Sentinel Dome is a granite dome

Granite dome

A granite dome is a dome of granite, formed by exfoliation.-Formation:Granite forms plutons of igneous rock several kilometers below the surface as magma slowly cools and crystallizes. The granite is under great overhead pressure....

 in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It lies on the south wall of Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...

, 0.8 miles (1.3 km) southwest of Glacier Point

Glacier Point

thumb|right|upright|Glacier Point, as seen from [[Yosemite Valley]]. In springtime, this cliff face is covered with dozens of freshets and tiny waterfalls from the snowmelt, the largest being [[Staircase Falls]]....

 and 1.4 miles (2.3 km) northeast of Profile Cliff.

Sentinel Dome is known for a Jeffrey Pine

Jeffrey Pine

The Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi, named in honor of its botanist documenter John Jeffrey, is a North American pine related to Ponderosa Pine.-Distribution and habitat:...

 that grew from its peak (see photograph). The pine was photographed as early as 1867 by Carleton Watkins

Carleton Watkins

Carleton E. Watkins was a noted 19th century California photographer.Carleton Emmons Watkins was born in Oneonta, upstate New York. He went to San Francisco during the gold rush, arriving in 1851...

, and was the subject of a well-known photograph by Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams

Ansel Easton Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist, best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West, especially in Yosemite National Park....

. The tree died during the drought of 1976, but remained standing until August 2003.

History

The original Native American name of Sentinel Dome, in the Southern Sierra Miwok language

Southern Sierra Miwok language

Southern Sierra Miwok is a Utian language spoken by the Native American people called the Southern Sierra Miwok of Northern California.-Consonants:The 15 consonants of Southern Sierra Miwok:-Vowels:The 6 vowels of Southern Sierra Miwok:-Length:...

, was "Sakkaduch". The Bunnell

Lafayette Bunnell

Lafayette Houghton Bunnell was an American physician, explorer, author, and an explorer of Yosemite Valley, born in Rochester, New York.-Biography:...

 survey named it "South Dome", but the Whitney survey

California Geological Survey

Although it was not until 1880 that the California State Mining Bureau, predecessor to the California Geological Survey, was established, the "roots" of California's state geological survey date to an earlier time...

 renamed it Sentinel Dome (from its likeness to a watch-tower). The view from the top offers a 360 degree view of Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...

 and surroundings. One can see Half Dome

Half Dome

Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor....

, El Capitan

El Capitan

El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...

, Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America. Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak....

, North Dome

North Dome

North Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, California. It is the southern summit of Indian Ridge, north of Washington Column and the Royal Arches on the northeastern wall of Yosemite Valley. It can be reached by trail from the Tioga Pass Road, or by going up the Yosemite Falls trail...

, Basket Dome, and much more.

Hiking trail

The trail to the base of Sentinel Dome is a relatively easy 1.1 miles (1.8 km) hike. The trailhead, the same as the Taft Point

Taft Point

Taft Point, located in Yosemite National Park near Glacier Point is very much like Glacier Point in that it offers wide views of the valley and other attractions like Yosemite Falls and El Capitan. However, the main attraction of Taft Point are the giant fissures in the mile high granite rock...

 trailhead, is located 6 miles (9.7 km) from Bridalveil Creek

Bridalveil Creek

thumb|300px|right| Hanging valley of Bridalveil Creek, showing its pronounced form which is controlled, in large measure, by sparse diagonal joint structures....

 on the Glacier Point

Glacier Point

thumb|right|upright|Glacier Point, as seen from [[Yosemite Valley]]. In springtime, this cliff face is covered with dozens of freshets and tiny waterfalls from the snowmelt, the largest being [[Staircase Falls]]....

road. Once at the base, hikers traverse the less imposing northeast granite slope to the summit.