Robert C.
Yelp
1. For those people who want more of a challenge than doing the Mist trail up to the top of Vernal Falls, there is the hike to the top of Nevada Falls.
2. My wife and I did this hike, as an extension of the Mist trail hike. For preparation, we carried at least 40 ounces of Gatorade, plenty of sunscreen, a hat to shield us from the sun, and oranges. No need for waterproof clothes, as the mist from Vernal Falls does not soak you.
3. We each wore full fledged hiking boots with hiking poles. You don't want to slip on the wet trail soaked by the Merced River.
4. We reach the trailhead at Happy Isles with the free valley shuttle. There is a parking lot a quarter mile down the Happy Isles road, and Curry Village is only 15 minutes walk.
5. There are bathrooms at the Happy Isles trailhead, at the Vernal Fall Footbridge, and behind Emerald Lake at the top of Vernal Falls. However, these last two were closed for the winter season. So the wife brought along toilet paper.
6. The hike to the Vernal Fall footbridge is 0.7 miles with a 400 foot elevation gain, along a paved trail with stone guardrails preventing people from falling over the cliff into the river 100 feet below. Shaded area with lots of trees for cover. This is merely a warmup for the Mist trail .
7. The upper Mist trail runs from the bridge to the top of Vernal Falls, and is closed in winter due to ice. It is only another 3/4 of a mile, but with 700+ granite rock stairs soaked wet by the next door Merced River.
8. If the Mist trail is closed, you have to use the John Muir trail to reach Vernal Falls. This is a long trail with a lot of switchbacks which go above Vernal Falls.
9. At the top of Vernal Falls, people go above or even beyond the railing to get that perfect selfie. On occasion, someone slips and falls into the water, and goes over the 317' falls, turning that Kodak moment into an Hasta La Vista moment, to quote our ex- governor.
10. Before you cross the Merced river, you come to Emerald Lake. On the near side of the Lake are bathrooms with pit toilets, often closed except during the summer. Plenty of trees here for the wife to go into the bushes, just like the four legged locals!
11. You cross the Merced River by way of a foot bridge. 2 miles and 900 feet elevation gain to Nevada Falls, over a trail carved into the granite walls. No cover here, just straight up the trail, with the Merced river running alongside. Only ground squirrels to keep the wife and I company.
12. We reach 594' Nevada Falls, huffing and puffing like Darth Vader in the 6000 foot elevation, with a tall tower like granite rock overshadowing the falls.
13. If you are going to the top of Half Dome, you are only part way there, with another 5 miles and 2000' elevation gain to go. We didn't see such people as Half Dome is only open in the summer, and any such hikers would have started off before sunrise.
14. The wife's knees are hurting, and we take the John Muir trail down to the Vernal footbridge, bypassing the 700 stairs of the Mist trail. We get an aerial view of Vernal Falls on the way back.
15. It takes a good 8 hours of hiking to complete the loop, but that's why you come to Yosemite - to enjoy the experience and views of hiking to nature's wonders.
