Nevada Fall Loop via Mist and John Muir Trails

This 6.4-mile Nevada Fall loop starts at Happy Isles: climb beside Vernal Fall and continue to Nevada Fall, then return on the John Muir Trail. It gains about 2,000 feet and is a strenuous day hike; give it six to seven hours with breaks. The full circuit rewards the climb with two major waterfalls and a different set of views on the way down. This is for hikers comfortable with a sustained uphill, steep stone steps, and rough footing. The 6.4 miles includes the John Muir Trail return; hiking down the Mist Trail instead makes a separate 5.4-mile out-and-back. For a shorter outing, the Vernal Fall footbridge is 1.6 miles round trip, and the top of Vernal Fall is 2.4 miles round trip.

The route starts on a paved, mostly uphill path beside the Merced River. This is the busiest stretch, leading to Vernal Fall Footbridge, where the waterfall comes into view from below. About 0.2 mile farther, take the Mist Trail at the fork. More than 600 steep granite steps climb for roughly 0.3 mile beside the falls. The name fits in spring and early summer: spray can soak the stairs, and sunlight may catch a rainbow in the mist. Expect slick footing and be patient on the crowded stairs.

At the top, the path reaches the brink of Vernal Fall, where the water drops 317 feet. Keep behind the railings and away from wet rock. The route continues past Emerald Pool and Silver Apron; swimming and wading there are illegal and dangerous because the current is powerful even when the water looks calm. Beyond the basin, the Mist Trail climbs another 1.5 miles on steep, rocky switchbacks toward Nevada Fall.

At the top, turn right for the footbridge over the Merced River above the 594-foot fall. It is the closest look at Nevada Fall on the hike, and the river is still hazardous here; stay on the established path and away from the edge. Spring and early summer usually bring the strongest flow. The climb is not over when the waterfall appears: allow time to cross the bridge and find the John Muir Trail for the return.

The John Muir Trail takes a longer route back to Yosemite Valley than retracing the Mist Trail, but it changes the views instead of sending you down the same steep stairs. Look for Nevada Fall and Liberty Cap from the return trail, with the back of Half Dome beyond. This is the view to pause for: the granite shoulder and the waterfall make the scale of the canyon clear. The trail has a long history too. A route to Vernal Fall existed by the mid-1860s; in the 1870s, hikers passed a toll house at Register Rock and a hotel near Nevada Fall, both long gone.

Start at Happy Isles, shuttle stop 16, and follow the signs across the bridge. Valley and East Valley shuttles serve the stop; there is no parking at the trailhead, and Curry Village is less than a mile away by foot. Restrooms are at the stop, at Vernal Fall Footbridge seasonally, and beyond the tops of both falls. Drinking water is available at stop 16 and at the footbridge from May to October; there is no refill farther up, so carry enough for the full climb. Curry Village, a separate stop west of the trail, has restaurants and a convenience store. Pets are prohibited on park trails. In winter, ice and rockfall close some Mist Trail and John Muir Trail sections, and the open route can still be snowy or icy; check the park's current route information before setting out.