Taft Point

Profile Rock or Taft Point, a promontory on the south side of Yosemite Valley, is on the left.

The first fissure at Taft Point. The drop is 1,000 feet (300 m) from the edge at this point.

Taft Point is a viewpoint in Yosemite National Park, west of Glacier Point. It offers wide views of Yosemite Valley, Yosemite Falls, and El Capitan. However, the main attraction of Taft Point are the giant fissures in the mile high granite rock. The fissures are breaks and cracks in the mountain that drop directly down to the valley floor at some points. Taft Point is more dangerous than Glacier Point, because only the last fissure has a railing.

Hiking Trail

The Taft Point trailhead is located about 5 minutes before the end of Glacier Point road. The trail itself is a 1 mile (1.6 km) (2nd half of the hike is downhill) hike from the trailhead. Taft Point is fairly remote and unpopulated. The trail begins somewhat unguarded from the sun but transitions into a shaded flat walkway through a green meadow. The final approach of the hike is slightly downhill on a rocky surface. The trip from the trailhead takes somewhere between 20 to 30 minutes.

Destinations Nearby

• Sentinel Dome
• Glacier Point
• Ostrander Lake Trailhead
• Bridalveil Creek Campground
• Yosemite Valley

Notable Incidents

On the 16th of May, 2015 Dean Potter and Graham Hunt died when they BASE jumped from Taft Point. Both bodies were found with parachutes unopened.