Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Panorama Trail is a 10 mile heavily trafficked point-to-point trail located near Yosemite Valley, California that features a waterfall and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, nature trips, and bird watching and is best used from May until October.
Yosemite National Park charges a fee to enter. Fees are $35 per vehicle or $30 per motorcycle. If you are entering on foot, horse, or bike the fee is $20 per person. You can also purchase a park specific annual pass for $70. A mostly-downhill hike with views of Half Dome, Nevada Fall, Vernal Fall, Yosemite Falls and the Yosemite Valley. There is no better hike in Yosemite National Park which offers the amazing views of Half Dome, Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, Illilouette Fall, Yosemite Fall, and the entire Valley than the Panorama Trail. This hike will take you on an adventure from Glacier Point, high above the valley, down to the Mist Trail where you will hike next to both Nevada and Vernal Falls. The hike ends near Curry Village where you can grab a bite to eat or take the free shuttle to anywhere in the park. While this hike loses 2,800ft in elevation, it is not an easy hike; some would even rate it as strenuous. After the initial climb down to Illilouette Fall you will hike back up 800ft of steep switchbacks before hiking down the same distance immediately after. The Mist Trail can be especially tough on the knees, especially the section from the top of Nevada Fall to Vernal Fall, which is almost exclusively made up of small stone steps. But don't let that discourage you, the views of the Falls, the Valley, and the surrounding area more than make up for the aches and pains you may keep with you the next few days.
California Travel and Tourism Commision, P.O. Box 1499 , Sacramento, CA, 95812-1499, Phone: 800-862-2543
You can modify the hike to end near Curry Village where you can grab a bite to eat or take the free shuttle to anywhere in the park.
Directions from Arch Rock Entrance: Follow Highway 140 into the Yosemite Valley. Turn right on to Southside Drive and turn left, approximately one mile east, on Highway 41 to Wawona. Drive nine miles to the Glacier Point Road and turn left. Follow Glacier Point Road almost 16 miles to Glacier Point Road and look for the Panorama Trailhead in the parking area.
December 20, 2020Fantastic trail. Early May when the roads to glacier point first open for the season is perfect time with all the falls and waterways at full run. Spectacular views!
December 2, 2020Couple years late on this review. We started at Half Dome village then went to Glacier Point. Just getting there kicked my ass. I run long distance but never really hiked before so this was pretty grueling. Mist trail first thing in the morning was pretty special. Absolutely insane to hike in hot sun to then hit snow...life changing experience. Word of caution: pack water and food, make sure you can handle this distance, we had to carry one of our buddies down the mountain (literally) due to complete shotness. Will come back here to do again with my son.
November 27, 2020Awesome trail, great views and a killer workout! Make sure you take plenty of water and sunscreen. Feel free to follow me on my Instagram account for more dope hiking adventures! @sertanusanmaz
October 24, 2020Absolutely fabulous, stunning! Allow time to soak it all in - I took 7 hours to complete it, with all the gaping and photo-taking, and just stopping to sit.
October 1, 2020Amazing views from all points.
September 5, 2020Een lange en toch wel zware hike. begint een atuk downhill maar later veel klimwerk. Zeer mooie uitzichten.
August 18, 2020Glacier point to Nevada Fall & Liberty Cap peak. Illilouette fall and Nevada Fall are very beautiful and great to hike through. Liberty Cap is an unofficial trail and is about 1.5 miles to peak and 1.5 miles back. Cap trail easy to find as you head toward backside and easy to hike until you hit the granite. Trail is marked with cairns and gets very hard as you have to get through many manzanita bushes. To top, just concentrate on the crevice or buttcrack all the way up, it can be done if your crazy enough.
July 26, 2020I hiked this starting at the base of glacier point trail - we hiked up to glacier point then met this trail at the beginning of panorama trail. This was a crazy hike - beautiful views of Half Dome and the valley. It was very hot and the sun really took it out of us. The falls along the way are beautiful; a lovely reprieve from the heat. Nevada falls are cool and have a crazy view.
July 22, 2020Life changing hike for my 25th with my girlfriend! We started at glacier point and went to Nevada Fall and back. Took most of the day. It stormed midway through. It was unreal. The views were about as good as they get on this entire planet. Reaching Nevada Fall was like an oasis. On the way back, we skinny dipped alone in Illilouette Fall swimming area before the sun went down! It’s not an easy hike, but it’s worth it!
July 19, 2020Oh man, this was such a great hike. Wading in the water (in a safe spot) was necessary to cool off, since it is 5 miles is up hill. Make sure not to go down the same way you came up, the best view is on the cliff overlooking the waterfall and half dome. Have fun!!!
July 11, 2020Stunning views from every point of the hike. Probably the best day hike to do do in Yosemite. If you have kids above the age of five, that have hiked a lot before, this is great. Low traffic. Some sketchy areas.
July 2, 2020Well marked trail with amazing views. Bring lunch and plenty of water. One of our favorite hikes in Yosemite. Please pack out your trash to keep our parks clean. Enjoy!
June 29, 2020Amazing hike. I started at Glacier point and marveled at the beauty of the valley. Ample panoramic , breathtaking views of the valley, half dome. The trail is mostly downhill with the exception of some switchbacks. Went to Nevada and then to Vernal falls, which are spectacular, particularly Vernal. Then all the way back, almost 13 mile round trip. Took a lunch break and multiple photo stops, but I did all in 8 hours. Bring at least 2 liters of water if cooler weather ( as I had) and more if it is a hot day. Occasionally you will find bugs, so be prepared. The trail is easy to follow, and way less rocky compared to Upper Yosemite falls trail. If you come back the same way, be prepared to climb.
June 28, 2020Tough hike! Day of hiking: 26th June 2020. We continued this trail, from Glacier Point, after doing Four miles hike and resting for 30 minutes at the Glacier Point. I do not recommend to do this hike if you are not prepared. It’s very strenuous. Less shades on elevation gain which is around 1000ft. If you take Mist trail it’s all rocks that you have to descend. So every step is crucial and hiking poles are recommended. Rocks are all stair types but still you are descending on rock stairs which is uneven. Cut your toe nails before doing this hike. Carry enough water, electrolytes, energy drink, energy gels, energy bars. Do not carry dead weight. Carry only what you need. All the falls Enroute is worth. Very exotic and beautiful! If you love taking photographs then this is the treat for you. Best to do bagpacking and camp. You will get to dip your feet into the water on all falls. Make sure you only dip your feet if you can dry it completely. Moist feet will give you blisters. Always wear blister free socks during hiking. Don’t wear cotton socks on any hike! We encountered two bears but didn’t see them. We heard the sound and we left quietly.
June 17, 2020Awesome!
May 2, 2020Awesome hike. Started at Glacier Point and hiked down.
April 19, 2020I did this hike my first trip to Yosemite and it was absolutely amazing! I took the shuttle from the valley up one way to glacier point and hiked down to the back country campsites behind the falls for 2 nights and then used the John Muir trail to get back down. Amazing views and since it starts off downhill you can make good timing for the first portion. I did see a light sand colored black bear on the switch backs while going uphill but it didn’t seem to care I was passing by. Easy to follow trail with great views and little traffic even on a sunny August day.
February 11, 2020I absolutely loved this hike! I did it I think In 2009 and it’s 2020 now but I’d do it again. We took a shuttle up to glacier point and hiked down to the valley where the car was. We started a little to late about 10am. I’d start earlier. Only because I loved stopping for a bit at the 3 falls. We got back to the car just as the sun went down. It’s a hard hike in spots. But this was the first long hard hike I had ever done and I was fine. Also was not in the greatest shape... haha the kids were fine on the hike too.... (age ranges 10-13 years.
February 10, 2020The elevation gain is significantly wrong It’s about 1100m, not 298m as stated in the app
September 30, 2019This is a spectacular hike. I started from hiking from Curry Village to Happy Isles, worked my way up to Vernal and Neveda Falls and proceeded to Illiouette Falls, Glacier Point and worked my way down 4 Miles. This hike is easily 16 miles and offers sensational views along the way. If you plan to do the full Panorama Trial start early and depending on the season dress appropriately. It is a stellar loop hike. The trail is marked and well maintained. When you come down the mountain via 4 Miles Trail, if you miss the shuttle like I did plan to hike another 1.5 miles back to Curry Village. It made from a long day.
September 14, 2019This trail was amazing! I hiked it with 5 other friends. Now we are all active duty military and this was still a very challenging hike for us. A couple of us wore smart watches and clocked in our total mileage at 13.2 miles. The elevation for this trail says 977 ft, but about half way through the hike it was made very clear that the elevation was very wrong lol. Once you get to Nevada falls, it makes everything worth it. At the top of the falls there was a small pool of water that made a great are to cool down. We started at 11 and ended at about 1730. We took about an hour break at Nevada falls so our actual hiking time was about 5-5 1/2 hours. Highly recommend being in shape and coming prepared with lots of water!
September 12, 2019Ich bin dem Wanderweg vom Yosemite Valley zum Glacier Point gegangen. Sehr anstrengende aber absolut belohnende Strecke!!. Bin um 9 Uhr gestartet und es waren somit nicht all zu viele Wanderer auf dem Weg zum Vernal und Nevada Falls. Die langen Naturtreppen entlang den Fällen sind anstrengend aber man kann dafür die Fälle aus allen Blickwinkeln bestaunen. Der weitere Weg auf dem Panorama Trail ist großartig (nur vereinzelte Wanderer!) und man hat einen tollen Blick auf dem Half Dome, das Merced Tal und die weiteren Hochebenen des Yosemite Parks. Insgesamt ist der gesamte Weg fast 16 km lang mit über 1.300 Höhenmetern. Es kann in der Mittagssonne, trotz vieler Schattenpassagen, sehr warm werden. Empfehlenswert: Vernünftige Wanderschuhe (keine Jogging Schuhe), Wechsel-Shirt, Wasser, etwas zu Essen, Sonnencreme und Fotoapparat. Nicht: Hunde
September 9, 2019Hiked from Glacier Point through Nevada and Vernal falls. The hike is stunning though hard! Don't get fooled it's an easy hike down. Mostly downhill, but quite a hike up to Nevada fall. Next, long several miles down rocky stairs. The waterfall views are priceless, so definitely worth it! The trail was pretty dry at this time of the year.
September 3, 2019Made a full loop including the falls and came down four mile hike. It was a full day with lots of beautiful views.
September 1, 2019Beautiful trail, barely saw another soul for the first 6.5 miles and then it turned into a complete traffic jam at the falls. But the views are amazing!
August 14, 2019Just and amazing hike. Definitely strenuous at the top. Best views of any hike I have ever dome. Great place to chill on rocks and have lunch at Nevada Falls.
August 12, 2019I did it as a part of Half Dome last week, Mist Trail up, John Muir down. I wrote a blog piece about my experience called “A Non-Hikers Guide to Half Dome” which covers the Vernal/Nevada falls (and lots of pictures), along with how to prep. http://www.tofeelalive.com/2019/08/09/a-non-hikers-guide-to-half-dome/
