point. The first you will come across is Ridge Trail, which is a bit more strenuous than Meadow Trail, which you will find just a bit further down the road. At the end of each you will be rewarded with stunning views of Yosemite Valley from above.

If you are taking the shuttle, be sure to check the schedule and plan your adventures carefully, as you will most likely have a slower pace snowshoeing than you would hiking. When we went there were two shuttles in the morning up to the ski area (I believe 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.), and two in the afternoon to take you back (2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.). We thought we would take the early shuttle out and back, but our hike took longer than we anticipated. We ended up getting back to the ski area around 3:00 p.m., so we missed the shuttle we intended to take. Luckily, we still had another option, otherwise we my have been stuck!

For more information about this adventure in the summer, check out Backpack to Dewey Point

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Features

Hiking
Forest
Scenic

Dewey Point via Badger Pass Ski Area Reviews

A great day spent in the area is snowshoeing to Dewey Point! Make sure to get there early to get a good parking spot. If you are really early, you likely will be trail breaking. There are 2 routes- one is more uphill and strenuous and the other is through a meadow. Choose your own adventure!

First time doing this, I took the difficult route up to Dewey point and the meadow east route back. Brought food to eat at lunch with a view and made sure I had some hot chocolate. Thankfully I brought a foam pad to sit on so my butt was not cold . As a warning of you come just after a rain snowstorm don’t take the east route as there might be some floods and you could fall in the pool of water. Bring sunscreen, chapstick, coffee filter for boiling/melting ice. 1 out of 10 would recommend!! I give it a 10!

This trail is perfect for snowshoeing, a less traveled path

Took the Meadow route last weekend and it was great! I definitely recommend having a little bit of snowshoeing experience before embarking. Unfortunately the views of the valley were nonexistent when I went due to heavy fog but the hike was beautiful nonetheless!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Winter Backpack to Sentinel Dome in Yosemite

Cross-Country Ski to the Ostrander Ski Hut

Nordic Ski and Snowshoe to Glacier Point

Dewey Point Trail

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Hike to Inspiration Point in Yosemite NP