Hiking Yosemite’s Mist Trail: Everything You Need To Know

One of Yosemite’s most iconic trails is the Mist Trail.  Everyone seems to do this hike when they visit Yosemite National Park.  It’s all over every social media platform.

But did you know this trail is actually quite the challenge?  This trail is not for everyone, even though it’s iconic.

So let’s look at everything you need to know about the Mist Trail!  From parking, to fees, to trail stats, you’ll find all the details below!  

Important Links 

• Yosemite National Park website
• Road Conditions/Closures
• America the Beautiful Pass
• Yosemite National Park Map (JPEG)
• Glacier Point – An Iconic View
• Valley View – A Must-See
• Tunnel View – NEVER Skip This Spot

Location

Let’s start with where the Mist Trail even is!  The trailhead for the Mist Trail is located at the very “back” of Yosemite Valley. In other words, you’ll have to drive all the way to the far end of the valley and park.  You’ll be right near Curry Village.

If you’re flying into the Fresno Airport (the closest airport), you’re looking at a 2.5 hour drive to the trailhead.  If you are coming from larger airports, like Los Angeles or San Francisco, you’ll be looking at a 6.5 hours drive or a 4 hour drive respectively.  

Now for the boring part, the fees. 

Fees 

Just like all the national parks, Yosemite National Park has an entrance fee.   The average visitor will pay the Standard Fee ($35) which covers everyone in a non-commercial vehicle for 7 days. Motorcycles are $30 per entry, which is also good for 7 days.

However, if you plan on visiting Yosemite more than 2 times in a 12 month period, there is an annual option.  Or if you want to visit several national parks in a 12 month period, there is a slightly different pass option for you.

Annual Pass Options

If you are planning on visiting JUST Yosemite National Park 2 or more times in a year, you will want to purchase their Annual Pass.  This pass is good for 12 months, costs $70, and gets you and a car-full of guests into the park with no additional fees.

On the other hand, if you are planning on visiting 3 or more national parks, monuments, seashores, etc., in a 12 month period, you will want to purchase an America the Beautiful Pass.  This pass is $80 and allows you and a car-full of guests to enter any national park without any additional fees. 

My husband and I have purchased an America the Beautiful Pass for the last 5 years and it has saved us a fortune! 

What about reservations to get into Yosemite?

Reservations

For 2026, reservations are no longer required for visitors to enter Yosemite Valley.  In previous years, reservations were required, but this year you don’t have to.

This will certainly create more crowds and even more challenging parking situations.  Make sure you are arriving early and have the mentality that if you grab a parking spot, stay there and make the best of the area you are in.

Parking

Speaking of parking, there is NOT enough parking for all the people who want to hike the Mist Trail.  So in order to snag one of these highly coveted spots, you’ll need to get there early, and start hiking early.  

The closest parking option for the Mist Trail is called the Yosemite Valley Trailhead Parking Lot.  This lot is not very large and is sometimes closed. 

A second option, and where we chose to park, is at the Curry Village Parking Lots. This lot fills up every single day, so get there early and walk the extra distance to the trailhead.  Also be aware that you can’t park right up front as that area is for those staying at Curry Village.  

Ok now that you know where the trail is, how much it costs, and where to park, let’s get to the trail itself!

Trail Stats

The Mist Trail takes you to Vernal Falls, to Nevada Falls, and then you’ll head back the way you came, or loop back.  The most popular route can be found at this AllTrails link.  

• Distance: ~7 miles out-and-back
• Elevation Gain: ~2,200 feet
• Difficulty: Hard
• Time on Trail: 4 – 6 hours

Now, the caveat to the above trail stats is that if you start by parking at Curry Village, your actual distance hiked will be closer to 9 miles.  My husband and I parked at Curry Village and the extra distance was a little bit of a surprise.  Totally doable, but a surprise.

Expected Time

Now, one last logistical thing that we need to discuss is the expected time on the trail. This trail is estimated to take you 4 – 6 hours.  We spent more time admiring the waterfalls so we were out there longer.

And with a longer time outside means more preparation.  

In Your Backpack

In your backpack, you’ll want to pack enough snacks/food for a full day out on the trails.  Think food like a sandwich, granola bars, fruit snacks, and anything else that you like to snack on.  This also means you’ll need approximately 2 – 3 liters of water per person for this hike.  

Also in your backpack you’ll want to have a med kit in case something happens.  There’s no phone service out here, so you’ll need to be prepared for as much as you can.  

Sunscreen, bug spray, and a rain coat are also good ideas.  Sunscreen should always be worn when out in the sun.  The bugs can be unbearable in Yosemite in the late spring and summer.  And a rain coat is a good idea for both unexpected rain, and how wet you might get on this trail.  

And finally, remember to pack layers.  Hiking in Yosemite can start off cold, even in the summer, but then heat up pretty quickly as the day goes.  So make sure you have room to pack these extra clothes away as you shed layers throughout the day.  

+Our Itinerary

Now, here was our itinerary for hiking the Mist Trail.  You might hike faster or slower than my husband and I, but here is an idea of timing.  

• 7am – Parked at Curry Village and headed to the Trailhead
• 8:15am – Reached the base of Vernal Falls
• 8:35am – Reached the top of Vernal Falls
• 9:10am – Reached the base of Nevada Falls
• 10am – Reached the top of Nevada Falls
• 10 – 11:30am – Lunch and Taking in the Scenery
• 11:30am – Began our descent back to the car
• 2:30pm – Returned to our car

We spent a lot of time enjoying the trail, the waterfalls, our lunch, and just being in Yosemite National Park.  So while we were outside for about 8 hours, we were only hiking for about 6.  Again, you are probably faster than us, but we like to enjoy our time in the fresh mountain air.  

Now, let’s get into the details about our hike and how amazing the Mist Trail was!

Our Hike

My husband and I hiked the Mist Trail in April of 2026.  The waterfalls and rivers were rushing as the snow began melting a little early that year.  This made both Vernal and Nevada Falls very impressive!

As I said, we parked at Curry Village and headed toward the trailhead.  This added about 2 miles to our total hike, but it was worth it.  

Once we hit the trailhead, the incline starts right away.  There is no slow transition to this trail, you start straight up this hill.  And the elevation never really stops.

The trail starts out paved but then flips back and forth between dirt and large rock steps.

We followed the Merced River for about a mile before we reached the Vernal Falls Footbridge, where we got our first glimpse of Vernal Falls.  

The trail soon splits and you’ll want to stay on the Mist Trail (left) toward Vernal Falls.  And here is where the trail becomes amazing, and why it’s such a must-do trail.

Vernal Falls

As soon as we split to the left and headed toward the falls, we began to get wet with the mist.  We wish we had packed out raincoats, that’s how wet we got!  

The stone steps are huge steps, making this trail a challenge.  But as you get closer to the spray of the falls, you’ll hardly notice how difficult this trail is.  We were consumed by mist and overwhelmed by the beauty of Vernal Falls.  

Eventually we hiked up the rest of the stairs, right beside Vernal Falls, and out of the mist. We then continued on the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls.  The roar of the water is incredible as you stand behind a metal fence and get a glimpse of the water before it falls.

Once we had our fill of the beauty, we continued on the Mist Trail and headed toward Nevada Falls.   I will add that many people stopped at this point and turned around.  So far, we had gained about 1,200 feet of elevation and many people didn’t want to add an additional 1,000+ feet to reach Nevada Falls.  

Nevada Falls

The trail starts in the woods and then leads you to a place where you can see the incredible Nevada Falls just upstream of you.  It is at this moment that we realized just how far and steep our hike was going to get.  Hint* there is another 1,000+ feet of elevation gain to conquer!

We continued on the trail and lost sight of the falls for a little while, before we began hiking the many switchbacks.  These switchbacks lead you right alongside the waterfall and up to the top of the falls.

From the top of Nevada Falls, you’ll be able to see much of the Yosemite Valley below you.  The difficulty of this hike is absolutely worth the view!

Lunch Break

We ate lunch at the top of Nevada Falls, where we enjoyed the view of the valley and the waterfall.  Once we had our fill of the beauty, we began our long descent to the car.  

Our Descent

Initially, the AllTrails link for the trail tried to take us down the John Muir Trail, but this part of the trail was closed during our visit.  So we went back the way we came, and shared the trail with many hikers who were coming up.  This made for a slow descent, but it was still worth it.

We decided to hike part of the John Muir Trail right before we reached the top of Vernal Falls.  This looped us to Clark Point, where we had a great view of Nevada Falls and Liberty Cap (mountain to the left of Nevada Falls).  

As we hiked down and down and down, we were glad to have our hiking poles.  The views were just as incredible as they were on the way up, and after nearly 8 hours on the trail, we got back to our car.

This was only our first day in Yosemite National Park and we had a few other days of great hiking!  

Other Trails

Yosemite is filled with hundreds of miles of trails.  Half Dome is one of the most iconic trails, but you need a permit to hike to the top of the dome.  

There is also the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, which is quite a challenge.  Or the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail which is easy and more crowded.  Truly there is something for every level of hiker here.  

And while the Mist Trail might be the most hiked trail in Yosemite Valley, below are a few other places that you just can’t miss!

Things To Do in the Area

Yosemite National Park is filled with incredible hikes and views.  Whether you’re up for hiking Half Dome or just want to see the sights in half a day, there are a few non-negotiable places everyone has to see.

The first must-see location is Tunnel View.  This site is iconic and every visitor must see it.  You can learn everything you need to know right here.  Next up is another beautiful view called Valley View.  This little spot is worth walking for if you can’t get a parking spot in the immediate area. Don’t skip Valley View when visiting Yosemite. 

And finally is the amazing Glacier Point. This location can be seen by driving out to the end of Glacier Point Road, or Hiking the Four Mile Trail. My husband and I hiked the Four Mile Trail and absolutely loved this trail.  Check out all the details here. 

Conclusion

Hiking the Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park is not for the weak, but it’s absolutely worth the struggle.  Hiking right beside Vernal Falls and then continuing to the top of Nevada Falls is an incredible experience.

Unfortunately the trail can be quite crowded because of its popularity, so be prepared to start early!  Hiking the Mist Trail is a must do in Yosemite National Park.

As always, feel free to reach out to me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com with any questions and I’ll do my best to help.

-Happy Hiking!