This is one of Yosemite's best-kept easy walks, and it starts with a gift: the trail drops gently downhill through a quiet red fir forest, so the hardest part — a mild uphill stroll — waits for the return trip when you're warmed up. The path is soft and shaded, winding through dense conifers for about ten minutes before the trees part and McGurk Meadow opens up in front of you like a secret room. The meadow is long, lush, and fringed with lodgepole pines, with a weathered 1890s cattle cabin sitting at its edge as a reminder that ranchers worked this high country long before it became a national park. In early summer, the meadow floor erupts with lupine, shooting stars, and corn lilies. This trail is perfect for families with small kids, anyone recovering from a bigger hike the day before, or photographers who want a gorgeous meadow scene without earning it the hard way.
The meadow can be boggy and mosquito-heavy in June and early July — long pants and bug spray are not optional during peak snowmelt.
Trail Details
Distance1.6 miles round-trip
Elevation Gain150 ft
Difficultyeasy
Estimated TimeVaries
Trail Typeroundtrip
PetsNot allowed
SeasonYear-round
TrailheadMcGurk Meadow
Pro Tips
Trail Tip
The trailhead is on Glacier Point Road about a mile past the Bridalveil Creek Campground turnoff — there's a small pullout on the south side with no sign visible from the east, so watch your odometer or you'll drive right past it.
Trail Tip
Visit in late June or early July for peak wildflower bloom in the meadow. By August the grasses dry out and the show is over, but the cabin and forest walk are still worth the short detour.
Trail Tip
Walk past the cabin and follow the faint trail along the meadow's edge for another few hundred yards. The meadow stretches much farther than most people realize, and you'll likely have the far end entirely to yourself — morning light raking across the grass with no one around is as good as Yosemite gets.
