The Mist Trail: Epic Hike in Yosemite National Park

In my last post, Yosemite National Park: Amazing 3 Day Itinerary for First Time Visitors, I shared a little bit about my experience hiking the Mist Trail. I wanted to go into more detail about this amazing hike including what to wear, what to pack, trail info, route options, and of course share more photos and videos!

Mist Trail Location

The trailhead is located in the eastern part of Yosemite Valley. There is no parking available at the trailhead. The best option is to take the free shuttle to Happy Isles stop 16. If you’re not staying in the valley, I would recommend parking in the nearby Curry Village parking lot. It’s a good size lot, but it does fill up, so get there early to make sure you can find a spot. See map of Yosemite’s shuttle route here.

Route options for hiking the Mist Trail

Mist Trail to Vernal Fall Footbridge: 1.6 miles round trip. Moderate difficulty. 400 ft elevation gain.
Mist Trail to top of Vernal Fall: 2.4 miles roundtrip. Strenuous. 1,000 ft elevation gain.
Vernal Fall and Clark Point via Mist Trail and John Muir Loop 4.5 mile loop. Strenuous. 1,000 ft elevation gain.
Mist Trail to top of Nevada Fall 5.4 miles roundtrip. Strenuous. 2,000 ft elevation gain.
Vernal and Nevada Falls via Mist Trail and John Muir Loop about 7 miles. Stenuous. 2,000 ft elevation gain.

Alternatively, you can hike the John Muir Trail to the top of Vernal Fall (via Clark Point cutoff) or top of Nevada Fall. The John Muir Trail is longer, but less strenuous and drier.

Additionally, the hike to Half Dome continues from the top of Nevada Fall. Hiking to the top of Half Dome requires a permit when the cables are up.

Note: Plan ahead and stay up to date with current trail conditions and closures. Visit the National Park Service website for information about current conditions.

Trail Description (with photos and videos)

Vernal Fall Footbridge

The first portion of the trail is paved to the footbridge. It is mostly uphill and considered moderately difficult. You can see Vernal Fall from the footbridge and watch the Merced River roar as it flows beneath the bridge.

Merced River lined with trees and mountains in the background — Merced River

Raging tree lined Merced River with multiple boulders; Vernal Fall and mountain seen in the distance — Merced River

Granite Stairs to Vernal Fall

Just past the footbridge, the dirt path diverges and you can continue up the Mist Trail OR the John Muir Trail. The Mist Trail follows along the Merced River and involves climbing over 600 granite stairs past Vernal Fall. There is a large amount of mist coming off Vernal Fall as you hike past. The steps are slick and you will get wet! This is especially true when water is flowing at its fullest in spring and early summer. We got completely drenched! But it was worth it. The final ascent to the top of Vernal Fall is steep and narrow and you will be rewarded with stunning views from the top.

There is a large open rock area at the top of Vernal Fall that is perfect for taking a break, enjoying the view and drying off.

This is probably the portion of the trail that comes to mind when people talk about the Mist Trail. The water is roaring next to you and you start feeling the spray of the mist and slickness of the granite beneath your feet as you curve around the steps and Vernal Fall comes into view.

This is one of my absolute favorite spots along the Mist Trail! It is just past the wettest portion of the granite stairs as you approach Vernal Fall. This spot allows a stunning close up view of the thundering Vernal Fall and the rainbow created from all the mist coming off the fall. I could have stood and admired the view for hours.

Winding granite staircase lined with boulders — Portion of the granite stairs of the Mist Trail

Steep narrow rock path with solid rock wall on one side and metal handrail along outer side of trail — Portion of the granite stairs of the Mist Trail

Rainbow over the Merced River surrounded by mountains and trees in Yosemite National Park — View from the top of Vernal Fall

Top view of waterfall seen pouring down to river below with trees and mountains in background — View from the top of Vernal Fall

To Nevada Fall

Continuing up shortly past Vernal Fall, the trail diverges again. You can chose to continue up the Mist Trail to the top of Nevada Fall or take the Clark Point cut off to the John Muir Trail to go back down to the valley. (More on the Clark Point cutoff and John Muir Trail later).

The hike up the Mist Trail to Nevada Fall involves a series of rocky switchbacks with gorgeous views. The trail levels out shortly before reaching the top. There is a footbridge that allows you to stand directly over the top of Nevada Fall and watch the raging water just as it pours over the edge of the cliff. Liberty Cap can be seen towering above nearby.

The open rocky area at the top of Nevada Fall is even bigger than that of Vernal Fall. This is a great place to enjoy lunch with a spectacular view.

Rocky steps next to large waterfall — Nevada Fall from the Mist Trail

Tall peak of Liberty Cal and top of waterfall — Nevada Fall from the Mist Trail

Top of waterfall before if disappears over the cliff with mountains in background — Top of Nevada Fall from the footbridge

mountains, river and trees in Yosemite National Park — Top of Nevada Fall from the footbridge

Back to the Valley

You can either hike back down the Mist Trail or continue across the footbridge and down the John Muir Trail.

Clark Point and John Muir Trail

The John Muir Trail was closed between Nevada Fall and Clark Point when we were there so we went back down the Mist Trail to the Clark Point cutoff and then continued down the John Muir from there.

When we reached the cutoff, we actually had to go back up a series of switchbacks to get to Clark Point. Then we followed switchbacks down the John Muir Trail back to the junction with the Mist Trail near the Vernal Fall footbridge and then back to the trailhead. I tracked 7.9 miles on my watch taking this route.

Trees and pink flowers with tall granite peak and waterfall seen from a distance — Liberty Cap and Nevada Fall from John Muir Trail

Waterfall pouring over cliff surrounded by trees and granite mountain walls — Liberty Cap and Nevada Fall from John Muir Trail

What to wear

Hiking boots and socks: I recommend getting water resistant hiking boots with good traction. I was very happy with these Columbia hiking boots paired with these socks.
Pocket leggings: I’m obsessed with these leggings from Amazon for hiking. They’re comfortable and flattering and I love having a pocket so I don’t have to keep reaching in and out of the bag for my phone to take pictures.
Raincoat: There was so much mist coming off Vernal Fall when we were there, it was like getting caught in a downpour! I wore this Columbia raincoat.
Long sleeve active top: In the spring it was cool in the morning when we started our hike and I was glad I had a long sleeve shirt on. I wore this Under Amour shirt. Later in the summer this might not be necessary.
Tank top: I love to layer when I hike in case I get warm, I can remove outer layers and just wear the tank.
Hat: Great for shielding from the sun

What to pack

Backpack
Extra socks (I wished I had a change of socks after getting soaked by Vernal Fall. I ended up taking mine off to dry out when we relaxed at the top of Vernal).
Camera or phone to take pictures
Water, lots and lots of water!
Snacks/Lunch
Sunglasses

Safety

The wet granite stairs can be slick. Wear boots with good traction, don’t rush and be mindful when passing other hikers to prevent slipping.

While there are some safety rails along the trail, there are several open areas with steep drops. Use extreme caution when near any cliffs or drop offs. DO NOT sit on or climb over the safety rails.

Do not enter the water and use extreme caution near any flowing water.

Beware of bears and other wildlife. We saw bear droppings on the trail and after we were back down in the valley, a fellow hiker told us they saw a bear near the John Muir Trail closure at the top of Nevada Fall.

Thank you and enjoy your hike!

I hope you found this guide to be helpful in preparing for your hike on the Mist Trail!

Have questions? Just leave it in the comments below!

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