Two American rock climbers from Utah with less-than-household names recently set a new speed record in Yosemite National Park.

On October 20, Tanner Wanish and Mike Vaill, both 32, scaled El Capitan, Half Dome, and Mount Watkins in succession—collectively known as the Yosemite Triple Crown—in 17 hours and 55 minutes. Their time shaved approximately 35 minutes off of the previous record, set in 2018 by Brad Gobright and Jim Reynolds.

“We were just trying to go sub-24 hours, so it was kind of amazing to learn we’d broken the record,” Wanish told şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř.

The Yosemite Triple Crown is one of the toughest objectives in big-wall climbing, requiring mastery of a broad range of climbing skills, as well as physical endurance and impeccable planning. The massive link-up ascends more than 7,000 vertical feet spread between 71 pitches on three different iconic rock faces, with nearly 20 miles of hiking in between. Simply breaking the 24-hour mark places the duo in exclusive company: only eight other parties have done so since famed climbers Dean Potter and Timmy O’Neill first went under 24 hours in 2001. In 2012, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell became the first (and so far only) team to freeclimb it—using gear for protection but not aid—completing the link-up in 21 hours and 15 minutes. Later that year, Honnold set the record for completing the Triple Crown as a team of one, doing it in 18 hours 55 minutes.

A former Navy SEAL, Wanish has only been rock climbing for four-and-a-half years. But the Salt Lake City-native has already ascended some of the hardest routes in the park.

“I was shooting above my pay grade because I feel like that’s how you get better,” Wanish said. “With the Triple Crown, we didn’t have any guarantees or know we were going to succeed there.”

Wanish and Vaill, who lives in St. George, started climbing together in Yosemite in 2021 after connecting via the Mountain Project website. They first ascended the Nose—the 2,900-foot route on El Capitan—in October of that year. “We climbed 50 hours straight through two nights to beat a storm,” Wanish said.

In subsequent years, the duo took on harder routes in Yosemite and succeeded. In 2022 they ascended the northwest face of Half Dome and the Freerider route on El Capitan. In 2023 they took on the NIAD (Nose in a Day), hoping to complete the ascent in 16 hours. They did it in nine.

“I remember we were sitting up at the tree on top of the Nose, wide-eyed and silent after what we’d done,” Wanish said. “In that moment, it was like the whole valley opened up to us, like we could climb anything.”

A week later, they completed their first link-up: the Nose and the northwest face of Half Dome, a challenge known as “Double.” Wanish called it “the best day of climbing ever.” Before they’d even topped out, they’d decided to try the Triple Crown in 2024.

After receiving advice from other Triple Crown climbers, they decided to follow the standard order of climbs: Mount Watkins, then the Nose on El Capitan, before completing the Northwest face on Half Dome. The unofficial rule for timing the route is that the clock starts when the first climber touches the first wall. It ends after both climbers top out on the third route. The clock doesn’t stop for hikes or drives in between routes.

Wanish and Vaill touched the rock at the base of Mount Watkins at 4 P.M. on Saturday, October 19. Wanish took the lead for the first half, with Vaill taking over to the top. Climbing in blocks like this is standard for speed attempts, as it’s more efficient than switching leads every other pitch. Their total time to climb the 2,200-foot route was 2 hours and 55 minutes.

They got back to Wanish’s van at 8 P.M., and his wife was waiting to drive them to the El Capitan meadow. They ate dinner and organized their gear during the drive.

“At the meadow there was a big group of friends waiting on us,” Wanish said. “They were all cheering and it was so good for morale—we knew we were going into a long night.”

They started climbing the Nose at 9:30 P.M. After two hours of climbing in the dark, Wanish hit a low point. “I felt overwhelmed,” Wanish said. “Maybe that’s not the right word. I just knew we had another seven hours of darkness and cold, and another 6,000 feet of climbing ahead of us.”

He swapped the lead with Vaill about halfway up, as planned, at the pitch known as Camp IV. While belaying Vaill, Wanish crammed as many Trader Joe’s Fruit Bars into his mouth as he could stomach. They topped out in 5 hours and 25 minutes and raced down the East Ledges to the meadow where Wanish’s wife was waiting with a big plate of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and plenty of coffee.

“I was eating handfuls of eggs like an animal,” Wanish said.

After a 15-minute drive to Half Dome, the duo had to hike the so-called “Death Slabs” approach to reach the rock face. Normally the hike, which includes Class 4 scrambling, takes three hours to complete. They did it in an hour and a half. “We were charging,” Wanish said.

They hit the wall at 6:30 A.M. and began simul-climbing the 2,200-foot route. Simul-climbing is an advanced technique where both people are simultaneously climbing up the wall together, tied to the same rope, with pieces of protection continually placed between them by the lead climber.

It took Wanish and Vaill 3.5 hours to scale the 2,200-foot route. When Wanish hit stop on his watch, it was 9:55 A.M. on Sunday, October 20. They were astonished by the 17 hours and 55 minute time—it was well under their goal of 24 hours.

“We should go for a fourth wall, we have tons of time left,” Wanish said.

They heard yells and cheers from Wanish’s wife and their friends, who’d been watching with binoculars from the meadow below. Wanish pulled out his phone and sent a photo of his watch with an ecstatic Vaill in the background to Maxim Climbing Ropes, his sponsor. A sponsor representative texted back that the time was the new fastest mark on the Triple Crown. Maxim turned around and posted the news, along with Wanish’s photo, to its Instagram account.

“It was a nice surprise,” says Wanish. “Maybe we should have patted ourselves on the back more, but we were already talking about the ways we could have improved.”

Besides, they already have a new Yosemite climbing objective, one that they hope to complete in October. As for now, Wanish wants to keep the ambitious challenge a secret. “It will be even bigger than the speed record on the Triple Crown,” Wanish said. “I can tell you that.”

The post How Two Lesser-Known Rock Climbers Smashed a Fabled Yosemite Record appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř my window in Mariposa, California, in the Sierra foothills, I can see that the leaves have turned. Yosemite National Park and the surrounding mountains are an incredible year-round destination, with dustings of snow in winter and plenty of river access to cool off during hot summers. Spring and autumn are practically perfect for trekking the best hikes in Yosemite. Winter is a quiet and peaceful time to be on the trails, too.

The valley offers some of the greatest vistas in North America, or even the world, with the verdant Merced River dotted by meadows and encircled by massive walls—up to Middle Cathedral at 1,700 feet, Half Dome at 2,500, and El Capitan at over 3,000—and a huge variety of hiking trails to see views of them.

The area was once known as the Ahwahnee Valley, and the original inhabitants were the Ahwahneechee. By the late 1700s, most of Yosemite was inhabited by the Miwok, and in the 1800s, Paiute and others. Their lives changed in the mid-1800s with the Gold Rush, and many were killed or displaced. In the 1900s, most dispersed.

In 1890, the area was designated as the country’s third national park. Today, 4.5 million tourists visit annually from around the world. Most, however, don’t make it more than a mile down many trails, so if you go out a ways it feels like you have the place to yourself. Or yourself and some others: you’ll likely see ravens, Stellar’s jays, and if you’re lucky, coyotes and black bears.

Trails and walks in the park may be short and feasible for people of all ages, or they may climb thousands of vertical feet, offering incredible views of changing plants and trees. From the Valley floor to its rim, trees transition from black oaks, incense cedars, and Douglas firs to Jeffrey pines, with their longer needles and larger pine cones. Sugar pine trees at higher elevations grow cones so enormous that they’re visible from a distance, over a foot long and weighing down the branches. Granite slabs reflect the sunlight, and Half Dome, isolated at the far end of the valley, commands the view.

My favorite time to hike in Yosemite is during the peak of winter, January and February, when no one else is around. Tree branches hang down due to heavy snow, the long sweep of Glacier Point Apron is coated in white, and the roaring Yosemite Falls are visible through the clouds.

The trails listed below are in order from west to east as you drive up Highway 140, then back west. As a Valley local for decades and a former Yosemite hiking guide, I have compiled this list of the best hikes in Yosemite, in my opinion, in concert with those recommended by my guiding mentor Ira Estin from , which offers hiking outings in Yosemite.

Below, a lucky 13 sampler of the hikes that Estin and I frequent for their beauty and accessibility. (Check conditions and before you visit. See more on safety below.)

1. Hite Cove

Distance: 6.5 miles round trip

Difficulty Level: Moderate

This area was home of the Ahwahneechee people for more than a thousand years and later the location of the famous namesake hard-rock gold mine. In the mid-1800s, the Ahwahneechee people—specifically his future wife, who would eventually be known as Lucy Hite—showed John Hite the location of a potential mining operation on the South Fork of the Merced that would make him a millionaire. In time the mine was deserted, and in 1924, a fire burned the structures to the ground. What remains are scattered rock walls and old mining equipment.

is a great hike every time of year except for the peak of summer, when it is closed for fire danger and would be blistering anyway. The poppy bloom peaks during March and April, bringing the hillsides alive with an explosion of orange. This hike starts 21 miles east of the town of Mariposa on Highway 140, at the confluence of the South Fork of the Merced and the Merced, outside of Yosemite National Park but in the Sierra National Forest. The trail snakes up a steep, narrow canyon, passing poppies, lupines, redbud, sky pilots, and baby blue eyes. The final view overlooks the side of the old mine. If on a hot day (which happens as late as October) you’d rather not commit to the challenge of the whole canyon, Estin says you can get a trip highlight right out of the trailhead: “The first half mile has ten times more flowers than the rest of the trail.”

2. Incline Road

Distance: 28 total miles, but broken up into short sections of 2 to ten miles each

Difficulty Level: Easy

From 1907 to 1945, the Yosemite Valley Railroad carried passengers and freight along the Merced River Canyon for 28 miles, though not clear into Yosemite Valley. Just outside the valley, in El Portal, passengers had to dismount from the train and take horses and buggies on another road 14 miles into Yosemite Valley. There, after the rough journey, they reached their reward, starting with the overlooks showing them Bridalveil Fall and El Capitan, while Half Dome stared down on the Valley floor and Yosemite Falls flowed across the park.

Long ago, the old railroad ties on , located just outside the park in the Sierra National Forest, were ripped up, leaving a wide trail that bends and turns as it parallels the Merced River. This mostly flat path, a great place to walk, has west and east access points, including Briceburg and at the end of Incline Road accessed from the trail on the North Fork of the Merced. Choose either of these starting points for a hike as short as two miles or as long as a dozen-plus. There are also plenty of sub-trails leading to the river, making nice detours. This whole trail is an excellent poppy-bloom viewing area in spring.

3. Wildcat Falls

Distance: .125, or an eighth of a mile, one way, .25 miles round trip

Difficulty Level: Easy

is a must jaunt, perfect for families and kids because it’s a short walk that leads to a small, stunning waterfall you can approach. “If you take your shoes off or wear river shoes, you can walk right up to it,” Estin says. “It’s also a great spot to take photos of your kids playing in the water.” Wildcat Falls—which only runs in spring and early summer—is near Cascade Falls, but if you get to Cascade you’ve gone too far. You reach Wildcat Falls via an unmarked turnout on the left on Highway 140, 2.7 miles east of Arch Rock park entrance station at Arch Rock, Yosemite. The turnout allows parking for several cars, and while the trail is not marked, it’s easy to see.

4. Cascade Falls

Distance: .25 to .5 one way, less than 1 mile roundtrip

Difficulty Level: Strenuous

Cascade is the first significant waterfall visitors encounter when entering the park. Though only 500 feet tall, the waterfall spills out of the wall with so much force that over the millennia it has created a huge swath of smooth river rocks below. Some of them are so slippery they feel like glass and squeak underfoot. There isn’t a defined hike to reach the falls. But people want to get close to them and find a way, walking and crawling over the rocks. I have done this dozens of times, too, but beware that it requires river hopping and grabbing tree branches to keep balance.

Estin has a better idea for a way to the falls that is less direct but also less taxing in that it avoids the slick rocks. “There is a trail 200 yards upstream from the parking at the bridge where water from Cascade Falls flows through to meet the Merced River,” he says. “It’s unmarked and unmaintained, but it’s the best way to reach the falls. You may have to hunt for it, but once you find the trail it leads right there.” This trail cuts through the trees and climbs up and to the east side of the mouth of the falls, where you can look down on them. Though only half a mile, it’s steep, so it packs a punch. “I only take people up there who are competent, as there is some rock scrambling involved,” Estin says. It’s a short, one-way adventure trail that can be reversed at any time if it’s too much.

This stop is usually the first for people who have just been traveling for hours, and the bridge area has ample parking and nearby restrooms.

5. Four Mile Trail

Distance: 4.8 miles one way

Difficulty Level: Strenuous

This iconic trail is steep, with an elevation gain from 4,000 to 7,200 feet. Starting with views of Yosemite Falls, the rewards hikers with a changing landscape, as it switchbacks up past Sentinel Rock and ends at Glacier Point, which offers spectacular views of the Valley below, including of El Capitan. At Glacier Point there is a cluster of buildings with a gift shop, water fountain, and restrooms, and an overlook of the east end of the Valley, from which you can see Liberty Cap, Nevada Fall and Yosemite Falls in the distance.

From Glacier Point, visitors can reverse the trail, or make it a loop by continuing down the Panorama Trail (described below). However,  is temporarily closed until May 2023, so for now if you go up you will have to walk back down the same way or on the Panorama Trail. When Glacier Point Road opens again, you can have a second vehicle parked at the top or arrange for a shuttle down to the Valley. By car, be sure to stop at the trailhead 6.5 miles away on the way down to see one of the most magnificent overlooks in the park—it stares right over at mighty El Cap. You can hike 2.2 miles to Taft Point from the trailhead when the Glacier Point Road is open. Otherwise you can gain Taft Point by hiking the Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point, then taking the Pohono Trail another 3.4 miles.

6. Panorama Trail

Distance: 8.5 miles

Difficulty Level: Strenuous if going up, moderate if going down

Passing Illilouette, Nevada Fall, and Vernal Falls, this wandering, circuitous path takes visitors along the east end of the Valley rim. In addition to bringing hikers back from Glacier Point to the Valley, the connects to the Half Dome Trail (and Little Yosemite Valley), Clouds Rest, and Tuolumne Meadows to the east. As a National Park Service website notes, “Some of Yosemite’s most iconic natural features can be seen and experienced along this trail.” Estin hikes this trail often because, he says, “It’s spectacular—you see three huge waterfalls and views of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley.” The top of the Panorama Trail is accessed from Glacier Point, which you reach via hiking, arranging a shuttle, or leaving a car (see road closures above). From the Valley floor, the Panorama Trail is accessed via Happy Isles.

7. Lower Yosemite Fall Trail

Distance: .25 mile one way to the Falls, .5 mile roundtrip, or a 2-mile round trip walk from Yosemite Village

Difficulty Level: Easy

This quarter-mile paved trail from Yosemite Lodge to the base of Lower Falls is perhaps the most traveled path in the park, and is wheelchair and stroller accessible. The only caveat is that the last 75 feet are steep enough that a wheelchair would need assistance. “You have to push someone up there, which I’ve done many times,” Estin says. In total, the trail gains 50 feet in elevation. As you hike in, views of Upper Falls (1,430 feet) filter through the trees, and once there, you get a direct view of the 320-foot Lower Falls. Additional benefits of the is that at the start of it are flushable toilets, picnic tables, and an ice-cold drinking fountain. I like it because from the viewing area along the footbridge that directly overlooks the Lower Falls—which also peers up at Lost Arrow Spire—I can scramble upstream and walk right up to the base of the Lower Fall. The National Park Service advises staying on the paved trail and says “Scrambling off-trail in this area has led to serious injuries.” From April through June, you can see a nighttime moonbow here between 9 p.m. and midnight during a full moon.

Continuing past the bridge, the trail wanders through the trees, passes large boulders, and exits by the government stables.

8. Upper Yosemite Fall Trail

Distance: 7.2 miles round-trip

Difficulty Level: Strenuous

The not-to-be-missed, arduous 7.2-mile , started by the master early trailbuilder John Conway (who also designed the Four Mile Trail) in 1873 and taking until 1877 to complete, is accessed by the historic climbers’ located to the west of Lower Falls. This trail is downright hard, ascending 2,700 feet via 60 switchbacks and on slick granite steps. But it’s tough to find a more scenic trail in the park: this one offers the sights of Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, and the Tuolumne high country. From the top of Upper Yosemite Fall, a 15-minute hike from a marked trailhead takes you to providing unobstructed views of the Valley.

9. Vernal Falls

Distance: 2.4 miles round trip

Difficulty Level: Strenuous

From the , it’s just shy of a mile to reach the bridge that marks the start of the Mist Trail and its rainy and wet sections, especially when the falls are peaking. At Happy Isles visitors can refill water bottles from a fountain, throw on a poncho, and prepare to get soaked for 20 minutes hiking to the base of the fall. Many will stop at the bottom of Vernal Falls (317 feet), rather than continuing on the staircase carved out of granite rocks that winds up the cliffside above. Hand rails help visitors keep their balance but be careful, as the rails get soaked during peak season (April to June). The trail continues from the top of Vernal Falls to Nevada Fall (594 feet tall) and eventually Half Dome, seven more miles (), and Clouds Rest, at nine more miles. By June, the waterfall ebbs and the mist recedes. The Mist Trail closes in winter due to frozen mist and snow.

To reach the start of the trail to Vernal Fall at Happy Isles (shuttle stop 16), catch the bus from Curry Village or walk for 20 minutes along the road or a parallel dirt path. (For traveling short distances like this, it’s often faster to walk than it is to wait for the shuttle.)

Vernal Fall is 1.6 miles round trip from the footbridge to the base of the fall and 2.4 miles round trip if you go to the top. Nevada Falls is 5.4 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 2,000 feet.

10. Half Dome Trail

Distance: 16.5 miles round trip

Difficulty Level: Strenuous

Despite a permit requirement and seasonal closures due to snow, this trail brings people to the park from all over the world. Starting at Happy Isles at 4,000 feet, it climbs to 8,839, gaining 4,800 feet. The tops out at the Cables route, where in 1875 George Anderson painstakingly pounded in metal spikes to reach the summit, then considered impossible to attain. The park service issues 300 permits per day, with 225 for hikers and 75 for backpackers, by . This hike is strenuous and beautiful, as it overlooks everything—cliffs, trees, and the little city of lights that make up the Valley floor below.

The last 400 feet of the Half Dome trail ascends the Cables route, opened in 1919, which is too steep for many (including the author’s mom, who has been frequenting the park since the 1970s).

To break up the long hike, some people camp at Little Yosemite Valley, which I recommend as it’s near water, spacious, and scenic. Permits are required.

11. Mirror Lake

Distance: 2 miles round trip

Difficulty Level: Easy

This one-mile, one-way hike from the Ahwahnee Hotel to follows a paved road and a parallel trail. Though called Mirror Lake, it only fills in April and is a sandbar for the remainder of the year. Once hikers reach the seasonal lake and sandy beaches, all great for kids for swimming, they take in the sights of willow trees and stunning views of Half Dome and Tenaya Canyon, which leads all the way to Tuolumne Meadows. Mirror Lake can also be a loop hike by walking past the Snow Creek Trailhead, crossing the Merced River and hiking back on the south side, which is about the same distance.

12. Snow Creek Trail

Distance: 9.4 miles round trip

Difficulty Level: Strenuous

Once you pass Mirror Lake, the path splits. The left fork climbs up the —“the most strenuous hike in the Valley,” as one longtime local, Paul Carrol, told me. (Continuing straight past the lake takes you up Tenaya Canyon.) Despite its steep, demanding nature, the Snow Creek Trail is still a top pick for many. Tucked in the eastern end of the Valley floor and laden with switchbacks, the trail offers epic views of Half Dome as it climbs from the Valley floor to the rim. The hike can be connected to the Upper Yosemite Falls loop, which at 18.8 miles makes for a backpacking trip instead of a day hike.

The top of Snow Creek rewards you with a postcard-worthy view, especially at sunset, from right below North Dome across the valley to Half Dome.

13. Tuolumne Grove

Distance: 2 miles round trip

Difficulty Level: Moderate

A quarter mile east of Crane Flat is parking for the , comprised of 25 trees, and one of three ancient Sequoia groves in the park. The other two are the Merced Grove, with 20 trees, located six miles west at Crane Flat and accessed via a three-mile round-trip hike. And then there’s the Mariposa Grove, the most popular and home to the largest sequoia tree in Yosemite, the 209-foot Grizzly Giant, among more than 500 mature trees. Though the Tuolumne and Merced groves are close together, the Mariposa Grove, as it’s near the south entrance, is a 1.5-hour drive away (40 miles).

Several of the Tuolumne Grove trees are over 100 feet tall, and one is a tunnel tree that you can walk through. “One of my favorite guiding activities is to go and walk or crawl through the fallen tunneled-out tree,” Estin says. “A fire hollowed it out, and you can walk inside it for 50 to 100 feet.”

The paved path to the Tuolumne Grove is a mile downhill and is closed to cars. Just be prepared for huffing and puffing as you hike out, as you’ll gain 500 feet of vertical over merely one mile.

Know Before You Go

Watch for poison oak, swift rapids, slick rock, and burning sun. Bring plenty of water and pace yourself, as on many of the best hikes in Yosemite the terrain is steep and unforgiving. Though it rarely rains here six months out of the year, when it does it’s often heavy. Bring a rain jacket.

Many of the trails pass over stone steps polished by countless shoe prints. The rocks are smooth and may be slippery. Wear good lug-sole hiking shoes, and you can improve traction by choosing sticky-soled approach shoes made by climbing companies such as La Sportiva, SCARPA, and Five Ten.

Learn more about hiking safety in Yosemite .

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