The Mist Trail is the most hiked trail in Yosemite. It might be the most hiked trail in any national park. On a Saturday in June, a thousand people will walk some version of it. On Reddit, it generates more questions than every other Yosemite trail combined: Is it hard? How wet will I get? Can my kids do it? What shoes do I need? Is it worth it? Can I die?
The answers to those questions, in order: yes, soaked, probably, not sneakers, absolutely, and statistically unlikely but not impossible.
Here's the rest of what you need to know, from someone who has hiked it more times than he can count and has watched thousands of visitors attempt it in every condition from perfect sunshine to horizontal rain.
The Mist Trail runs from Happy Isles at the east end of Yosemite Valley up alongside two waterfalls: Vernal Fall (317 feet) and Nevada Fall (594 feet). The full trail to the top of Nevada Fall is about 5.4 miles round trip with roughly 2,000 feet of elevation gain. The section to the Vernal Fall footbridge, the turnaround point for most families, is 1.6 miles round trip with about 400 feet of gain.
There are four logical stopping points, and each one is a complete hike on its own.
The Vernal Fall footbridge (0.8 miles from Happy Isles, 400 ft gain). Paved trail, moderate grade, excellent views of Vernal Fall from the bridge. This is where most families with young children turn around. It's worth the walk even if you go no further.
The top of Vernal Fall (1.3 miles from Happy Isles, 1,000 ft gain). This is where the "mist" in "Mist Trail" happens. The trail climbs a granite staircase directly alongside the fall, and when the waterfall is flowing at peak volume (May and June), you get drenched. Not sprinkled. Drenched. The granite steps are wet, steep, and uneven. A metal railing is bolted into the rock on the exposed side. At the top, an emerald pool sits above the fall with views down the canyon. This section is strenuous and exhilarating.
The top of Nevada Fall (2.7 miles from Happy Isles, 2,000 ft gain). Past the top of Vernal Fall, the trail continues through forest and along the Merced River canyon to the base and then the top of Nevada Fall. The views from the top, looking down 594 feet of whitewater with Liberty Cap and Half Dome towering behind you, are some of the most dramatic in the park.
The loop return via the John Muir Trail (total ~6.5 miles). From the top of Nevada Fall, you can return via the JMT, which switchbacks down more gently through forest. This makes a loop and saves your knees on the descent. Most experienced hikers go up the Mist Trail and down the JMT.
Past the top of Nevada Fall, this trail is also the standard approach to Half Dome. If that's your goal, read the permit lottery guide first, and the honest case for the cables before you commit.
Between mid-April and late June, the granite staircase below Vernal Fall is a waterfall itself. Spray from the fall hits the trail continuously. The steps, hundreds of them, carved and placed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, are wet, mossy in places, and uneven. Some are a foot tall. Some are two feet tall. Some are angled in ways that make your feet slide.
This is where most Mist Trail injuries happen. Not from falling off the trail. From slipping on wet granite stairs while wearing the wrong shoes.
Shoes matter on this trail more than any other trail in Yosemite. Hiking boots or trail shoes with real tread are the minimum. Running shoes with worn-out soles are a slip waiting to happen. Flip-flops, sandals, and fashion sneakers are genuinely dangerous on wet granite, and I say that without exaggeration. I've watched people go down hard on these stairs in shoes that had no business being on a wet rock face.
If you don't own hiking shoes and you're doing this trail in peak waterfall season, buy a cheap pair with rubber lugs. It's a thirty-dollar investment in not spending your Yosemite trip in the medical clinic.
This is not a gentle misting. In May and June, when the Merced River is running at full snowmelt volume, the spray zone below Vernal Fall is like standing in a rainstorm for twenty minutes. Your clothes will be soaked through. Your phone will get wet. Your camera will get wet. Your pack will get wet.
What to do about it.
Put your phone in a ziplock bag. You can still take photos through the bag. Better yet, bring a waterproof phone case.
Wear synthetic or wool clothing, not cotton. Cotton gets heavy and cold when wet and takes hours to dry. Synthetic dries in thirty minutes in the sun at the top of the fall.
A rain jacket helps but isn't necessary if the day is warm. In July and August, when the falls are lower, you might get misted rather than soaked. In May and June, the rain jacket keeps you warm on the way up but you'll be sweating under it.
Bring a dry shirt in a ziplock in your pack. Change at the top. This is the move that separates people who had a great time from people who spent the rest of the hike shivering.
Peak waterfall (May through mid-June). The most dramatic experience. Vernal Fall is thundering, the mist zone is intense, the granite is soaked. Nevada Fall is at full power. This is the version that makes everyone's jaw drop. It's also the most crowded and the most slippery.
Mid-season (late June through July). Flow decreases. The mist zone shrinks. The stairs are drier and safer. Still beautiful. The crowds thin slightly on weekdays.
Late season (August through October). The falls slow to a trickle. The trail is completely dry and the stairs are easy. Different experience, more of a canyon hike than a waterfall hike, but still worth it for the granite scenery.
Time of day. Start early. The trailhead at Happy Isles fills by 8 a.m. on summer weekends. The closest parking is the trailhead lot at Curry Village, pinned on the site's map. The Mist Trail is in shade in the early morning, which means cooler hiking and better light on the falls. By afternoon, the trail is in full sun and the heat on the granite stairs is punishing.
2026 weekday restrictions. Starting June 30, 2026, the Mist Trail between Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall is open only after 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. This is a crowd management measure. On weekdays, you'll either need to time your hike to reach that section after 3:30, or take the JMT bypass between the two falls. Weekends are unaffected.
I need to be direct here, because the internet makes this trail look like a walk in the park, and it isn't.
In 2025, roughly 30% of Yosemite's search-and-rescue operations originated on the Mist Trail corridor. Thirty percent, from one trail. The park averages close to one fatality per month on this trail and the falls above it. That's not a scare tactic. It's a number, and it's real.
Most fatalities on this trail are cardiac arrests, people who were not prepared for the strenuous nature of this hike. The exertion is real, the elevation gain is steady, and the heat in summer compounds both. If you have a heart condition, or if you don't hike regularly, take this seriously before you start.
The pools above both Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall look calm and inviting. They are not. The current is powerful, the granite is frictionless when wet, and the lip of the fall is just downstream. There is no second chance. If you go past the railing, you are in the kill zone. The NPS signs are not being dramatic. They are being accurate.
Stay behind the railings. Don't wade. Don't swim in the pools above the falls. Don't walk on the wet granite near the edge "for a photo." This is the single most important safety rule on this trail, and it's the rule that, when broken, has killed people.
The trail itself is also a significant source of injuries, not fatalities, but twisted ankles, broken wrists, heat exhaustion, and falls on wet granite that require a ranger assist or a helicopter. That 30% SAR number isn't just about the falls. It's about people underestimating the trail, running out of water, wearing the wrong shoes, and getting in over their heads on steep, wet rock. This trail is beautiful and it is dangerous, and those two things are true at the same time.
Beyond the falls: the trail is steep and physical. People with heart conditions, serious knee issues, or no hiking experience should consider turning around at the footbridge. The staircase to the top of Vernal Fall gains 600 feet in half a mile on uneven wet stairs. It's a real workout.
Bring more water than you think you need. The trail starts at 4,000 feet and gains 2,000 feet in full sun on the upper sections. Two liters minimum. Three liters if you're going to the top of Nevada Fall. There is no water available on the trail. Water and restrooms are at Happy Isles at the start and at the top of Nevada Fall (seasonal).
Yes, it's crowded. Especially on weekends in May through July. The Mist Trail is Yosemite's signature hike and it draws people from all over the world.
The crowd thins dramatically with elevation. The footbridge is packed. The staircase is busy. The top of Vernal Fall has people. The section between Vernal and Nevada Falls is noticeably quieter. The top of Nevada Fall, on a weekday, can feel almost empty.
If you want the Mist Trail experience without the crowd: go on a weekday, start before 7 a.m., and hike past Vernal Fall to Nevada Fall. Most people turn around at Vernal. The ones who keep going get rewarded with a bigger waterfall and a fraction of the people.
Yes. Without qualification. The Mist Trail in peak waterfall season is one of the great hiking experiences in the United States. The combination of the granite canyon, the thundering water, the physical challenge of the stairs, and the views from the top is something that doesn't exist anywhere else.
Just don't show up in flip-flops with one bottle of water and no idea what you're walking into. The internet makes this trail look like a casual stroll past a pretty waterfall. It's not. It's a real hike in a real mountain environment, and the people who prepare for it have a spectacular day. The people who don't are the ones writing the Reddit posts about how they slipped on the stairs, ran out of water, and wished they'd stayed at the hotel.
Come prepared. Read the day pack packing list, and pack the car the night before so the early start actually happens. Start early. Wear real shoes. Bring a ziplock for your phone and a dry shirt for the top.
Then get ready to get soaked, because the Mist Trail earned its name, and it's worth every wet, steep, breathless step.
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