Olmsted Point, Granite viewpoint in Yosemite National Park, US

Olmsted Point is a viewing area off Tioga Pass Road in Yosemite National Park, with a parking lot on bare granite. A 0.125-mile trail leads south through a small grove of trees to the top of a small granite dome, where the view of Clouds Rest and Half Dome is clearest. Glacial erratics lie scattered on the granite slopes south and southwest of the lot.

The point takes its name from Frederick Law Olmsted, who wrote an early report in the 1860s arguing for the protection of Yosemite Valley. His son, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., also worked in the park decades later and helped carry similar ideas forward across the national park system.

The viewpoint is named after landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and his son Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. Visitors stop at the parking area off Tioga Pass Road, then follow a short trail through a small grove of trees to the top of a granite dome.

Access is via Tioga Road, which is typically open from late May through November and closed in winter due to snow. Parking is available directly at the rock platform, so no long walk is needed to reach the view.

From Olmsted Point, Half Dome looks almost unrecognizable because the view comes from the east rather than from the valley floor. Many visitors stand here not realizing they are looking at the same peak seen in all the classic park photos.