THE EARNEST TRAVELER
Above the Vernal Fall footbridge, the Mist Trail is open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only. Monday to Thursday between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. you must take the John Muir Trail detour.
Vernal and Nevada Falls both run year-round, which makes this the right waterfall hike for a summer visit when Yosemite Falls has gone quiet. It is also the hike most likely to surprise you with a closure.
Above the Vernal Fall footbridge, the Mist Trail is open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only.
Monday to Thursday between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. you must take the John Muir Trail detour instead, which adds roughly 1.5 miles each way to a Nevada Fall round trip.
This also affects anyone planning to descend the Panorama Trail. Check the park's Current Conditions page before you set out — this runs through October 2026.
What the hike actually is
From the Happy Isles trailhead — shuttle stop #16 — the trail climbs to the Vernal Fall footbridge, then up the granite staircase beside Vernal Fall, and on to Nevada Fall above it. The "mist" is literal: in spring the spray soaks the steps and everyone on them.
Both falls are fed by the Merced River rather than snowmelt alone, which is why they run year-round when most of Yosemite's waterfalls do not.
Planning around the restriction
- Hiking Friday to Sunday? You get the Mist Trail proper, both directions.
- Hiking Monday to Thursday? Either start before 7 a.m., finish after 3:30 p.m., or plan on the John Muir Trail with an extra three miles round trip.
- The John Muir Trail is the standard descent route anyway, and it gives you the classic view back at Nevada Fall — so the detour is not a punishment, just longer.
Conditions
- Peak flow is late May or June. That is when it is most spectacular and most dangerous — the granite steps are genuinely slick.
- A rain layer is more useful than a jacket. You will be wet from below as much as above.
- Footing matters more than fitness here. The steps are uneven, wet and crowded.
- The trailhead sits at about 4,000 feet, so altitude is not the issue it is up on Tioga Road.
Getting to the trailhead
Take the free Valley shuttle to stop #16, Happy Isles. Do not try to park near the trailhead — Valley parking is usually full after 8 a.m., and this is the busiest trail in the park. Park once at your lodging or the main day-use lot and ride in.
Wet granite steps, spray, and a long descent.