It’ s been brought to our attention that our brief descriptions of the different backpacking trips through Yosemite National Park are… well… bland. Unfortunately, these descriptions by necessity must be brief and to the point, and consequently fail to fully describe the full wonder of what exactly you’ll be seeing as you hike through Yosemite.
For example, simply stating that you’ll be hiking past the Vernal and Nevada Falls is… well… factually accurate, but that’s all. It completely fails to capture the breathtaking beauty and splendor of these world-famous waterfalls. Not to mention the crystal-clear Emerald Pond with its Silver Apron that lies between the two waterfalls, or the magical Mist Trail you’ll hike through to reach them.
This post will try to make up for this shortcoming by describing in more detail the natural wonders you’ll see during one of our most famous and popular Yosemite backpacking trips, the hike through Little Yosemite Valley.
Little Yosemite Valley is a smaller valley near the main Yosemite Valley. Over the course of four days, backpackers will hike along the wild, clear Merced River runs through the Little Yosemite Valley. The Merced River runs over the Vernal Falls, levels off briefly at the Emerald Pool, and then pours over the Nevada Falls into the west end of the main Yosemite Valley. The hiking trail also passes close enough to majestic Half Dome Mountain to allow a day hike to climb it.
Vernal Falls
Backpackers start at the Happy Isles trailhead. The hike along the Mist Trail is the Vernal Falls is relatively short, only 1.3 miles, or 2.1 km. The Mist Trail earned its name because it passed close enough to the base of the falls that hikers are surrounded by the thick mist rising from the spray of the waterfall. The sun, shining down through these water droplets, creates rainbows almost everywhere you look.
The Vernal Falls themselves are breathtaking. The Merced River tumbles in a white curtain over the granite cliff face to fall 317 feet (97 m) and crash into the rocks below in a roar of foam and spray.
Emerald Pond & Silver Apron
After a steep climb up the rocks to the top of the Vernal Falls, you get to rest as another beautiful jewel of nature: the Emerald Pool. This is where the water from the Merced River, rushing down from the Nevada Falls (which we have yet to see), pools before it tumbles over the Vernal Falls.
Emerald Pool earned its name from the green, algae and moss covered rocks around and under the water. The waters of the Merced are crystal-clear, so you can see straight to the green rocks at the bottom. The water refracts the color and reflects the light, creating the illusion that the entire pond has the deep, sparkling green color of the emerald jewel.
Silver Apron lies at the opposite end of Emerald Pool from the Vernal Falls. Silver Apron is a wide, gentle slope of rock over which the water flows into the pool. Sunlight reflecting off this slow-moving, shallow curtain of water over rock gives it the look of bright and sparkling liquid silver.
Nevada Falls
After resting at the beautiful Emerald Pool, you’ll continue to hike another two miles (3.2 km) along the Mist Trail to Nevada Falls. Don’t worry; Mist Trail is still earning its name. As you near the base of the Nevada Falls, you’ll once again be engulfed in the magical mist, complete with its other-worldly atmosphere and kaleidoscope of rainbows.
If you thought the Vernal Falls were grand, just wait until you see the Nevada Falls. They are even more spectacular. The Merced River again tumbles over a sloping granite cliff face and falls 594 feet (181 m). Rather than crashing into the rocks at the bottom like at the Vernal Falls, water from the Nevada Falls free-falls for about a third of the drop, then smashes into the sloping cliff side. The water tumbles the rest of the way down in a turbulent, foaming whitewater curtain and creating an enormous amount of mist.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This post has made, at best, a clumsy attempt the capture the grandeur of nature with mere words. Hopefully, at least, these meager descriptions have aroused your interest and whetted your appetite enough to make you want to see these beautiful sights with your own eyes. These natural wonders must really be seen in person to be fully appreciated.
