Vernal and Nevada falls, roaring streams of snow fed water courses, Emerald Pool, marvelous trail engineering, and glacier carved granite cliffs of awe inspiring grandeur in every direction. The "Mist Trail" gets its name from the wind blown mist that tends to soak hikers as they pass by the falls. I have to say that while hiking up the trail in April of 2009, not only did I get a good
Hiker standing near the base of Vernal Fall.
drenching, but my digital SLR camera also got a good soaking. Thankfully Nikon did a good job weather sealing the D300 camera that I was carrying at the time, and it made it through with no permanent damage (even though a got a bit concerned is some of the wettest areas).
To the right you see a map outlining the route along the Mist Tral. The trail head is located at Happy Isles near the Nature Center. Just a bit up the trail, you come to a nice trail sign (image below) that lists all the mileages to key areas in the park. Note the final entry on the sign indicating that Mt Whitney is 211 miles away via the John Muir Trail. This long but beautiful trail is world famous and traverses some of the most spectacular high country in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
From a starting elevation of 4035 feet, you travel 0.8 miles up a steep foot path (photo to the right) that leads to the Vernal Fall Bridge (2). This section of the trail is paved, and it is not unusual to see people pushing folks in wheel chairs or babies in strollers (hard work) all the way up to the first bridge view point. Hikers gain 400 feet of elevation on this first leg of the trail. Multitudes of people make this 0.8 mile journey in order to see the spectacular view of Vernal Falls (see photo below). Several people call it a day at this point, but many go on to the top of Vernal Falls, which is a 1,009 foot elevation gain from the trail head in Happy Isles. But the trip is well worth it. I would be hard pressed to think of a trail anywhere that delivers so much beauty in such a short distance.
Beyond the bridge, at 0.2 miles, the Mist Trail and the John Muir Trail diverge. To proceed directly to the top of Vernal Fall, follow the Mist Trail 0.5 mile (0.8 km) up a steep granite stairway of over 600 steps. Prepare for slippery footing and a tremendous amount of waterfall spray in spring and early summer. This portion of trail is closed in winter due to risk of falling ice and rock.
Vernal Falls with a height of 317 feet (Image to the Left), and 594 foot Nevada Falls are fed by the Merced River (7). Congress designated the Merced River as Wild and Scenic in 1987. The National Park Service manages 81 miles of the Merced River, encompassing both the main stem and the South Fork in Yosemite National Park and the El Portal Administrative Site.
As you can see in the photo, Vernal Falls is a wonderful example of Yosemite Valley's many water falls. Also note the lush green canyon that it pours into. Many photographers line up their tripods for images up this canyon. The first foot bridge is a good vantage point for those looking to get that special photo of Vernal Falls.
Flowing water always adds so much to any hiking experience, and the Mist Trail is famous for this. All this beauty does have it's dangers though, and most deaths along the Mist Trail have taken place because people fail to respect the incredible power of fast moving water.
From the foot bridge, you can either take a series of switchbacks along the side of the mountain that makes up the John Muir Trail (4), or you can ascend the Mist Trail , which is a steep climb up 500 granite steps that are slick from the moisture laden environment. But take note, traveling on this section of the Mist Trail (image to the right) requires careful placement of your feet if you do not want to take a very painful tumble.
The stone stair steps also require a lot of physical work to ascend and descend. They can also be tough on the knees if you have problems in that area. But you can overcome these difficulties by making sure you set enough time aside so that you can take it easy and enjoy your surroundings. Some people make it a speed contest going up and down this trail, but you miss out on a lot of subtle beauty if you travel the trail in this fashion.
In the photo to the left, you can see how slick the rock surfaces get near the falls. The Mist Trail is well named for this feature. Going off trail and climbing on these rocks is also to be discouraged for obvious reasons. If you have children along, keep close watch on them. It does not take much wandering by one of your younger ones to land them in big trouble in this type of terrain. Also note the incredible scale of this area. If you look closely, you can see a few people taking a break in the just off center to the upper left hand portion of the image on the left.
As the stair case approaches the top, the misty air begins to thin, and if you are traveling on a sunny day, you will begin to experience the warming rays of the sun filtering through the moisture laden air. It is also an opportunity for more beautiful photographs as you will witness to the right. Otherwise common sites of dully colored areas of grass and moss come to life when light hits them in just the right way.
You are not far from the top of Vernal Falls at this point, and once you reach the top, you can relax on a series of smooth granite platforms and enjoy the well earned views or the landscapes below. One their you will be able to appreciate the height of Vernal Falls 317 feet, and watch as the Merced River pours millions of gallons of water over this beautiful precipice.
From the top of Vernal Falls, you will be able to get a good view of the trail below. Check out the army of people ascending the trail in the photo to the right. This picture was taken in mid April of 2009, and already the trail is crowed. As the year moves toward summer these crowds will only increase, so take a deep breath and relax if you are caught in this traffic jamb. There is a reason for why all these people hike the
Mist Trail. It is because, as mentioned above, you will be hard pressed to find a trail anywhere in the world that packs so much beauty into so few miles of effort.
Another luxury of this popular trail, is all the rest rooms that are placed along the way. In the photo in the above right hand portion of this page you see a solar toilet that has been constructed at the top of Nevada Falls, but there are facilities like this also
at the end of the first foot bridge at the base of Vernal Falls, and another one at the top of Vernal Falls, and there is even a good sized restroom placed in Little Yosemite Valley. Things have changed a whole lot since the days I used to hike this trail.
Once on top of Vernal Falls, you will be able to get a spectacular view of the water cascading over the edge. There is a railing at this edge of the falls, and for very good reason. There have been people who ignore this barrier, and have ended up going over the falls. Hard to believe that people will play around in the water so close to the falls edge, but people do these things, and pay a dear price for it. This is another place where you need to keep a sharp eye out on your little ones if they are along with you.
As you continue up the trail, in just a short distance, you come to Emerald Pool seen in the image to the right. Many years ago, people, including myself, would put these slabs to use as a slippery slide into the water pool below. Today, this activity is prohibited, as you can see by the warning in the photo of the sign stating this just below the picture of Emerald Pool. Too many people were getting hurt, and some deaths occurred over the years due to this type of activity. Therefore, the park had to put a stop to it.
I have to admit that over forty years ago, when I was young and a little crazy, I slipped on these slabs, and banged my head just hard enough to gash my forehead open. After hiking down the Mist Trail with a nice little headache, I was rewarded for my ill planned slide into Emerald Pool with a timely visit to the Yosemite Valley doctor where I received a half dozen stitches or so for my efforts.
In the picture just below, you see a romantic view of a couple on a foot bridge along the way to Nevada Falls. Beautiful scenes such as this abound along the Mist Trail. I tried to catch up with these folks and offer to send them a copy of the digital file, but was unable to find them when I got there.
Note the sign above. Contrary to what some folks may say about the fun of swimming and playing in the water along the Mist Trail, it is illegal to do so, and as mentioned above, most deaths take place because of this type of activity.
The Merced River is fed throughout the high country of the Sierra Crest, by snowfields and glaciers including those on Mount Lyell (the highest peak in the park). The river then drops steadily through U-shaped glacial canyons and alpine lakes such as Washburn and Merced. It then descends form the high country and flows quietly through the nearly level floor of Little Yosemite Valley just before roaring over a 594 foot cliff to become spectacular Nevada Falls (8) (shown to the right). The photo below, shows hikers working there way up the last rocky section of the Mist Trail just before gaining the top of Nevada Falls.
!-- BEGIN WebSTAT Activation Code -->
Yosemite National Park - Mist Trail timberlinetrails.net
The Mist Trail - is the most popular trail in Yosemite National Park, based on the sheer number of people who go out of their way to hike up it's steep granite carved steps. And there is good reason for this well deserved popularity, for there are few places in the world that sport such beauty in terms of contrast and variety of scenery. As a participant on this trail during the spring months, you will be treated to spectacular
The relief map to the right shows many of the key landmarks along the trail. From Happy Isles to the top of Nevada Falls is a 5.4 mile round trip journey via the Mist Trail, or a 6.8 mile round trip if you make use of the John Muir Trail (4) to the right of the mist trail.
MIST TRAIL STATISTICS
Description Miles Elevation (in feet)
Happy Isles Trailhead 0.0 4,035
Bridge (Vernal Fall View Point) 0.8 4,435 (This first leg of the trail has stroller and wheelchair access)
Top of Vernal Falls 1.5 5,044
Emerald Pool 1.6 5,104
Top of Nevada Falls 2.7 5,907 (It is 3.4 miles if you use the John Muir Trail)
Few if any trails throughout the Sierra Nevada Range offer so much beauty in so few miles of effort.
Some people have lost their lives while traveling along the Mist Trail. Mostly as a result of falling into fast moving water, or swimming or wading in areas with strong under current.
The Mist Trail demonstrates some of the finest foot path engineering I have ever come across in all my outdoor travels.
Opposed to what some people may tell you, sliding, swimming, wading, or playing in the water near Emerald Pool is prohibited. There are other areas, such as the top of water falls, where the park service has put up fences for hiker's safety. When in any doubt, stay out of the water and use good common sense. Fast moving water can be a killer, and as mentioned above, it is the cause of most deaths in the park.
It is wonderful to have your children along with you, but keep a close eye on them. The terrain is beautiful, but can be very dangerous if not treated with the utmost respect.
Don't forget your still camera, video, or even both. There is no end to the photographic possibilities on the Mist Trail. Make sure you have something along to protect your camera with. Water can be your photographic tools worst nightmare. During times of heavy run off (usually during the spring and early summer months), the Mist Trail is perfectly capable of giving your camera (or other water sensitive items) a good shower bath. Very few electronics can stand up to this kind of abuse, and there is no doubt that serious and/or costly damage may occur. Even my so called semi pro weather sealed Nikon D300 digital camera started to act a little funny in a couple of sections (but no lasting damage, thankfully).
Careful placement of feet is a must on slick steep granite steps, especially going down. Lack of concentration or fooling around in some of the tricky sections of the trail could result in serious injury or even death.
Make sure to adjust your hiking plans to your groups experience and physical condition. Doing so will make the whole outing a pleasant experience for all. You can plan to stop at the first bridge for a spectacular view of Vernal Falls from below (wheel chair and stroller access)........Or can stop at the top of Vernal Falls, have lunch, and relax on the warm granite slabs in season.........Or you can go all the way to the top of Nevada Falls and beyond. All are great options.
In conclusion, The Mist Trail is one of those must do hikes (if hiking is something you like to do), and it is my firm belief that the experience will be one you will likely never forget. In our modern day era, there are fewer and fewer places where you can see this much unspoiled beauty so near to major metropolitan areas.
Well, that's about it for the Mist Trail, hope you enjoyed your visit here at Timberline Trails and pray for God's best for you and your loved ones, no matter where you choose to spend your time in this glorious creation that God had entrusted to us.
Deeper Insight - A difficult path to take. As mentioned in the above write up, careful placement of the feet on the Mist Trail takes concentration and care on the part of the hiker in order to assure a safe trip. Gaining altitude on steep uneven granite blocks, is always challenging, and there is no substitute for stamina and experience when it comes to making good progress in this type of terrain.
Traveling a path in life that is God pleasing also takes concentration, sustained effort, and can be extremely challenging to say the least. With all the snares and obstacles that everyday life seems to throw at us, it is vital that we have help. Completing a God pleasing well lived life here on earth is an impossible undertaking on our own. However, help is closer than you think, and it comes in the person of Jesus Christ. He paid the entry fee for us to have access to the God of this universe so we could be with Him forever. The below Bible verse talks about some of the benefits of being with God in heaven.
God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:3-4
But until that day comes, it is important that we read and make use of thebest navigational book out there. This book is called the Bible, and it contains all you will ever need to know about living a life that pleases God. No other book on earth contains so much time tested knowledge, wisdom, and direction for the human spirit.It is the only book that is able to guide you into the everlasting. It will be that ultimate source of light to illuminate even the darkest of times. So it does not matter if you scale the highest heights, or descend to the lowest depths, the Bible will provide guidance for whatever path you happen to be on. God's Word, the Bible assures you of this.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105