Amazing experience with knowledge instructors. Great climbing location! Friendly and helpful…read morestaff during the booking process. Even helped us get accommodations nearby. Would totally do it again!!

Spent three days climbing with guides from Yosemite Mountaineering School. I'm sure all the guides…read moreare spectacular, but I can personally recommend Chase and Jake. Highly professional, impressively safe, and personable, not to mentioned astonishingly strong climbers. Chase and I spent a day cragging gearing up for a run up Half Dome's southwest face via Snake Dike. The end of our 12 hours together had much less talking, but Chase helped make the 6+ mile hike in much more enjoyable (as much as it could be of course) passing the time with fun stories and fun facts. We told some jokes, saw some nature, passed some hikers, and were first on the crag, setting us up for an awesome day! Jake and I climbed the 1100-foot East Buttress of Middle Cathedral and when my foot slipped while scaling a lie back crack and my life flashed before my eyes, I felt the rope tighten and stopped safely (only falling 6 or 8 feet of the 800 feet we had climbed thus far). Awesome day with Jake! Both Chase and Jake were excellent on meeting me where I was in my climbing ability, being a confident 5.10 leader, able to climb middle 5.11 but without much experience on Yosemite's granite I had a few tricks to learn to be successful. I highly highly highly recommend YMS to anyone new to the valley or wanting to safely experience what Yosemite has to offer!

Amazing. Climb…read more Probably one of the best multi-pitch rock climbs I have ever done. We started very late and ended up going down in the dark. I don't recommend this for one main reason: The descent is not straight-forward by headlamp. I found the description from SuperTopo to be a bit confusing, so here's my description (in case you don't heed my advice and try to roll this sucker late in the day): You are going to want to down-climb the last 10-15 ft of the summit pinnacle. The section you JUST climbed up to reach the tiny summit. Down-lead this (or better yet, just leave your pro in from the ascent) and build an anchor at the base. (I know this seems like a stupidly short "pitch" to build an anchor for, but, TRUST ME. The rope drag is heinous if you try to go around the corner and then anchor-in.) Then do a running belay/simul-climb around the corner (you are now going AWAY from the face you just climbed up). Once around the corner, go slightly right (skier's right). Once you've done this, just keep going left and down, gradually, on easy 3rd class terrain (we took the rope off at this point). When it starts to look easy to go right, traverse right until you pop out on the other side of the mountain. You'll probably do some minor bush-whacking, just try to keep hopping on those big granite boulders! The SuperTopo seems to say that you hook back right a lot sooner (after going down-left), the terrain there looked like very run-out/, 5th class slab (read: skeery), so we did not do this. OK, now that we've talked about the boring part (getting down), let's talk about the FUN part: climbing up. It's 5 pitches of 5.6-5.7 on glorious granite with ample spots for pro. You can run it out with ease, knowing there is always going to be a place to get your nuts in. This is the complete opposite of "Snake Dike" on Half Dome in that regard. We did the far-left (climber's left) variation. I think it's variation "A" in the guide book. We decided to simul-climb the first two pitches, this was a good call. The beginning of pitch 1 is very easy (low-5th and even 4th class) by the time it gets more difficult, the leader will already be at the 2nd anchor and the second can be belayed up. If you're a strong climber you could even keep going and link all three of the first pitches! Every pitch is fun, with great moves and great positioning. I'd make sure you are not wearing a pack or gear sling for the start of pitch 4, as the chimney is kinda tight in the beginning. Or maybe I'm just getting fat? I lead the last two pitches by headlamp, a new experience, and shockingly more fun that scary. If you do this, I'd start either insanely early or insanely late, in order to avoid the crowds. Have fun!

Cathedral Peak is arguably the most beautiful peak in Yosemite National Park. Despite its beauty,…read moreand despite the fact that the trailhead is at the edge of Tioga Road and easy to find, there are no crowds. During my hike on this 7 mile round-trip trail, I encountered, at most, only twenty other hikers. The trail is an easy hike for adults and for little kids. There are no cliffs near this trail. This means that, unlike some of the trails leading to or from Hawkins Peak at Pinnacles National Park and unlike the fabled Kalalau Trail in Kauai, there is no danger rocks falling from above, and no need to worry about tumbling over the edge of any cliff. Once you have reached the 3 1/2 mile mark, you will be rewarded with a splendid view of Cathedral Peak, which is photogenic from any angle, and which provides a variety of photogenic rewards at different times of day. Near Cathedral Peak is a meadow with little streams, and orange-colored bedrock near one of the streams. Also in this area, is an exposed granite dome, similar to nearby Lambert Dome. My photographs show: (1) Me posing on a granite dome located next to a meadow. This meadow is just to the south of Cathedral Peak, (2) The trail marker sign next to Tioga Road, (3) The orange-colored exposed bedrock, and (4) Two photographs of a little stream that winds its way through a meadow, with Cathedral Peak in the distance.

Everything was great from booking the half day to the climbing. Clay was our instructor and was…read moregreat. He is a great guide and coach. I would recommend Ground Up for anyone who is new to climbing and wants a fun day outdoors. I took my 11 year old son and he had a blast. If we come back to Mammoth I will be booking another climbing adventure with Ground Up.

Just had an Amazing weekend in Alabama Hills, Lone Pine CA!! Ground Up programs are a great way to…read moreget outside & climb. Clay is very knowledgeable & experienced (not to mention easy going guy). He made our weekend sooo much fun & educational. I can't wait to climb w/ Ground Up(Clay) this summer in Mammoth!!!

16-17 pitches of Granite?…read more 5 minutes from your car? Right next to a hotel with plumbing and food (and coffee, and beer)? No one pitch on this route is great, but the route in its entirety is really something special. It's a great line to work out your multi-pitch skills. Despite looking like a convoluted route in all the topos, it's surprisingly intuitive while you're climbing it. The rappels going down though. Ugh. So much rap. So tired. Want beer at car.

Some of the people who work at the front desk tend to be on the younger side and lack basic social…read moreskills when interacting with people who come into the gym. It can feel like people are just there to hang out and do not give a welcoming experience in the gym. Juun in particular is pretty standoffish.

I think it's time members start to question the continuous price increases…read more I personally find it absurd that the monthly membership is now 99 USD without the amenities offered at other touchstone locations. I question the cost analysis performed at touch stone to justify these price increases. The offerings have remained stagnant at this location for the past 6years. Still no sauna or steam room. No use of the land that is owned by this operation to benefit members. It's been known that Touch Stone has disdain for this location for not having "LA Prices" - Well, now we have them and the additional margin is going where exactly?

A delightful day out. I would have given this route 4 1/2 stars if Yelp let me do half stars. It…read morewas the urine on El Cap Tower in Camp 6 that made it lose a half star in my book, but still worthwhile overall. Some other unexpected highlights include onsighting the Texas Flake and the Great Roof. Second go on the King Swing and Changing Corners. Getting passed by Hollywood Hans made me feel like I was part of history. I have to say I was pretty disappointed with the pitches getting up to sickle ledge but after I swung into the Stove Legs it was smooth sailing on impeccable granite for days. I'd say that at least 20 of the 32 pitches would have been five star single pitch top ropes. After watching recent free ascent videos on LT11 I became concerned that there was much less fixed mank than shown in Dean Potter's ascent in Masters of Stone. My worries were for naught, as the route remains well protected with tat. My motto is always "Clip and go." I would strongly recommend The Nose of El Capitan to any motivated individual looking for a classic route on solid rock. If you have any questions feel free to PM me, Olin Morchiba, on Facebook. Thanks, happy climbing.

Wonderful experience and plan to return. I went on a weekend expedition to the Ansel Adams…read moreWilderness by Yosemite. It was absolutely incredible. I went with a church group with 10 other men and we were greeted late at night by two guides that had the best attitudes even though we arrived super-late. They had everything ready to go at the campsite so we didn't have to worry about any gear and just go right to sleep. They took care of all of our meals, too. The next morning we took a 6-mile hike and went swimming in a mountain lake all the while discussing meaningful things in our lives to connect with one another. It was a real bonding and growing experience. We later did a 3-hour solo trip to be alone for 3 hours and really enjoyed it. The next day we went rock climbing and learned a great deal from the experience, much more than just rock climbing. We were only there for about 36 hours in total, but loved every minute of it. Some other things about the company: They have multiple pre-packaged "courses" in addition to the ability to create customized courses which is what we went on. Their pre-packaged courses include Father-Children courses, Leadership development courses, single parent courses, among many other adventure courses. All of the courses are aimed at giving a God-centered educational experience that you will not forget. Activities include camping, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, among other activities. They are headquartered in a cool cabin in Bass Lake, CA, but operate all over the world. Adventure sites include some of the most beautiful places in the world like Mt. Rainier, Yosemite, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Holy Land and South America among other places. Super helpful guides and instructors who obviously love their jobs (I'm candidly a little jealous). From the website: "Our focus is providing custom programming using service, adventure and experiential education as tools to strengthen relationships with God and others......Since 1973, Summit Adventure has used wilderness and adventure as tools to facilitate transformation, build compassion, strengthen relationships and deepen faith. These processes take place through time-tested and proven strategies that Summit Adventure has used over the past four decades." The adventures are reasonably priced. Summit Adventure is a not-for-profit organization.

We hiked this on a perfect day. We started early at 5 am and got up to sub dome before the crowd…read more I was able to get a permit two days before the hike. It was so fun going up the cables that I did it two more times, but resorted to outside the cables as it got more crowded during my second and third time. My friends had to stop me after 3x because they were afraid i was going to free solo it. So fun. Please come and create your own adventure.

Half Dome really said "welcome to your villain origin story"…read more We pulled up thinking we were fit... nature said "prove it." 15+ miles, 5,000 feet up, clinging to cables like our lives depended on it (because they did??) By the time we reached the top, our souls left our bodies... but the views brought 'em right back 10/10 would get wrecked by this mountain again. Half Dome: 1, Us: spiritually stronger (physically ruined)

Gorgeous waterfall but it was a little small when I visited due to the lack of rain. Nevertheless,…read morean amazing site and experience. Please come and create your own adventure.

When you reach Nevada Falls, you'll realize that the rocky, slippery, and steep hiking path was…read morecompletely worth it. This hike was about 7 miles round trip. This isn't counting the walk from the parking lot. We parked by the camp grounds. That added about 1 extra mile. My feet were tired by the end of this hike. I think mainly because on the way back down, you apply more pressure on our feet and knees. I recommend you wear comfortable hiking shoes/ boots. If you can, take some hiking sticks, they will help you keep your balance when you reach the mist trail stairs, they are steep and slippery. We also wore ponchos, it helped us keep dry. I also recommend you bring water and snacks/ lunch so that you can enjoy this at the top of the falls. This is by far my favorite trail at Yosemite.

Fresno Dome: 2025 Sep 23 (5 of 5)…read more We're hosting a friend who's never been to Fresno Dome so we decided to take him there. Fresno Dome looks like a smooth dome from afar but it's actually granite rocks of different shapes and sizes coming together to create this geological marvel. I'm always amazed when we reach the top of the dome. Once you get to the top of this granite dome, you can be assured of breathtaking panoramic views of Sierra Nevada and Southern Yosemite National Park. Its rocky facade made this easier to climb, but the last time I hiked Fresno Dome was in July - so, I felt a need to get lessons from a goat. Goats are incredibly agile climbers - ascending steep slopes and leaping over mountains in their sure-footed hooves. I wonder if they'll give me lessons on how to climb mountains. Hmm... What to wear: Layer your clothing. You get sweaty on the way up, but at the top, you may feel a chill. Hiking shoes or hiking boots are a must. We actually saw a woman in sandals. That's a firm No-No. One slip and you'll be flying down the slopes. What to bring: Water and snacks. You'll need more than one bottle of water per person (I usually bring 3). Dehydration sets in fast, especially when you sweat. We bring snacks because when you reach the top, you would want to stay to enjoy the breeze and the views. Just remember to bag your trash and take them with you. What to expect: Mosquitoes, bugs, ants, etc. It's their land you're wondering into. On the flip side, you'll be amazed by beautiful butterflies, plants and wildflowers (depending on the season).

Situated between Oakhurst and Yosemite National Park at an elevation of 7,450 feet, Fresno Dome is…read moreone of those elegant granite formations for which the Sierra Nevada is famous for. Fresno Dome is a popular destination for rock climbers, but hikers can also reach the summit via a short trail that climbs the dome's gently sloping backside. Reference: MAREK WARSZAWSKI / THE FRESNO BEE | FEBRUARY 03, 2009 11:17 AM I didn't realize it's only a 1.6 mile round trip , it felt much longer but it's an easy peasy hike which rewards you with beautiful views of the Sierra from the top. Easy at first but gets pretty steep at the top . Since my baby bear has intellectual disabilities and autism, he's not too aware of danger, we stopped midways of the dome . We were still rewarded with gorgeous views from midways. It was pretty muddy at the begging of the hike , we had to hop from one rock to another to avoid getting our hiking boots wet. After that it's a easy hike ( except pretty steep at the top). Hella winding road to get to the trailhead, it's unpaved dirt road towards the end. I don't recommend you going if you don't wanna get your vehicles dirty lol. We saw a beautiful owl with his wings wide opened atop a tree stump near the trailhead. I wasn't able to capture it with my phone but the image is still very clear in my head after four years. Cheers to the great outdoors (^｡^)