Re: Is There A Trail To Eagle Tower?

Hi Everyone,

Someone was kind enough to offer Eagle Tower as an alternative to hiking all the way out to Eagle Peak the last time I posted here. I'm very interested in the particular view from Eagle Tower, but I've just spent the last hour or so looking for a TRAIL from the top of the Falls and I can't find anything. The Tower itself shows up on google maps, but I'm guessing that people probably don't just find their way through the trees until they suddenly drop over the edge back down to the Falls trail. Or do they? How does one find Eagle Tower after they get to the top of the Falls?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can point me in the right direction.

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MtSacProf
but I'm guessing that people probably don't just find their way through the trees until they suddenly drop over the edge back down to the Falls trail. Or do they?

That sounds like about how chick-on led me to the tower... There is no trail, so you'll have to choose a point to leave either the Yosemite Creek or Eagle Peak trail and "find your way through the trees." It's probably easier to head down to the tower from the Eagle Peak trail since you can see where you are going. Note that Eagle Tower is not the high point on the ridge above the falls trail--it's a bit south of that.

It's easy enough to just walk over there from the trail. I've only done it from the north and from the west. But the rangers really try to discourage the masses from going over there, because there are only a few places where the edge is sharp enough to get a good view of the falls. As you bumble around on the lip, every pebble that falls off goes right onto the Yosemite Falls Trail. People on that trail have been killed by falling rocks. So be very very careful.
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,26491,29203#msg-29203

Nice view. Neat place. Love it.

Is It Crazy To Hike To Eagle Peak In The WinterSummer From Camp 4?



Take trail to Eagle Peak Meadow.... contemplate life... stay on trail and go up Eagle Peak if never been...

"easiest" way to Tower is from Meadow area...

More nice shots of it here:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,65293,65293#msg-65293

Rules of thumb for xcountry in a group:
- spread out
- do not make a trail
- do not put up cairns
- enjoy yourself
- leave as little trace as possible
- respect nature
- respect old doods
- no need to whoop and holler
- be aware of low flying jets

Have fun

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Is there a trail to Eagle Tower? No


(wear long pants...)

I did tell you.... the shrub isn't tooooooo bad...
(I always wear longs pants) (it covers my gorgeous shins) (Cathedral granite is not kind)
(ripped finger open... followed two minutes later ripping shin open w/ nice checkerboard pattern)
(that's what I get for not USING my hiking sticks)

Have fun (and get ur booty up Fairview)

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I wore long pants and cut my shins through the pants. That being said...I'll take the brush over the maze of downed trees and the very soggy meadow travel that I encountered on my return route. I fell off of a wet tree, but the moisture from the knee high wet meadow plants did remove the blood from my pants before I made it back to the trail (near the Forbidden Fire.)


I wuz eyeing dat der Fairview Dome while in Tuolumne. (Ha, we didn't even make it up Pothole Dome because of a Tstorm...family, except the hubby, haven't been there yet.)

Thanks so much for all of your kind responses. I'm hoping to head up there this Sunday, weather permitting. They're calling for a 30 percent chance of showers right now, but no mention of thunderstorms. It would be just my luck to make it all the way out to Eagle Peak, jump up and down in celebration and then get hit by lightning. I think I'll save Eagle Tower for my next attempt, but I'll look over in that general direction as I head through Eagle Peak meadow to see what I will be up against next year.

I'm hoping that the rain, if any, on Sunday will hold off long enough to give me a colorful sunset and maybe a view of that full supermoon over the valley, but we'll see.

Chick-on - I also wanted to mention that I really appreciated that great Winter shot you took from Eagle Peak a few months ago. When you google "Eagle Peak" now, your shot comes up right near the top, and I think it's the ONLY shot where you can still see snow on the valley floor below from the peak. Nicely done!

Sorry....back again with another question for Chick-on or anyone else who may have attempted this:

Chick on...in your shot from Eagle Peak and from google earth, it LOOKS like one could simply walk down through a bit of forest, cross a dry creek bed, and then simply walk over to Eagle Tower from Eagle Peak. Am I missing something? If one were to walk to Eagle Peak, it looks like you would make it over to Eagle Tower without much effort. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess it's a little more than 1/2 a mile away. How far off am I?

Has anyone tried this?

Chick-on is (surprise!) away, but this is basically the route he led me on. We left the Eagle Peak trail maybe 1/4 miles from the summit and headed toward the tower, more or less directly. The x/c travel is straightforward. From the tower we headed north along the ridge, intercepting the Yosemite Creek trail a bit above the top of the switchbacks.