Best Trails in Yosemite National Park

Rancheria Falls was our destination from the dam. It was a beautiful trail had we not had extreme heat. We found various mileage resources that differed. Fitbit tracked this as 15 miles. It took much longer than anticipated but the falls were beautiful. Disappointed that there were no points of entry to water at any of the fall areas as it was needed in the heat. Mark this as a long difficult trail in summer.

Short and easy Hike.... the reward...? incredible 360 degrees view!

Did this last week. The waterfalls were amazing and went on for several hundred/thousand feet. It got really hot at the bottom of the canyon. I had to pour water on my head and body to keep from getting sick from the heat. It’s deceptive because as you descend it gets hotter but you don’t realize how hot it really is until it’s time to head back up. Then you really feel the dehydration from the heat, exertion and altitude. I rested frequently in the shade and made my way back slowly. No cell phone service (with AT&T).

Got eaten by mosquitoes. Bring bug spray. Footbridge to the campsite is down, had to go upstream to wade through the Creek or walk across a fallen tree (not Tuolumne River but Conness Creek). The creek crossing wasn’t bad, but care must be taken.

It was okay.

Awesome trail! Great views of the valley! Bring plenty of water or a carbon filtered water bottle to take water directly from a stream! Difficult stone hike so bring sturdy comfortable shoes! PLEASE leave your under 14 year old children in valley!

Steep start, but Vernal falls and Nevada falls provide great photo-ops/excuses for rest. After that, is a mostly-flat, shady stretch that’s a bit monotonous, but a welcome break before the steep granite switchbacks. When we hiked on Saturday, 6/02/18, there was a ranger stationed at the subdome with a tablet and walkie-talkie checking permits. We hiked with our usual trekking poles (especially helpful for your knees on the pounding hike down), and tied them to our backpacks once we got to the cables. Some people left their poles at the base of the cables. There was a small pile of gloves at the base of the cables up for grabs; definitely recommend bringing a pair with good grip (gardening gloves worked well for us). The cables are definitely intimidating, but I felt safe and comfortable taking my time. Once you reach the top, there’s lots of space to roam and enjoy lunch. We lucked out with clear views of the valley. I preferred descending the cables backwards, my wife went forwards, many others did it with the help of a harness. Whatever you choose, take your time and enjoy!

We walked the Grizzly Giant Loop, and added a 2 mile roundtrip pit stop to see the Faithful Couple. The new boardwalk with informational panels at the beginning of the trail are wonderful. Also appreciate the shuttle service from the large parking lot to the trailheads. Very easy, well shaded, very little height gain.

We walked the mile long trail from the Taft Trail/Glacier Point Junction. Well worth it!

A lovely hike to view spectacular falls that rival Yosemite Falls! Lots of wildflowers and butterflies!

Best hike ever!

Wonderful hike! The lake crossings had very less run off water, could walk on the rocks placed without getting the shoes wet. There are so many mosquitoes all along the way. The first set of switchbacks are the hardest part of the hike, mainly because of the elevation, making it hard to catch your breath. The ridge was scary, but if you take it slow and not look at the steep drop, it is manageable. Total hike time was around 8 hours, starting early would definitely help as it got very hot as the day progressed. The views at the top are Amazing!!

Breathtaking!

An amazing hike with breathtaking views. Worth noting - you're looking at the same thing just from a different elevation, as it's mostly switchbacks. The hike is hard considering the elevation, but doable in about 3.2 hours for non-experienced hikers. From Glacier Point we planned to go back via Panorama Trail and Mist Trail, but I had sore toes so we decided to get the bus down. Mind you, there is no shuttle and the bus is not guaranteed. We waited for about 1,5hrs for the bus. The driver asked $26/person and we didn't have enough cash! We didn't end up boarding the bus and the driver was really rude from the start. We had to hike back down as it was getting late. Going down was surprisingly hard, it felt really steep. It took us 1h40min with a rather high speed.
Lovely hike overall, but be sure of how you're coming back and plan well.
P.S. My recording showed me 5.3 distance up and 4.6 distance down :o In general, expect it's more than 4 miles one way.

Walked up here a couple of times. The walk itself isn’t so great but it’s nice to be in the shade and the views steadily increase. Best combined with Panorama to get down.

This was an excellent hike for our group, comprised of several children, ages 5-14 and my mother in law. The kids loved scrambling over rocks and fallen trees and especially loved crossing the lake and dipping their toes in the cool water! Couldn’t have asked for a better first hike in Yosemite!

Hiked the mist trail to Vernal falls then Nevada falls on 6/13/18. Started at 9ish am.

If I had to rate how in shape I am on a scale of 1-10 I’d say maybe 6, I’m not a backpacker (yet) and pretty much stick to day hikes, that being said, this hike was a bit strenuous at times but totally doable and completely worth every step.
Gorgeous views the whole way up, first staircase to Vernal was super crowded and very slippery given the amount of mist from the falls. The earlier you get started the better (also for the parking!) as people are trying to come down the narrow, slippery rock stairs as you’re going up. After you pass Vernal, there are less hikers and the trail is mellow until you get to the next set of rock stairs leading up to Nevada falls. Probably 3x as many “stairs” as the trek to Vernal, more challenging but not as sketchy as the slippery ones prior to. It was sunny and broke 100degrees during my hike and there was no mist and hardly any shade, if those are your conditions, bring extra water. Can’t explain the view/the sound/the experience once you’re at the top; nature at another level.
We opted to take the John Muir trail back down (1.For a worthwhile change in scenery, 2. So I didn’t have to go back down those slippery flights of stairs). It’s a little longer as far as distance, but less steep with different, dramatic views of Nevada falls on the way down.
Worth it.

What an epic hike. Truly a bucket list worthy adventure. We started at 0400 to make sure we got a parking spot at the trailhead parking lot near Happy Isles. We jumped on the JMT to avoid the mist from Vernal Falls since it was so early. We then cut down to the mist trail just past emerald pool. Then we proceeded to Half Dome Trail. We had a slower joker with us so there was a lot of stopping to wait. Once we reached the sub dome we showed our permit and IDs to the ranger and headed up. The sub dome was much cooler than I anticipated. If that was the end of the hike it would have made for a great day, but luckily we still had the cables. Wow! I really underestimated the cables. In the picture the cables look like a gradual incline up the curve of the dome. It starts out as that, but the middle gets quite vertical. I brought along Atlas 300 gloves I got at Ace Hardware and they were wonderful; I didn’t slip once. Reaching the top was amazing. We posed for the obligatory phot on the diving board and hung out for a while. I thought going down the cables would be challenging but it really wasn’t. On our way down we stayed on the mist trail to see the waterfalls. The whole day was an amazing experience and my favorite hike to date.

Parked on Glacier Point rd on the trailhead through Mcgurk Meadow without issue.

This was such a beautiful experience! The steps right before the fall we’re a bit tough but you have to keep going it is well worth it!! I want to return!

Did this two and a half weeks ago. Scenic trail and killer views from North Dome. We’re a couple - one pretty unfit at time of hike (had to drag self up the last bit!!), one moderately fit (no worries - only got a slight puff on). Recommend checking out Indian Rock - short detour (NB - alltrails way point for this wasn’t super accurate when we did it - detour is well marked on trail though so just wait until you see it or ask someone).

For little effort (if moderately fit) the views are expansive and outstanding. Hiked a few hours before subset and there were very few people on the trail. Loads of room up top if you want to spread out from other people. We walked up the adjacent rock also - another great outlook but very windy. Started at dog lake car park just near visitor centre.

Take the shuttle from the Village, and get there early. Parking is a nightmare. This trail however is not. GORGEOUS! Rock staircase near Vernal Falls gets slick, where some good boots or hiking shoes. Also, you're gonna get soaked. We didn't hike the rest of the way to Neveda Falls b/c we were out of shape and it was insanely crowded. I suggest wearing clothing that dries quickly, like Columbia Omni-Wick, I was glad for it after getting off the trail. The falls were thundering due to record rainfall in the spring. Yosemite is a special place that all should see.

Awesome trail! We parked our car in the backpacker parking and then took the El Captain shuttle as close to the trailhead as we could get. This added about 5 extra miles to our first day, but with our route it was the best option. We combined the Pohono with the Panorama Trail and ended with the John Muir taking us back to the valley. If you don‘t mind the pain and want to do some backpacking then this route was perfect for us. The first day going nonstop uphill is killer, but luckily there are some nice water crossings where you can fill up your filter and splash your face. We really enjoyed Yosemite in early June and were fortunate to see beautiful views without a myriad of other people.

Fantastic trail with absolutely gorgeous views of the falls and so much more. We hiked up the Mist Trail to the top of Nevada Falls and then back down via the John Muir Trail. It is steep and an intense climb up. Bring lots of water. The mist from the falls feels amazing and you cannot beat the views!!

Gorgeous views from both lakes. The hike up is fairly steep - definitely leaves you winded! But it’s a good hike and the views are fantastic. Definitely go to the Upper Lake. We liked those views best! Only reason it’s not 5 stars is the bugs. The mosquitoes are killer - I used a ton of bug spray and still got eaten alive.

Simple walk to amazing views! Worth going at sunset as it lights up Half Dome!
Kids loved being able to be free, climb rocks and having flashlights.

After reading some of the reviews here I decided to include this with the Four Mile Trail and do this as a loop. I parked my car at the Half Dome Village (as close as I could get it to The Mist Trail which I would be using as an exit). I then hiked 2.2 miles back to the entrance of the Four Mile Trail and proceeded up that 4.6 miles to Glacier Point. Epic views of Yosemite Falls the whole way. I then hopped on the Panorama Trail and took that 5 miles to Nevada Falls where it junctions with The Mist Trail. The view coming down from Glacier Point is absolutely incredible. You can see all the way across the valley and the path you will be taking to Vernal and Nevada Falls. One of the things that sold me on doing this loop was that I read that the Panorama Trail was mostly all downhill. There is actually a 1.5 mile stretch right after Illilouette Falls that goes uphill that had me huffing and puffing. 3.2 more miles down The Mist Trail..those waterfalls are amazing. And then a 1 mile zombie walk back to my car. Best hike I've ever done!! 16 miles altogether. Took me 7 hours.

Great half-day bike from Tioga Road, takes about 2 hours each way. Be sure to go to the end in order to see the view of Mono Lake.