Washburn Point is an easy stop along Glacier Point Road that offers a great sight of Half Dome. This would be a good stop to make before going on to seeing Glacier Point.
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Directions
Arch Rock
From the Arch Rock entrance, head northeast on El Portal Rd and drive for 5.5 miles. In 0.9 miles, El Portal Rd will turn into Southside Dr. Turn slightly right onto CA-41/Wawona Rd in 9.2 miles. Turn left on Glacier Point Road and drive for 15 miles.
Big Oak Flat
From the Big Oak Flat entrance, head southwest on CA-120 E toward Tuolumne Grove Rd and drive for 7.7 miles. Continue on to Old Yosemite Coulterville Rd and continue on to Big Oak Flat Road (9.5 miles). Turn left on El Portal Rd. (signs for Yosemite Valley/CA-41/Fresno). In 0.9 miles, El Portal Rd will turn into Southside Dr. Turn slightly right onto CA-41/Wawona Rd in 9.2 miles. Turn left on Glacier Point Road and drive for 15 miles.
Hetch Hetchy
From the Hetch Hetchy entrance, take Evergreen Rd. to CA-120 E and drive for 8.7 miles. Follow CA-120 E, Big Oak Flat Road and Wawona Rd to Glacier Point Rd in Wawona (29.4 miles). Turn left on Glacier Point Road and drive for 15 miles.
South
From the South entrance, head northwest on CA-41. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit towards Wawona Road (16.9 miles). Turn right on Glacier Point Road and drive for 15 miles.
Tioga Pass
From the Tioga Pass Entrance, head south on CA-120 W toward Tioga Pass Parking Lot and drive for 46.5 miles. Turn left on Old Yosemite Coulterville Rd (signs for Yosemite Valley/CA-41/CA-140) and continue to Big Oak Flat Road (9.5 miles). Turn left on El Portal Rd. (signs for Yosemite Valley/CA-41/Fresno). In 0.9 miles, El Portal Rd will turn into Southside Dr. Turn slightly right onto CA-41/Wawona Rd in 9.2 miles. Turn left on Glacier Point Road and drive for 15 miles.
This is a map of Yosemite and where Washburn Point is located.
Parking
You can park in the parking lot for Washburn Point. This viewpoint is not as crowded as other ones so parking can be easy to find.
Restrooms
There are no restrooms here so you will need to use it either before you get to this location or after.
Distance
There is no hiking involved for Washburn Point. You can just walk up to the viewing area from the parking lot.
Difficulty
Easy since there is no hiking required.
Washburn Point
We were able to spend more time here and take pictures at different areas because only a few people were there at the time.
This was a rock that people would sit or stand on to get some pictures. I like it because in some photos, it would just show the silhouette of the person.
Places Nearby
Sentinel Dome, Glacier Point, Taft Point
We actually preferred Washburn Point over Glacier Point because it was a lot less crowded and still offered almost the same views.
