North Dome Photos – The Valley In A New Light


One of Yosemite valley’s prominent granite domes, you can see it especially well from Mirror Lake. I hiked down to the top from Tioga Road and the views were incredible. Here are my favorite North Dome photos from up there.

North Dome Photos - Landscape looking west over the valley
North Dome looking west over the valley

A unique head-on view of Half Dome


Front view of Half Dome through trees
Front view of Half Dome through trees

Especially noteworthy was the unique view of Half Dome, as most visitors don’t get to see this head-on view. This was at a point where the shaded forest trail began to open up to some stunning mountain views.

North Dome Photos - Bare granite rock landscapes with Half Dome Views
Bare rock playground

From then on, this area became similar to the granite landscapes around Olmsted Point – they’re both so fun (& easy) to climb and explore. Granite rock is just so easy to grip, and the terrain is wide open. You can go wherever you want!

This is why I refer to these places as “giant playgrounds for adventurers of all ages”.

Half Dome view through hole in tree trunk
Half Dome with some “natural wood” framing

I found these old fallen trees at the top. One had a hole which provided a nice “window” of Half Dome (above pic), the other just added a nice accent to the scenery.

Scenic, high mountain views
Scenic, high mountain views

These photos feature the landscapes and views from above, but also check out my North Dome Hike photos. They show more of the way the trail progresses and evolves as you trek down toward the valley. 


Hikers on North Dome


I took this picture zoomed in from the descent. If you have a good zoom lens, you can also photograph hikers climbing up Half Dome from here. It’s just out of frame in this pic, to the left.

Hikers climbing to the top of North Dome
Trekkers way out on the top of North Dome

If you have the time, I do recommend making the journey down here. Moderate trek (I think 7 miles round trip?) with incredible scenery.  Don’t forget to make a quick stopover at fascinating Indian Rock on the way. I didn’t expect much, but was pleasantly surprised. 

Overall, I’d definitely include North Dome in my top 3 Tioga Road destinations. The other two are climbing up above Olmsted Point, and trekking to Cathedral Lakes from the trailhead at Tuolumne Meadows.

Looking for lodging? Check out my Yosemite Hotels page.

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About My Photos

The images on this website are available for licensing and/or sale as framed prints. If you’d like to purchase them for a blog, news article, or gift, feel free to contact me with the specifics. This way you’re supporting photographers such as me directly (as opposed to buying from a faceless stock photo corporation).

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– Nathan Allen

About Me

Photographer Nathan Allen

I’m Nathan Allen, photographer / creator of YosemiteParkPhotos.com (Yosemite Photos) and international travel site I Dreamed Of This. In truth, I lived in San Francisco, New York, & Singapore…but nothing compares to life in the mountains. I share my experiences HERE.