Clouds Rest is a mountain in Yosemite National Park, located east-northeast of Yosemite Village, California. Although there are many peaks in the park having far greater elevation, the proximity of Clouds Rest to the valley gives it a very high degree of visual prominence.

Geography

The summit can be reached by a 7.2 mi trail hike from Tioga Pass Road or a 13 mi trail hike from Happy Isles by way of Little Yosemite Valley. There are also several technical routes available. Clouds Rest is an arête; a thin, almost knife-like, ridge of rock formed when glaciers eroded away solid rock to form Tenaya Canyon and Little Yosemite Valley. The northwest face, mostly solid granite, rises 5000 ft above Tenaya Creek.

History

Lafayette H. Bunnell, a medical doctor with the Mariposa Battalion, notes that his party named the summit Clouds Rest because they returned to camp to avoid a snow storm after seeing "the clouds rapidly settling down to rest upon that mountain."

Recreation

There are three main ways to access the summit of Clouds Rest; via the Sunrise Lakes Trailhead off of CA-120 (commonly known as the Northeast Ridge Route); via the Happy Isles Trailhead in Yosemite Valley (commonly known as the South Slope); or via the Northwest Face of the mountain. The Sunrise Lakes Trail is a round trip hike of 14.5 miles that begins at an elevation of 8150 ft and gains 1776 ft over 7.25 miles to reach the summit at 9926 ft. The summit has wide-ranging 360-degree panoramic views.