Sunset at Sentinel Dome

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Imagine yourself walking along a mountain path about an hour before sunset. Alpenglow spreads a golden patina over granite boulders and wildflowers. The scent of vanilla drifts from Jeffrey Pines that have been basking in the sun all day.

A gentle climb leads to a panoramic view of Yosemite from the top of Sentinel Dome.  You savor a picnic dinner as crimson or purple hues engulf the western slopes of the Sierra and shadows climb the cliffs of Yosemite Valley. Birds chatter as they settle in for the night and a Night Hawk screeches as it swoops upon its dinner. Bats perform an aerial ballet above you. Half Dome seems to glow with an inner light until it, too, succumbs to nightfall.

A hush falls over the high country as you retrace your steps in the growing twilight. On your journey back to civilization, your mind dances with images of one of nature’s most majestic temples bejeweled in the sunset.

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The Sunset Tour includes a picnic dinner with a deli salad, fresh fruit, jumbo cookie and your choice of roast turkey wrap with cranberry mayonnaise, tri-tip wrap with pepper jack cheese and Caesar dressing, veggie wrap with avocado, tomato, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts and roasted red peppers, kid's turkey sandwich or an assortment of sliced meats, cheeses, baguette and lavosh. We provide water, soft drinks or sparkling cider. You are welcome to bring a bottle of wine to sip as the sun sets over Yosemite.

The trail to Sentinel dome is only three quarters of a mile long and takes approximately 30 minutes to walk. You can see 80-percent of the park from the 8,122-foot dome. We’ll provide flashlights for your walk back that you can keep as a memento of your evening at Yosemite. But you may find yourself traveling like John Muir, who said, “My legs sometimes transport me to camp, in the darkness, over cliffs and through bogs and forests that are inaccessible to city legs during the day. In like manner the soul sets forth upon rambles of its own.”

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For an even more magical evening, experience Yosemite under a full moon on one of our Full Moon Tours.

“Every day opens and closes like a flower, noiseless, effortless. Divine peace glows on all the majestic landscape, like the silent enthusiastic joy that sometimes transfigures a noble human face.” John Muir

Schedule and Rates

(Sunset Tours are on Monday evenings)

Price includes Park fees, Picnic Dinner, beverages, and souvenir flashlight.