Vernal and Nevada Falls in Yosemite National Park

I could not believe that having done so many hikes in Yosemite, I have not completed Vernal and Nevada Falls! Known for its giant staircase and the Mist trail, this hike offers not only beautiful views (hey, it's Yosemite!) but also decent exercise.

The weather was perfect for a hike of this nature, uphill and close to 10 miles (although originally it was not planned to be that long). We started out a bit later than usually, around 10 AM, but with the weather cooling down, middle-of-the-day heat would not be an issue.

The first part of the trail is just a climb with minimal views, but when you get a bit higher, what you are about to see fully unfolds in front of you. The giant staircase isn't just a name, it's many steps (many, many, many steps) lined up right next to the first waterfall, Vernal Falls, which at the end of the dry season does not stand up to rumors of being so strong, that it creates mist (hence, the name of the Mist trail). This time it was quite mellow and peaceful allowing us a safe and steady climb up the stairs.

The next part looked sketchy, primarily because of my fear of heights. The stairs went up to the beginning of the waterfall, and were rather narrow. Even with a safety railing and mesh fence, I felt pretty nervous, but since it was no a long lasting climb on that section, I safely ended up on top of the waterfall.

After taking a few pictures, we continued to Nevada Falls, another 1.5 miles straight uphill, also involving some stairs, but this time wider ones and not as intimidating. We were getting a bit tired. When we reached the top, we had a short lunch looking over Nevada Falls and just enjoying the beautiful weather.

On the way up, we found out that one section of the John Muir Trail that we were supposed to take back on the way down was closed, and were rerouted to take a detour. Little did we know that the detour also involved more uphill. Much more... On the other hand, we got a chance to see an adolescent bear peacefully eating something off a tree. I got a bad photo of him, but this is a proof that I saw another bear! So exciting!

We hiked another 4 miles, but all downhill from there on. The section we ended up on was not crowded at all. In fact, we barely saw a person. We safely returned to the parking lot, tired and quite satisfied with views we have seen and wildlife. I think I would repeat this trail or at least a section of it to see the falls in full power in the spring. Let's just hope for rain!