Trip Highlights:
For waterfall lovers that can handle an uphill climb, the Mist Trail & Nevada Fall Loop Day Hike is for you! This hike gets you right up next to two of Yosemite’s most well known waterfalls, Vernal and Nevada, and along the eastern edge of the aptly named Panorama Cliff. You will complete your circle and return to the valley via the famous John Muir Trail offering new perspectives of the waterfalls you just hiked beside. All tours are private.
All Tours Are Private
Meeting Location: Curry Village Store at 4,035′
High Point: Panorama Trail: 6,620′
Elevation Gain & Loss: 2,585′
To start off the day, you will meet your guide at 8 am in Yosemite Valley’s Curry Village by the Tour Desk. After brief introductions, safety warnings and precautions, and a brief overview of the day, we will begin the hike warming up with a sociable, short, flat and paved mile to the Mist Trail trailhead near Happy Isles visitor center. This is where the uphill charge begins.
From Happy Isles, it is a strenuous mile trek on a paved trail to the base of Vernal Fall, where there will be public restrooms and running water for use. The next ½ mile following takes us up a steep and strenuous misty, granite staircase alongside 317-foot Vernal Fall, ascending a quick 400 vertical feet. Be prepared to get wet during this long but gorgeous half mile. Reaching the top of the stair-like Mist Trail brings us atop Vernal Fall where you will see the stunning waterfall from nearly every possible perspective. After admiring the gorgeous scenery and a brief history of the area, we will continue another strenuous mile ascending 600 vertical feet to reach the top of 594’ Nevada Fall. This mile brings us alongside the waterfall up a more strenuous and less distinct granite staircase than the first, but will luckily be our last rocky hiking of the day. We will enjoy a relaxation break here at the top of the powerful Nevada Fall, taking time to enjoy the unmatched natural landmarks and sites from our vantage point as we eat lunch.
We will continue on an easy and flat ½ mile or so to the John Muir Trail/Panorama Trail Junction, where we will conquer our last uphill trek. From here, there is an optional 700 vertical foot climb up a mile section of about 20 switchbacks to connect with the Panorama Trail at our high point of the day of 6,620’ in elevation. Reaching this destination makes for a nice time to photo-shoot and relax. When ready, we will make a u-turn and head back down the mile-long switchback section we came up, but rather than retracing our steps to the top of Nevada Fall and down the Mist Trail, we will take a left, heading West and descending 2,000 feet, down the 3.5 mile-long John Muir trail.
The John Muir trail follows the Merced River from the south, whereas the Mist Trail stays north of the river. The higher vantage Muir trail offers unique perspectives of Nevada Fall, the abrupt rise of Liberty Cap, and the South face of the infamous Half Dome, and is a much less stressful hike down than that of the rocky staircases of the Mist Trail. The John Muir Trail will return us to the bridge at the base of Vernal Fall where you will once again find public restrooms and running water. The next mile backtracks us a mile down the familiar paved trail to Happy Isles Visitor Center. Once in Happy Isles, we will cool down with a short mile alongside the valley’s road to Curry Village, where our day will end right where it began.
Notes:
In addition to full payment; final acceptance of any participant is subject to receipt and review of all the Required Forms. These forms are also attached to your confirmation email once you register online.
We will require an additional medical release for any guest who is currently under the care of a physician for any ongoing disease, illness, or any other condition/factor that may be a concern on the trip.
All trips are subject to itinerary changes for a wide variety of reasons including, but not limited to permitting, weather, forest fires, park or public land closures, and/or road closures. In most all situations we will offer an alternative itinerary of equal value and quality or a credit through the end of the following season. Payments are non-refundable for itinerary changes. If a trip is canceled due to circumstances beyond our control prior to its start date a trip credit equal to the full amount paid will be issued.
Lasting Adventures understands that firearm laws and policies vary in every area we operate in. Regardless of local laws and policies, Lasting Adventures does not allow firearms on any of our trips. Participants who bring firearms will not be allowed to participate while in possession of their firearm.
For your protection and ours, we strongly recommend the purchase of Travel Insurance, which can provide you with coverage for trip cancellation/interruption (including COVID-19), travel delay, medical expenses, emergency assistance, airfare, and baggage loss/delay to protect your financial investment. We do recommend those with “cancel for any reason” clauses included and see here for a review of some of the Best Cancel For Any Reason Travel Insurance Options presented by Forbes or Squaremouth.
Travel Insurance is the easiest and best way to protect both yourself and our smaller non-profit organization against last-minute cancellations. We will happily provide timely and accurate documentation for any insurance claim related to our trips upon request. Please note that when canceling a trip, your first course of action should be to contact the company responsible for insuring your trip.
Full payment is required upon registration for all Day Trips. Feel free to contact us directly to set up any other payment plan. When registering online, expect to pay a booking fee of 3.0% (which is capped at $30) and a processing fee of 2.7% (no cap). These fees can be avoided when paying by check. For detailed information, see Payment Options.
Lasting Adventures reserves the right to cancel trips. If a trip is canceled due to circumstances beyond our control a trip credit equal to the full amount paid will be issued. Lasting Adventures is not responsible for additional expenses incurred while preparing for the trip.
The following cancellation policy is only for trips booked directly through our official website, lastingadventures.com. If you have booked via a third-party website, such as TripAdvisor/Viator, the below policy does not apply, and you are held to the third-party’s cancellation policy.
Cancellations of any trip can be made without penalty within 48 hours of the initial booking. After 48 hours, our standard terms and conditions apply. To cancel, please email us at staff@lastingadventures.org or leave a voicemail at 800-513-8651. This policy does not apply if the booked trip occurs within 96 hours of the initial booking.
Fire/smoke cancellations are considered circumstances beyond our control. If your chosen travel insurance does not cover fire/smoke cancellations, a credit equal to the full amount paid will be issued. In this case, you will be required to submit proof of the purchase of said travel insurance. If we cancel during your adventure with us, we will refund a credit equal to the number of days not used. In both cases, these credits will be lifetime/transferable.
Departing From a Trip: Once a participant has joined a trip and the trip has begun, no opportunities for refunds or credits will be possible, regardless of the reason for departure. Costs associated with assisting a participant with evacuating from the wilderness will be passed on to the participant. Travel Insurance (below) is strongly recommended.
Infectious Disease Policy (including COVID): Any participant, on any program/trip, with any sign/symptom of a potential illness will not be able to participate, and no refund/credits will be given. Many forms of Travel Insurance cover these circumstances. We ask that you screen yourself and/or your child prior to participation and contact us to cancel should any sign of illness be present. Health screenings can be expected on all youth programs.
Half Dome & Other Summits: Reaching the top of a summit, such as Half Dome, is a risky activity which can be made far worse by inclement weather. While we aim to get everyone to the top, summiting is not guaranteed. Lightning and rain can be deadly on exposed summits, and our experienced guides may have to call off a summit bid if weather conditions are unfavorable.
Once you book a trip with Lasting Adventures, the value you paid is valid towards switching to another trip in the current or the coming year, pending available spaces on the new trip. Changes to your booking and conversion to a credit must occur more than 30 days prior to your original start date. Changes within 30 days are subject to fees. Once changed to a lifetime credit, credits are non-refundable and are a dollar-for-dollar value.
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