Trip Highlights:
The Yosemite Mist Trail hike offers beautiful scenery of Yosemite’s astonishing landmarks from start to finish. Walking beside towering waterfalls, viewing the Valley from the Yosemite Panorama Trail and Glacier Point, and an awesome descent and return to the Valley from the historic 4-mile trail offering incredible views of El Capitan. This strenuous day trip offers a TOTAL Yosemite experience for the visitor who is in good shape. The Yosemite Mist to 4 Mile Trail hike is an iconic adventure not to be missed! All tours are private.
All Tours Are Private
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Meeting Location: Curry Village Tour Kiosk at 4,000′
High Point: Glacier Point at 7,214′
Mileage and Elevation Gain/Loss: 15 miles, +/- 4,234′
For a detailed map with elevation profile of the tentative itinerary, click here: Map.
This hike begins at 7 a.m. when we meet in Curry Village at the Tour Kiosk. Curry Village offers a wondrous view of the world famous Half-Dome, which will be viewed from a variety of different perspectives throughout this trek. We will head east and begin our actual hike on the John Muir Trail at Happy Isles. From here, it is a strenuous, uphill charge upon a paved trail for the first mile, and an even more strenuous following half mile tracing the Merced River up a misty, granite-laid staircase to the top of the 317′ tall Vernal Fall. Amazing photographic opportunities are all around. The next ¾ of a mile or so takes you up another stone stairway to the top of our next scenic stop, the 594′ waterfall, Nevada Fall. After enjoying a relaxing and breathe-taking pit stop here, the hike continues a half mile along flat terrain until we reach the last serious uphill charge of the day, a mile-long switchback gaining 700 vertical feet to the Panorama Trail junction. The subsequent scenic 2.5 miles is mostly level, with a few ups and downs, traversing the southern rim of Illilouette Gorge, to the top of our third and final waterfall of the day, Illilouette Falls. This is a great destination to stop for lunch.
From this checkpoint, the hike continues on uphill switchbacks for 1.5 miles to the peak of Glacier Point at 7,214′, where incredible views of Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, and Yosemite’s most famous, 2,425′ waterfall series, Yosemite Falls are offered. Reward yourself with an ice cream in the Gift Shop as you celebrate your 3,179 feet of elevation gain. Glacier Point has a unique historical background detrimental to the establishment and evolution of Yosemite National Park, which will be discussed and pointed out while here.
To end the day we will descend 4.7 miles from Glacier Point to the base of Sentinel Rock, dropping back nearly 3,200 vertical feet back into Yosemite Valley offering incredible views of El Capitan -the largest granite monolith in the world and a mecca for rock climbers. Now, most likely exhausted after a long 15 or so mile day, we will have the option to take a bus back to Curry Village or hike the additional 2-miles to complete our loop.
Your participation helps sustain our non-profit mission of supporting youth, families, and disadvantaged communities with positive experiences in America’s National Parks and natural spaces.
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