Best Trails in Yosemite National Park

Amazing and very rewarding hike!!! Make sure you bring enough water. I ran out right after hitting the top ( I took 1.5 liters) Thankfully I was hydrated enough to walk back down to the falls(probably 4 miles) to get more. Totally worth it!!! I was glad I had trekking poles with me, I would definitely reccomend to do the same!

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This was my very first hike and it was spectacular! I started at 6:30 AM and quickly learned that the trail wouldn't be as easy as I had thought. The first 1.5 miles are a strenuous uphill walk. I was completely exhausted within the first 10 minutes but the reward at the end was worth it. I started at 6:30 AM and was back at the trailhead at 10:20 AM.

Lower Cathedral Lake was absolutely gorgeous. I was the only one at the lake so it was like my own retreat. I would definitely hike this trail again and I recommend this trail for beginner hikers. Just bring plenty of water. I went through 4 bottles.

Did this hike on July 13th, weather was amazing and we got very lucky to finish this hike before the fire. Definitely an ass kicker but if you’ve trained for it you’re fine. I took 4 liters of water and was fine but my friends took less and filtered water at the river. Apply and reapply sunscreen because the sun is on you for most of the trail. I recommend getting a harness for the cables because although it doesn’t make it easier going up, you do have a sense of security just in case. Take it slow, it’s a great adventure worth taking your time for.. Take lots of pictures and have fun!

Just hiked today. Got on trail at 6am, skies were crystal clear. Smoked moved in around 11am. Amazing at the top. Really challenging ups and downs. Sat on the edge of life and death.

Also not 1 mosquito in sight!!

Hiking Mt Dana was one of the most difficult hikes I've done, especially considering that it's not a really long hike. It only took me two more hours to hike from the top of the Grand Canyon to the bottom and back up again and that was close to 17 miles, not six! The altitude starting at 10,000 feet and ending at over 13,000 feet made it tough. Hiking up and down through scree made it that much tougher. For this flat lander, it was more technical than I'm used to and no one has ever called me a mountain goat for good reason.
The hike up Mt Dana was definitely worthwhile and I'm proud to say I've done it. I was slow, but I got 'er done.
We had also planned to do Half Dome, but the wildfires had closed Yosemite Valley.

This trail has amazing views! We hiked all the way up to Nevada falls, it was a hard hike with A LOT of stairs. Once you get to venal falls, the crowd starts to disperse. Bring lots of water for this hike and sunscreen. This hike is on the hard side but the views from the top make it worth it!! Take the John Muir trail back, it adds a mile but you get to see another side of the waterfall by taking the John Muir trail back.

HARD TRAIL!! Nothing but switch backs the entire way but the views make it all worth it! You gain about 3,000 feet in elevation. But the higher you get the more the Yosemite Valley starts to reveal itself. It is such a beautiful hike, but be careful, some areas are slippery ( asphalt and sand/dirt combo).

August 6: to the couple of questions posed; there is no real stream crossing required, the rock path is fully exposed across the Tenaya Lake Egress so no wet feet at all. The park is mostly closed now due to Ferguson Fire. Tioga Pass and road is only open access, but would not recommend any hiking to Cloud's Rest for a while. Bad air quality and really bad views. Check here for latest conditions: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5927/ and Half Dome webcam: https://www.nps.gov/customcf/webcam/dsp_webcam_image.cfm?id=81B464BC-1DD8-B71B-0B0F6F15CBA4A034

My best friend and I found this trail when we visited Yosemite a few summers ago. This was a bit difficult as it was ALL uphill so go prepared with water and light snacks! Once you hike about 30 min, you will come up to a break area with water fountains for drinks/bathrooms, etc.
Then after, there are some stone steps which are very steep and possibly slippery due to the mist waterfall. Those will take you all the way up to the top of the waterfall, as well as a cold swimming hole to swim in after the hike! There is an area where you can slide down the smooth rock into the water. We just jumped in and swam to the other side of the hole. We went in late June so it was amazing to jump into and then lay on the hot rock on the other end. No towel needed since we dried off pretty quick! I know the hike continued on but we stopped there, turned around and made our way back down to the bottom. That was the easy part since it was all downhill,especially after the cool down in the swimming hole.

I’d do this hike again but I’d be more prepared next time physically! If you aren’t in shape physically, this will be a tough hike for you! You probably won’t make it to the top if you bring young children due to the steepness towards the top. Can be a bit dangerous. If they are older and mature enough to handle the hike, it would be worth it as they would enjoy the swimming hole! Makes for a great reward! The trail was pretty populated, but it will thin out towards the top due to the length & difficulty of the hike. Very beautiful scenery during the entire hike! Bring a camera! Afterwards, we couldn’t believe we’d only hiked 1.5 miles up to the top! Felt much longer!

I feel like I would have enjoyed this more if I weren’t shoulder to shoulder with other hikers. Especially with the narrowing of the trail along the steps close to the falls. The trail was PACKED.

To Anyone who recently hiked this trail, was the stream pretty low at the start of the trail to where your feet don’t get wet?

Steep but well worth the amazing views all the way up! We arrived around 830 on a weekday in May and were still able to get parking at the trailhead.

Great day hike with amazing views of Half Dome and the Valley.

This might well be the most beautiful view I have ever seen. If you can walk up an incline, hike this trail before you die.

Awesome hike, even more awesome view from Dewey Point.

We went on a Sunday during peak season and barely saw anyone.

It was hot and sunny so even with 2L each we came back dry. I wish I'd have had the stamina to keep going on to Crocker and Stanford Points.

Nice day hike up to Wawona Point and back.

We started in the late afternoon, enjoyed the Sequoias on the way up and the great view from Wawona Point.

Even though we went on a crowded Saturday we saw only a handful of hikers once we went beyond the Grizzly Giant loop. It's an incline all the way up but pretty shaded and easy. Did it in my flip-flops. Saw a black bear on the way down

nice hike but not super scenic on the way. The lakes are beautiful, specially the upper one. Make sure you take a good mosquito spray. I have never seen so many mosquitoes in my life !

Great hike, not worth it to do it in one day. Try and get a wilderness pass.

I guess there are much better hikes in Yosemite but with this deep smoke is the best that could be done in the day.

Take the mist trail up to Nevada Falls, and then come back down the John Muir Trail. The views of Liberty Cap are amazing from the ridge line as you are leaving Nevada Falls. The trail is crammed with people, so be prepared and leave early. Hike is much harder than you would think based on the number of people there.

Mosquitoes everywhere. Got eaten alive but it was worth it because of the views at the end.

Great Long trail! There’s a clear path for the most part. There are laid out rocks when not clear. We were in pursuit of the Tuolumne Waterfall but it’s a simple stream running down creating many mini waterfalls.

oh my goodness. I did this hike with a 25 pound child on my back which made the hike 10x harder. very steep climb to the top and very slippery. the view was stunning on the bright side.

Seen a reviewer post previous to mine asking about dogs (Lauren Woods)...i believe i did see a dog on this trail when we went BUT i wouldnt recommend taking a dog to the top of the falls. The trail starts off paved before tuning to dirt mixed with stone staircase...the stones arent an even 8" or 10" step, they vary alot and some of the steepest parts its easily 18"-2ft in a step up height, plus a narrow railing at the end to get to the top of first falls. PLUS this is a very crowded hike, so if you arent on your way down and almost finished with the hike by 10AM u will be dodging the "ant trail" of people on their way up that started at like 9:30 or 10am. The hike down was not fun with all the people but overall avery fun trail moderate trail. Not sure how much water is left but we hike 1st week of June and it was perfect. I have some photos posted of the trip, specifically a couple of the falls if anyone want to see for perspective. My IG is @m_packmore

Good hike with nice views along the way up. It was a brutal hike with lots of switch backs that go on forever. In my opinion, if you have already been to glacier point and know the views you get up there, then i would personally skip this hike. We were at glacier point the day before for some sunset photos so when we hiked this the following day, it was obviously the same view at the end of the trail. Still awesome of course but didnt have that nice reward with doing all those switchback on the way up. I have a few photos posted in my IG from the trail and glacier point area as well if you would like a perspective for what you'll see.
@m_packmore

During Late-July, the weather was filled with clear and smoky skies. The Ferguson fire made a big impact on the conditions. Most of the day in Tuolumne Meadows, the skies were blue until around 3pm. At the trail head, park along the road. Find yourself hiking up the transverse. The elevation is pretty high for a valley person like me. Warming upwards, the hike is nice but very popular. The climb from the trail head to lower Cathedral Lake is around 1000 feet. Climb another 200 feet to the Upper Cathedral Lake which provided another good view. Throughout the hike, find flowers and foliage that are pretty. Overall, nice hike.