Welcome to Travel Tuesday! Have you ever hiked the Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park? It’s probably one of the prettiest trails I’ve been on!
Mist Trail (Vernal + Nevada Falls) in Yosemite National Park
Distance: 6.4 miles (loop)
Elevation: 2208 ft
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Duration: ~4 hours (depends on how far you decide to go)
Trailhead Address: 37.73282, -119.55778
Parking: Lot available*
(If you don’t take the shuttle and walk over from Curry Village, it’s an extra 1.5 miles.)
Technically, you’ve already seen/hiked the Mist Trail before if you’ve been up Half Dome!
Yosemite has a bunch of really popular hikes, but the Mist Trail gives you lots of gorgeous views (+ 2 waterfalls!) all in one hike! It is comprised of both Vernal and Nevada Falls. (If you want to hike just up to Vernal Fall, it’s 3 miles round trip.)
Since this is one of the most popular hikes in Yosemite, be prepared for a lotttt of people. Come early, not on a weekend, or start later in the day (but bring a light!) When we went, they were limiting overall traffic into the park, everyone was masked up and the trail was blocked off from two-way traffic.
If you go past Vernal Fall, the crowds thin out a lot (but you definitely still won’t be alone).
It’s probably prettiest in the spring as that’s when the waterfalls will have the best flow, but I’ve yet to actually hike it then yet. (I’ve gone in the fall and summer so far!) 
The stairs can get really slippery when it’s all wet, so definitely be careful! You don’t necessarily need hiking poles but they’re helpful for the descent. 
Depending on what time of year you go, there may be ice up there as well, so you may need crampons! Be sure to check the weather/conditions before you go!
P.S. There are bathrooms at Curry Village, right after the bridge at the first overlook (on the right), and after you get past the top of Nevada Fall!
- Have you ever been to Yosemite National Park?
- Any favorite waterfall hikes for you?
24 comments
Skip to comment form
Wow it really is aptly named! I love the misty look of the pics and that waterfall is epic!
Agreed! It’s definitely one of my favorite waterfall hikes even if it’s veryyy busy on the trail!
Farrah recently posted…Purisima Creek Trail to Craig Britton Trail
Gorgeous sights all the way! Thank you for the helpful tips.
Anytime! It was a gorgeous place to be! *-*
Farrah recently posted…Purisima Creek Trail to Craig Britton Trail
It looks like a must-do trail š
It definitely is! *-*
Well, you’ve convinced me that I need to do this trail!
Such great scenery and I’m an absolute stitcher for waterfalls!
Yay! I hope you get to go on this one sometime–it’s definitely worth the trip! :]
What a beautiful trail! I can see why it is so popular! Those waterfalls are spectacular! Any hike that features a waterfall becomes an instant favourite of mine, and this one has two!! I’d love to try this one out. Thanks for the great guide!
Yay! I’m all about the waterfalls too — I hope you get to go sometime!
Farrah recently posted…Purisima Creek Trail to Craig Britton Trail
Sitting here on a very hot August day in Florida, those creeks look so incredibly refreshing! This is a gorgeous hike. Plus, waterfalls! Those make any hike spectacular, don’t they?
They definitely do! : ] One of my favorite things to see while hiking (other than wildlife)! :]
This looks beautiful! We went to Yosemite years ago, but had littles with us so we didn’t do much hiking, more just stopping at viewpoints. Now that they’re older I’d love to go again and really dig in a little!
Ahh, that’d be awesome! There are so many pretty trails to explore there! :]
I havenāt been to this portion of Yosemite for years but itās just as pretty as I remember! Itās a great hike since you get to see more than one waterfall and with those views! I look forward to going back and doing this again! And great tip on avoiding weekends as it does get crazy crowded.
I love that you get “more bang for your buck” on this trail! :P I wanna take a weekday off sometime to go back there!
Farrah recently posted…Purisima Creek Trail to Craig Britton Trail
What a beautiful trail to hike on! I love any hikes that have a waterfall on them so I would really enjoy this one.
You would! :] I’m on a mission to find more–I’m all for waterfall hikes! :]
Farrah recently posted…Purisima Creek Trail to Craig Britton Trail
My family and I just hiked both Vernal and Nevada Falls this summer and it was awesome. I got some great photos of the falls with rainbows. The path to Vernal was busy with lots of tourists of all skill levels. Getting past that and hiking on to Nevada was great as the crowds thinned out tremendously.
That’s awesome! And definitely agreed — the further in you go, the less people there are!
Farrah recently posted…Purisima Creek Trail to Craig Britton Trail
Love it! I really can’t wait to visit Yosemite someday.
I hope you get to go sometime! <3
Farrah recently posted…Purisima Creek Trail to Craig Britton Trail
Yosemite park is the best! This made me realize how much I need a trip back!
It’s a gorgeous park!! I’m hoping to go back again in the fall or early spring! :]
Farrah recently posted…Purisima Creek Trail to Craig Britton Trail