Yosemite National Park

Yosemite Valley is located in the central part of the Sierra Nevada, on the western slope. It stretches for only 7 miles (11 km) in a roughly east-west direction, and is about 1 mile (1.5 km) wide. More than a half dozen creeks tumble from hanging valleys at the top of granite cliffs that can rise 3000-4000 feet (900-1200 m) above the valley floor, which is at 4000 ft (1200 m) above sea level. These streams combine into the Merced River, which flows out from the western edge of the valley, down the rest of its canyon to the San Joaquin Valley. The flat floor of the valley holds both forest and large open meadows, which provide breathtaking views of the surrounding crests and waterfalls. . . Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite Trip Report

The Mist Trail is one of the most popular short hikes in Yosemite National Park, California, USA. The hike follows the Merced River, starting at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley, past Vernal Falls, Emerald pool, to Nevada Falls. Along the trail, the Merced River is a tumultuous mountain stream, lying in a glacial valley. Enormous boulders, the size of a house, are dwarfed by the sheer faces of exfoliating granite, which rise 3000 feet from the river. Through it all, the Merced river rushes down from its source in the High Sierra, and broadens on the floor of Yosemite valley. Map of the trailA trail which links to the John Muir Trail starts after crossing from the Happy Isles. Depending on your conditioning, a bridge which re-crosses the river, the halfway point of a hike to the foot of Vernal Falls, can be reached in 15 to 30 minutes. To the side of Vernal Falls, the mist from the river blankets the trail, which was improved during the WPA projects of the 1930s. Here is where raingear becomes handy: in the spring, hikers often become completely drenched from water sprayed off Vernal falls. The trail now crosses a sheer face which is made somewhat easier by a single guard rail. At the top of Vernal Falls, the Merced river traverses a shelf of granite, and the hikers frequently sun themselves to dry off. The Emerald Pool is named for the color of the river here. Up the trail, Nevada Falls, a waterfall that is over twice the height of Vernal Falls awaits the hiker, although there is no cascade of mist over the trail at that waterfall. Behind Nevada Falls is Liberty Cap, an impressive lump of granite. The Mist trail then rejoins the John Muir Trail: the hiker can travel in Little Yosemite Valley, or take a side trip to the top of Half Dome, using cables to climb the rock. .

In 1868, about 15 years after the first tourists began arriving in Yosemite Valley, geologist Josiah Whitney surveyed the area. In his report to the state of California he wrote, "Half Dome was perfectly inaccessible, being probably the only one of all the prominent points about Yosemite which has never been and will never be trodden by human foot."