Yosemite's Bucket-List Trail Is A Winding Path With Waterfalls, Forests, And Mountain Views

It's no secret that Yosemite National Park holds some of the most epic hiking routes in California — even the whole United States! But of all its paths, there's one that really lives up to its name with a show of expansive views from start to finish. Cue the aptly titled Panorama Trail, which the folks over at Yosemite.com describe as perhaps the most scenic trail in the whole darn park. As the official travel portal for Mariposa County (which is the home of the iconic Yosemite Valley), the website knows all of the iconic park's hidden destinations, so we take their ranking seriously.

This is a big statement to make, but there are some seriously big panoramas to back it up on this bucket-list hike. First, you get a montage of mighty granite peaks — including Half Dome, one of the most iconic summits in America, according to the Armchair Mountaineer. Then, you zigzag down past waterfalls that drop suddenly off cliffs, pass through evergreen forests, crisscross meadows of wildflowers, and eventually finish off on a section of the renowned John Muir Trail, which whisks you right back down to the valley floor.

The whole thing is typically done as a one-way day hike, using a bus to link from the base of the Yosemite Valley (where you can either park or walk straight out of your campsite) to the trailhead at Glacier Point. Alternatively, you can make a loop by connecting the Panorama Trail with the Four Mile Trail, making a hefty trek of around 17 miles with stacks of elevation gain and no need to shuttle back and forth.

The Panorama Trail is consistently lauded for its impressive views. As one past hiker puts it on the activity tracking platform AllTrails, this route is "absolutely amazing. Views almost every step of the way." And it's true, things are pretty stunning from the very beginning. Assuming you kick off your adventure at Glacier Point, you'll instantly have vistas that encompass the iconic natural wonder of Half Dome and famous Yosemite Falls, the highest waterfall in the park.

It's downhill from there, as you move between big granite boulders on a dusty trail that consistently has even more sweeping views on at least one side. The natural spectacle reaches something of a zenith at Panorama Point, a lookout that sits at the end of a spur trail off the main route. Here, Half Dome again looms large, framed by the outline of Mount Hoffman in the distance. Be careful: Panorama Point is a precipitous spot, with no railings to be seen and steep drops right in front.

And there are forests, too. While some folks will turn back at Panorama Point, the one-way hike pushes on a little farther to where the path intersects with the John Muir Trail. It then makes a final steep descent into the eastern tip of Yosemite Valley. I hiked this exact section of tight switchbacks in the spring of 2025 and can confirm that it is where the woods claim the path in earnest. You still get glimpses of the roaring Merced River between the trees, but you'll be immersed in the smell of pines and find yourself hopping over big roots as you drop down towards the finishing point.

As ever with Yosemite, waterfalls play a pretty big role in the day-hike journey that is the Panorama Trail. What's more, it's even possible to swap out the final section along the John Muir Trail with a hike on the wildly popular Mist Trail, one of America's most dangerous hikes. That means, if you complete the full route from Glacier Point to the valley bottom, you'll pass by several of the most famous waterfalls in the park.

The mighty Upper Yosemite Falls are visible from the trailhead of the Panorama Trail at Glacier Point — all 1,430 feet of them, dropping dramatically off a cliff on the far side of the valley. Then comes the more off-radar Illilouette Falls, which appears below a switchback as the Panorama Trail crosses Illilouette Creek. It's tucked away in a hidden nook of the valley, but roars into life when the springtime snowmelt comes.

There are still two more mighty waterfalls to encounter after that, both of which sit along the Merced River as it drops down from the Little Yosemite Valley. This is where you connect with either the aforementioned Mist Trail or the John Muir Trail, which together form a loop that's among the best day hikes in all of Yosemite National Park. You can stand right above Nevada Falls to see the water rushing off the edge and complete the mist-soaked stairs that descend beside Vernal Falls — just keep the waterproof gear handy if you go that way.