Intro
To say hiking Cloud’s Rest from the valley is tough, would be like saying the ocean is big.
PCT hikers excluded, doing 22 miles in a day will leave you wobbly, brain dead, and questioning the known universe. It is, however, a journey worth embarking on.
Sure you could do other trails in Yosemite. In fact, I highly encourage you to do as many as you can!
But Cloud’s Rest is truly the great treasure of Yosemite National Park.
It’s what people spend their whole lives searching for. Adventure, excitement, pushing yourself to the limit, and then… Boom!! Every great thing the world has to offer is yours.
No other hike from the valley compares…
Half Dome? Oh you mean that small hill, a whole empire state building below you? Hahaha
When you’re back in the valley, you’re top crusher of the day. Who else can compare? (Unless Alex Honnold is free soloing some rocks).
This article is about my experience, and is a less traditional guide than others on the internet.
Want to know the secret prize at the top? The best conversation topics on a full day hike? What in the world is a Sarcode?
Keep reading to find out!
Fun Facts
Difficulty – Yes
Elevation Gain – 6000ft / 2000m / 5 Empire State Buildings
Total Distance – 20 miles (From Trailhead) / 22 miles (From Curry Village) / 35 km
Total Time – 13 Hours (Lots of snack/water breaks and chilled 2 hours at the top)
Cables – Nah
Permits – Hah
Preparation
Water
I had 1.75 L between 2 water bottles. One was a thermos and the other the Ketadyn water filter.
It was super handy to have a water filter so I could carry less weight.
Water sources to fill up at:
- Vernal falls
- Nevada falls
- Merced river near Backpackers Camp
- Snow at Clouds Rest (Until Late May)
Pro Tips
- Drink a lot of water before, during and after a hike.
- Bring electrolytes to put in your water.
- Stretch for 15-20 minutes around Vernal Falls
Clothing
Shoes – Quechua hiking boots
Bag – Quechua bag
T-shirt and long sleeve athletic for the morning / evening
Bucket hat
Underwear – Not essential but appreciated
Food / Snacks
Breakfast – Oatmeal, peanut butter and banana. A good mix of carbs and fats that will keep you energized for a couple hours.
Lunch – 500g yogurt with trail mix and another banana.
Dinner – 2 pounds of Pizza and a Half Dome beer (Close enough)
Snacks – Cliff bars, trader joe snacks (coconut crunches, cookies, etc), more trail mix, apple
*** Bring lots of water, salty snacks, and some good fuel. It’s worth the extra weight and space in your bag.
You won’t notice an extra pound on your back. But you will definitely regret a pound less of food in your stomach !!!
Hiking Crew
I went with 2 friends and absolute crushers… Bryn, who also worked at Yosemite with me that summer. And Lara, Bryn’s friend from working at Yosemite last year.
An awesome day with awesomer people. Looking forward to more hikes with you guys!
How We Passed Time
Nature
Listening to the sounds all around – birds, waterfalls, wind, chipmunks. Looking at the huge pine trees, far-off mountains, the valley getting smaller and smaller. Smelling smells. There’s so much sensory stimulus it’s impossible to be bored.
Games
The first game was to essentially Wordle but face to face. Guess the 4 letter word. I’m proud to announce my word ‘Rock’ was a HaRd one to guess. hahaha
‘Guac’ was another word that completely stumped the competition, but felt like cheating since it should be guacamole. Who cares, still won.
‘I Spy’ is a classic too, but doesn’t last too long when almost everything is green, blue, or grey
Conversation
We then switched to talking about, instead of playing games. Specifically childhood games, and it’s always interesting to hear about the kind of stupid shit kids do around the world.
Mostly we have the same games, either with the same or different name. But there’s always one local game that you hear and think what the fuck.
What’s your childhood ‘what the fuck’ game?
Other topics include
- Dreams and aspirations
- Funny stories
- Personality types
- Embarrassing moments
- Food (Dangerous topic on a hike)
- God – (Fun as long as you’re a chill about it)
- Favorite Books, Podcasts, Movies
Music
Yes, I know how people feel about music on hikes.
But give us a break. It was normal volume off our phones, not a boombox scaring away all the animals. And why not enjoy great music surrounded by incredible views.
Below is a mix of songs we listened to along with more great trekking tunes. Tell me what songs I should add!
Hiking Playlist
Insanity
I’d say around the final 2 miles, when almost back where we started, that true madness descends.
Gibberish , nonsensical laughter, incoherent attempts at words. We even raced each other to the top of a hill, fueled by all natural delirium. Who knew being crazy actually feels pretty good.
What was the hardest part?
Unlike Half Dome where the cables are by far the most challenging, there wasn’t really one hardest section.
Cloud’s Rest felt more like a marathon. Consistently difficult, and very long. After all, it’s only 4 miles off from being one.
You take the Mist trail past Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, then go behind and above Half Dome. You’re crushing 2 major trails in one day.
However if I had to pinpoint one part it would be the last 0.5 miles to the top. Well it says 0.5 miles, but I swear they put it up as a joke.
Worried you can’t do a hike this tough?
Through Online Personal Training I can help you build a strong, durable, and pain free body that can absolutely crush Cloud’s Rest.
See any cool nature?
Fuck yeah.
Sarcode
On the way up we spotted a small, crimson plant that we identified as a “Snow Flower”, thanks to the almighty power of Google. It’s also called a Sarcode, Greek root meaning “fleshy”.
After a bit of research, this plant is even cooler than I thought. It has no chlorophyll (green chemical) the reason why it’s completely red.
Plus it survives only by forming a relationship with one species of fungus. The fungus provides food, water and protection from diseases, and in return it gets carbon dioxide from the plant roots.
Possibly the best trade deal of all time.
Peregrine Falcon
At the peak we saw the fastest animal on the planet !!!
No it wasn’t a cheetah, though that’d be super cool. It was the Peregrine Falcon, which can reach 240 mph in its diving swoop.
That puts it up there with the world’s fastest supercars!
Its name means ‘wandering falcon’ because they migrate between the Arctic and South America every year.
Gnarly little birds.
Favorite Moments
- Snow at the top!!!!
- Asking the whole way up – is that clouds rest?
- Taking a Cloud’s Rest at the summit
- Dipping our feet in the river, on the way up and down
- Finishing the hike and feeling like a CRUSHER
Secret Prize
There’s a small metal box hidden somewhere at the top. In the box is a pen and paper. Here you can etch your name into the Cloud Rest hall of fame.
Truly the honor of a lifetime.
Is it Worth it?
Long story short – Yes
Long story – It will be an experience you tell your grandkids about. Not many can say they did the hardest hike in Yosemite, almost doing a mountain marathon in the Sierra Nevada’s.
No amount of money, food, or even Hot Wheels toys can make you feel so awesome. Ok maybe the Hot Wheels…
So next time you find yourself in the amazing national park that is Yosemite, consider going on the journey of a lifetime.
Among the clouds and above the rest. Get your ass to Cloud’s fuckin Rest.
