Best Trails in Yosemite National Park

This trail is deemed as “difficult”... “hard”, it is both, but this makes my third time doing this hike and i absolutely always see mostly novice hikers on this trail. My last trek on the Mist Trail was just the other day May 19th and i actually saw a guy in flip flops. Just for the mere safety aspect, I wish they would have a park ranger at the bottom stopping people who are ill prepared for walking on water and mud soaked granite in flip flops. There are several parts of this trail where you have maybe six inches of ground next to a sheer cliff, one wrong move and you are history! The views are spectacular and the spray from Vernal Falls is constantly spraying all over you... so prepare to get very wet on this hike. I highly recommend this trail if you are up for some extremely steep hills and breathtaking views... but be prepared for the danger of getting there!

This trail was more strenuous than I was prepared for! But the views and sense of accomplishment were worth the effort. Coming back down via the JMT was a safer option, especially given the crowds and narrow slick steps of the Mist Trail. Unfortunately there are those who treat it as a race and jeopardize the safety of those going slower. The waterfalls are so full right now...it’s snowed the last 3 days we’ve been here (in late May!) so I imagine they’ll be full and flowing longer than usual.

Stunning hike. Finished under five hours with a thirty minute lunch break. Snow at the peak in late May. The snow had melted into mud and slush on the way back which was slippery. Strenuous but doable.

Even with the hype It doesn’t disappoint. Went in early May when the falls were near peak. Absolute stunning views of the valley, half dome, and the falls. If the switchbacks wear you out halfway up, no need to push to the top, the best views are a few miles up where the falls, valley, and half dome are staring you in the face. Views at the top are great but you can’t see the falls from that vantage point. Either way, enjoy!

Hiked the full loop today starting from the stables. The east side of the trial from a little ways north of Mirror Lake to about a half mile south of the bridge is barely passable. There was 20-25 minutes of scrambling over rocks and under trees. We had fun, but there were definitely a few places where the trial was hard to determine. If you want to scramble, go for it. If not, I’d recommend going up the road on the west side and turning around when you get to the second bridge. The views were better on that side anyway.

I agree with the “nice stroll to a waterfall” review. The pavement is a little slippery so step carefully! I recommend seeing Bridalveil Fall at the end of the day if you don’t have rain gear and don’t want to be wet all day! Very nice trail.

Franklin Gonzalez, You don't need a permit to go to the base of the dome. It's only to go up the cables. I do it this way every year. The rangers have questioned me curiously, since most people don't do it that way. But when I tell them by friend fell 70 feet coming down the dome, they realize why I don't do the dome.

Any one knows if i can do the hike just to the base??? Or do i need a permit to get there too??

This trail is closed due to a winter landslide. Those who hike it now are taking a big risk. They were dynamiting large rocks on the trail last week. There is no estimate when it will open.

Really steep switchbacks for the first 30 minutes up. First part is a bit boring because you’ve got no views. The view over the valley from Colombia Rock was amazing though. Took about an hour to get up and 40 mins to get back. Need to be reasonably fit for this hike. We didn’t go up to Yosemite Falls, but would’ve if we had time. Take lunch and eat it at the rock

Beautiful hike with a great diversity of views. Took us (novice hikers in our 30s) about 5 hours with a 30 min stop at top. Did it in early May and the falls were rushing. The mist trail is, not surprisingly, very wet in spots. Waterproof jacket and waterproof boots are handy. Make sure you allow a good hour at the top. If it’s a sunny day, you’ll happily sit in the rock, have some lunch and enjoy the views. The John Muir Trail was about a foot deep in water in one spot, but easy down other than that. We got to the trailhead at about 830am and it was started to get busy. The earlier the better.

This is a very mild out and back climb with phenomenal views. We did this and Inspiration Point together as one hike. We had perfect weather (cold and just sunny enough) and had both viewpoints to ourselves. Park at Tunnel View and get there early before the tour buses and swarms of humans arrive. We parked around 0700 with just a few other people already there. Tunnel View was pretty quiet at that point so we shot some photos and headed on to the trail. Once we returned a couple hours from the hike the lots were full with tour buses and I suddenly felt like I was at Disneyland. Go early to park and escape the viewpoint as soon as possible to find some solitude on these trails.

Hiked this on 5/19/19 and had a blast! We wanted to the entire loop but there was a decent amount of rain and snow so we couldn’t find a lot of trail markers. We got to a point with a lot of deep water and down trees and couldn’t figure out a path to continue on. A few other hikers were out and no one could figure out a way to pass this point so the loop turned into an out and back. We got caught in a pretty gnarly snow fall there too but packed the appropriate layers so it ended up being a really fun trail! We ended up making it an out and back and did about 3-3.5miles. The first portion of the trail (after the paved path) is so beautiful. The trail follows the river and you see a lot of lush green forest and boulders. There were a good amount of down trees you must hike over. The trail itself is pretty flat. I’m sure in the summer it would be even more beautiful but the weather just made it a bit more adventurous. Hop on the Valley shuttle and take it to stop #17. It drops you off at the trailhead as there is no parking there. We took the shuttle back to the Majestic Yosemite Hotel after and had an insanely awesome brunch (if you’re okay splurging a little you must go to this brunch!!) Then we walked around the Valley Loop trail to get more miles in until we ended up back at our car in Yosemite Village.

This trail is the perfect length for a challenging Yosemite hike! If you want a good buttkicking workout on a well marked trail, look no farther. The 3.5 miles to the Upper Falls is ~80% rocky switchbacks. There is very little flat trail and a decent amount of water crossings so waterproof boots/shoes are a must. Trekking poles were really helpful too. We hiked this yesterday (5/20/19) and the trees below and above tree line were still pretty covered in snow. As the sun came out the snow was melting and we got pelted by snowballs and ice. A waterproof shell is needed during the switchbacks by the falls because the mist is pretty strong (but refreshing because you will be sweating)! The views at Yosemite Falls Lookout were just stunning. You’ll see the back part of Half Dome and overlook the entire valley. We took the rocky stairs down to the overlook where the railings are above the falls. The views weren’t quite what we were looking for there so we ventured back up and on to Yosemite Point. From the falls to Yosemite Point adds another 2 miles round trip to the hike but is so worth it. The climb to the point is mild but gradual. If you wander around the point (away from the railings) you will have unobstructed views of Half Dome. The hike down was really slippery as the snow was melting throughout the day. Some sections are a little steep and I saw a few people fall. Just use caution, take your time getting down and you’ll be fine. Remember, when hiking down, hikers coming up have the right of way. So step aside and let them continue up those grueling switchbacks before continuing your hike down. I drank ~4 liters of water and packed 4.5. I could have drank it all but was worried I’d run out before getting back to our car near Yosemite Lodge. We started the trail at 7:30am and got to upper falls a little before 1030. I ate and shot photos for about an hour before going to Yosemite Point. I spent another hour shooting there and taking it all in before heading down. We finished around 4:00 so spent about 6-6.5 hours of time hiking total.

AMAZING TRAIL in the valley! It is a straight up, 3.5 mile climb of rocky switchbacks to Upper Yosemite Falls. This trail takes you through the forest, up to the side of Yosemite Falls (you will get wet) and up above the falls. There is a lot of sun exposure on the hike. Stop at the Yosemite Falls Lookout Point for a rest/snack and then head to Yosemite Point (adding an extra 2 miles round trip). It is a gradual climb from the falls to the point but so well worth it. There are rails at Yosemite Point so you can look over but if you wander to the the left through the boulders you can get stunning views of Half Dome without the railing obstructing the view. We did this hike yesterday, 5/20/19. It started out cool and as we approached the falls the trail became very wet. Given the amount of snowfall this spring the trees were still covered in snow and the wind would cause the snow to fall on the trail. Prepare to be pelted by a few of the snowballs from the trees if you’re going before all the snow has melted! I was thankful I had a waterproof shell on because I got blasted by snow and ice falling. Waterproof boots are also a must because you’re crossing a lot of water/streams. I had my trekking poles which helped a lot both ways, particularly coming down as the rocks were super slick. There was still snow on the ground on the last 1-2 miles of the ascent so dress appropriately. The trail got pretty busy as the day went on so I was thankful we started the climb around 0730. I drank almost 4 liters of water on this trail and packed 4.5.

Great trail, with some traffic over the first couple of miles. Awesome views of Half Dome and the full valley. Only issue is that the trail loop at its furthest point was not marked, with no way to find the bridge, so most all hikers were doing an out and back. Overall views were hard to beat.

This was *the* highlight hike of the trip! A fairly long and strenuous hike, that we extended by taking the extra mile or so to Yosemite Point (sign posted, and visible, from the Upper Falls). Sections of shaded, tree-lined swtichbacks offered ever increasing views of the valley before opening up at Columbia Rock. After this the mist and spray from the falls started to cool us down, taking our breath away when coming into full sight. A fair bit of the hike had no shade so was pretty hot in the mid morning sun, so make sure and take water! The views along the whole route, especially the top, were amazing and not to be missed. We set off early and found that it was not too congested, however this got much busier on the way back with late comers starting the trail.

this has a really nice, gentle trail, perfect following a more strenuous hike in the morning. We completed this in May, when the top of the trail was very wet and washed out, turning it into an out and back, rather than the loop we had anticipated. The views of the Yosemite mountains were reflected beautifully in the "lake". this was one of the busiest, most family friendly trails we walked while in the valley.

Hiked up to the Wawona Point today. We really enjoyed watching the snow falling off the boughs of the trees, and occasionally having to dodge snowballs thrown by giant sequoias added to the fun. Up near the fallen tunnel tree, there was about 6 inches of snow, which we weren't expecting. This was a really fun trail system to hike. There are so many loops and connectors that it's like a choose your own adventure book. We took a lot of the secondary trails, but there are paved trails almost all the way up if that's more your speed.

Lovely walk! Be careful though — in May it is not a loop as the river has overtaken the path.

enjoyed this hike. good workout and spectacular views. go early it gets hot and crowded. bring water and snacks and sunblock

tough but great hike. all day trip going to top. bring plenty of water and snacks and sunblock.

We plan to do this on June 28th, we are in need of 3 permits. If anyone can spare 1 or 2, or 3 permits, can you email me at czhu2016@gmail.com, please? Thanks a lot!!!

I am doing this hike on June 29. I have an extra permit for anyone that would like to hike the trail with me. my insta gram is ryanplumer or email at ryanp2205@gmail.com

My husband & I did this in October 2018. We are both mid 30s and at the time didn't exercise regularly but are in regular/healthy shape. My husband has a physical job too so he's going up & down ladders a lot during the day. I home school 5 kids so I get plenty of exercise keeping track of them! :) . The only issue I experienced on the hike was feeling short of breath easily due to not acclimating to the altitude. We drove into the park that day so we didn't give ourselves time to acclimate. However, it was fine, we just had to stop A LOT to catch our breath and wait for my heart rate to go down. The granite stairs weren't as bad as I thought they'd be but we did have to stop a lot to catch our breath. My knees hurt more going DOWN the steps. I was surprised that I wasn't as sore as I thought I'd be the next day too! The view at the top was INCREDIBLE. I don't see how you could get a better view. This will be a favorite memory for the rest of my life. So don't feel intimidated by this hike if you're not super fit or hike regularly. It just may take you longer to complete. We did this in about 8-8.5 hours. I would recommend staying inside the park to acclimate to the altitude but if you can't, just pace yourself and go slow. We hiked in 40 degree weather and easily went through 3 liters of water. If you hike this in the summer, bring 4 liters. Or... carry 3 liters with you and filter another liter on the trail somewhere. Even in October there were a few little streams, not much, but enough that you could at least get a liter from if needed. I also had no problems breathing climbing up the spine. I was surprised but we were also moving slow to be careful and also went to the left side where it was a little wider.

beautiful hike not too tough.

wonderful hike. great scenery all the way. go in spring when waterfalls are raging but bring layers. you'll get wet. bring water and snacks.