Little did we know that the hike we were about to embark on was a pretty popular hike in Yosemite. It was definitely an experience. If you choose to take this hike a couple things to note: Bring water. Due to the elevation it is easy to get dehydrated on this hike. Secondly, if you plan to hike up the waterfalls, bring a poncho or plastic bag to cover yourself with if you don’t want to get too wet. Lastly, wearing protective shoes, with grip and ankle support is a must! Hiking shoes are essential to your safety!
Mist Trail at Vernal Fall.. Wow.. to say the least!
The hike starts by walking down a path to the entrance. The first part of the hike leads to a bridge. A lot of people only hike here or rest before hiking up to either Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. The beginning of the hike, leading to the bridge, is uphill a paved road. Make sure to pace yourself because you can definitely feel the elevation on this hike. The bridge has a restroom and a water filling area. Be aware because this is the last opportunity to fill up on water.
I really wanted to hike up both waterfalls, but because it was our first time I wanted to try to experience our way around the park as much as we could. Had we started the hike sooner we would have hiked both Vernal and Nevada falls. This trip we only hiked Vernal Falls. Here are some of the hike’s stats to Vernal Falls.
Distance: 3 miles to Vernal falls / 1.6 miles to Bridge / 2.4 miles from Bride to Vernal Falls
Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet to top of Vernal falls
Hiking Time: 2-5 hours
Be advised that this is considered to be a strenuous hike.
Below are some views of the waterfalls. There are really no words to explain how amazing this hike was! The views of the waterfalls, the scenery, the sound of the water, and being misted in the face with the water was all part of the experience in this hike. As you get closer to the top of the waterfall you can feel your excitement and relief overcome you. There are tons of words to explain how wonderful this hike was. The pictures don’t do the sights justice. The only way to truly experience the beauty of this hike is to try it for yourself. I definitely recommend this hike to everyone!
Once you leave the bridge and began to hike up to Vernal Falls you begin to climb up a rock of stairs, like shown below. The rocks can be slippery due to water, so please make sure on this hike that you wear protective shoes. On the stairs you are misted and wet from the water, its pretty amazing! You are close to literally climbing alongside the waterfall. This is wear the garbage back and poncho come in handy. Most people put these shortly after leaving the bridge.
Distance of rock sttairs: As to the distance of the stairs, I’d estimate about .5-1 mile worth of rock stairs to be climbed.
When you begin climbing the steps seen below, just know that you are almost at the top of Vernal Falls! These stairs are literally alongside the mountain and is protected with railings. There are times when you have to squeeze to the side to let other people coming form the other direction pass. Watch your step and hold on climbing here!
Once you reach the top there is a nice area to have some food and rest while enjoying the sound of the water and the view. There are also restrooms here.
This is the view from the top of the waterfall. Photos just do not do it justice.
This hike was an experience and one I’d recommend to everyone. I was surprised that people brought their kids. This hike can be dangerous if you do not exercise caution; however, as long as you do what you can to be safe this is a must-try and rewarding hike experience.
On our way back down, I was excited that I was able to get a waterfall-rainbow picture. I read in an article previous to visiting that you could hike early to catch the waterfall-rainbows.I looked forward to seeing a one, but didn’t expect to see one given that we started our hike later in the day! This was a beautiful surprise!
Check out our video footage on our Instagram page!
On our way back to our car we ran into some squirrels. These squirrels were ready to eat, we could tell because they were not afraid to get up and close to people. Be careful around these little guys when visiting the park.
