Mist Trail (Vernal + Nevada Falls)

Mist Trail is the highest-throughput hike in Yosemite Valley — a 7-mile out-and-back that climbs the granite staircase past Vernal Fall (317 ft) to Nevada Fall (594 ft), totaling 2,000 vertical feet of stone steps cut directly into the cliff. The trail's defining feature is the waterfall mist itself: between April and June, the snowmelt-driven flow soaks the stone staircase to the point that the park recommends actual rain gear, not just a shell, and the steps stay slick enough to cause foot injuries through June. The trail closes seasonally below Vernal Fall when ice forms, typically December through March, and the alternative John Muir Trail bypass keeps the route hikeable year-round. Trailhead is at Happy Isles, shuttle stop 16, with zero direct parking. Rigs stage at Upper Pines Campground (40-ft rig cap, year-round, dry) a quarter-mile from the shuttle stop. Yosemite's peak-hours reservation system gates valley entry 6am–4pm in summer.