Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From the Happy Isles Shuttle Stop #16 (4,035 feet), walk along the road
crossing the bridge over the Merced River and then turn right to follow the river
south along the dusty, well-defined path. Follow the path as it ascends rather steeply
along the river canyon and around Sierra Point, a rocky ledge on the southwest ridge
of Grizzly Peak named after the Sierra Club. This is a fitting beginning to your hike,
as John Muir was the first president elected to this conservation body in 1892. This
is a crowded path, and you may be as amazed at the impressive variety of foot-
wear—and the diverse smattering of accents from around the world—as you are with
the granite boulders and distant waterfalls. As you ascend, pass through and above
Happy Isles's woodland of conifers and live-oak trees. Within 0.75 miles, reach your
first viewing point of Vernal Falls. Together, the two falls are known as the Grand
Staircase, as the Merced River dramatically steps its way down to the valley.
Camera-toting tourists in flip-flops and bikini tops crowd a wooden footbridge
located here (4,600 feet). Just across the bridge look for a drinking fountain, re-
strooms, and an army of brazen snack-marauding squirrels.
From this vantage point, you can see the final plunge of the Merced River,
which collects winter runoff from Mount Lyell, Yosemite's highest peak at 13,114
feet. Witness the dramatic cascade year-round as water thunders down amid a frame
of pine and cedar trees.
Shortly after leaving the footbridge, the trail reaches a junction. The Mist Trail
continues on the left following the river along a rock-lined path through an area of
lodgepole pines. The official John Muir Trail (JMT) turns to the right, taking a
longer, more gradual climb before rejoining the shorter and steeper Mist Trail at the
top of Nevada Falls.
Follow the Mist Trail eastward up-canyon with a spectacular view in the spring
and early summer, living up to its name with watery mist drenching hikers as they
make their way up hundreds of steep and sometimes slippery granite steps. Many
hikers don raincoats for this section of the trail, but on a hot day the waterfall shower
