Nevada Fall Hike

Nevada Fall is a 5,900-foot summit in California. The Nevada Fall via Mist Trail covers 5.4 miles round trip (out-and-back) with about 2,000 feet of elevation gain — a steady climb. It's rated Hard overall.

The Route

Most of the climbing comes early — the first half of the route does the bulk of the work before the grade eases. The steepest stretch arrives around mile 0.22, gaining roughly 6,900 feet per mile — expect a slow, deliberate pace through here. From the trailhead at about 4,085 feet, the route tops out near 6,060 feet. Along the way the route passes a boulder (Lady Franklin Rock) near mile 0.71, a viewpoint (Clark Point) near mile 0.81, a waterfall (Vernal Fall) near mile 0.93, a waterfall (Silver Apron) near mile 1.05 — useful checkpoints for judging your pace.

Getting There

The trailhead is at 37.73282, -119.55778 (tap for driving directions). It's roughly 125 miles south of Reno, Nevada. Parking: Happy Isles. Fee: $35 park entrance. Cell service is often unreliable once you leave the highway.

When to Go

Late May through October is the main season. Snow and ice linger into spring and return early in fall at this latitude and elevation; in winter this becomes a different, more serious undertaking requiring traction devices and warm layers.

Know Before You Go

The Hard rating comes from the National Park Service difficulty formula, which weighs total distance against elevation gain. Most hikers should budget about 5.5 hours of moving time; add margin for breaks, photos and the descent. Download the GPX track from this page before you go — a saved route works offline in any GPS app, and cell coverage is unreliable in the mountains. Conditions change: verify current access, closures and weather with the official land manager before you go. Trail data is sourced from National Park Service - Yosemite.

Nearby summits with their own guides on this site: Vernal Fall (0.7 mi away), Half Dome (1.1 mi away) and Mirror Lake (1.4 mi away).