The Ultimate Yosemite Day Hike

This hike is a long loop consisting of three different trails combined into one epic adventure! I would recommend for anyone who is in decent shape! I would call myself pretty fit, but by the end of this hike, I was absolutely ready to just sit and drink a beer!

Beginning at the Four Mile trail head in the valley, hike up to Glacier point. This was the most difficult part of the entire journey due to the fact that you're hiking virtually straight up for nearly 5 miles! (Don't let the trail name fool you... it's longer than four miles). Most people just drive up to Glacier Point, which of course has amazing views, but the road can be packed with cars and people! By hiking the Four Mile trail, you get all the views and more, with very few people. Truly an amazing hike! 

Once at the top of Glacier point, we took our lunch break and just gazed at the incredible views of Half Dome, El Cap, Yosemite Falls and more! We then headed to the Panorama trail which takes you to the top of Nevada Falls and is approximately 5.5 miles in length. It’s a moderately difficult hike with some up hills and downhills. But the views from this trail are unparalleled, and most definitely panoramic! Views of Half Dome, Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, and the lesser known illilouette Falls are just a few of the incredible sights! Once on top of Nevada Falls, take the popular Mist Trail back down to the valley floor. This will definitely be the most crowded section of the hike, but there’s nothing quite like being “cooled” off by mist from Vernal Falls after 11 miles of hiking! Once you’re at the bottom, you can walk back to wherever you parked your car. Or you can elect to take the shuttle bus (we took the shuttle bus)! After this hike, I would recommend hydrating and eating a substantial meal. Then sit by a crackling camp fire (where permitted) with a cold Firestone 805 and tell stories with your friends into the evening!

Notes:

1. About three quarters through the Panorama trail, you can choose to cut through on a section of the John Muir trail to cut about a mile off of your hike. While on this section, it will “Y” again to make the short cut even shorter. This short cut is less steep than the Mist Trail and can be easier on the knees to get back down to the Valley floor, but I’d recommend not doing either of these short cuts, as you would miss the up close view of Liberty Cap and Nevada Falls. 

2. Get started early! According to my iPhone health app, this hike was 13.69 miles with 3,500 ft. elevation change, and it took us about 7.5 hours. Granted we were taking it slow to take in all the views! If you’re truly hoofing it, you can probably finish in about 5 hours.

3. If you're going in the summer, it will most likely be warm the whole day, but if you go in Spring or Fall, wear layers! We went in May, and it was cold at the start and cold at the end, but warmed up during the day!