Hiking the Mist Trail (Vernal & Nevada Falls), John Muir Trail Loop & Half Dome Cables

Starting at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley at Happy Isles (Valley Shuttle Stop #16, with no car parking at the trailhead; park at Curry Village or Yosemite Village and take the free shuttle or walk 15 minutes from Curry Village), the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall is the signature hike of Yosemite National Park.

1. Choosing Your Distance on the Mist Trail: 3 Stages Explained

1. Stage 1, To the Vernal Fall Footbridge (2.6 km Round-Trip | 120m Gain | 1 to 1.5 Hours): follows a wide, paved uphill trail along the Merced River to a wooden bridge with a frontal view of 97-metre Vernal Fall (plus the last water fountain and flush toilets on the trail).
2. Stage 2, Up the Granite Steps to the Top of Vernal Fall (3.9 km Round-Trip | 300m Gain | 2.5 to 3 Hours): past the footbridge, the tarmac ends and the Mist Trail begins. You climb over 600 steep, wet, hand-cut granite steps carved into the cliff wall through the rainbow-filled spray of 97-metre Vernal Fall, emerging on a wide granite apron with a railing at the lip of the waterfall. (Never swim or wade in the Emerald Pool above Vernal Fall, as the wet granite is slick and the current sweeps swimmers over the waterfall.)
3. Stage 3, Continue to 181-Metre Nevada Fall & Return via the 'John Muir Trail' Loop (11 km Loop | 610m Gain | 4.5 to 6 Hours): climb 2.4 km up the switchbacks past roaring 181-metre Nevada Fall under Liberty Cap. Instead of walking down the steep, wet stairs of the Mist Trail, return via the Clark Point & John Muir Trail (JMT) loop, which stays dry and offers high views of Nevada Fall and Half Dome.

2. How Does the 'Half Dome Cables' Hike Work? (23 to 26 km Round-Trip)

Continuing past Nevada Fall leads to Half Dome (2,695m), a demanding 10-to-12-hour, 24-kilometre round-trip hike with 1,460 vertical metres of climbing culminating in the 45-degree steel cables (up from late May to mid-October). Nobody can step onto the Sub Dome or Cables without a Half Dome Permit: apply in the March Preseason Lottery or the 2-Day-in-Advance Daily Lottery at recreation.gov.