Mist Trail Corridor Rehabilitation

The trails in the Mist Trail Corridor are the busiest in Yosemite National Park. This historic trail corridor features legendary trails and landmarks, such as the Happy Isles, the John Muir Trail, the Mist Trail and the Half Dome Trail, Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall, and Half Dome. Since 2010, in the summer, an average of 85,000 visitors use the trailhead near Happy Isles. From mid-May to mid-October, up to 300 permit-holding hikers ascend the Half Dome Cables route. High levels of visitation contribute to this trail corridor being the busiest area of the park for visitor accidents and fatalities. In turn, these trails have high rates of search and rescue operations, which puts rescuers and park staff at risk.


Over the past decade, safety mitigations and improvements in the Mist Trail Corridor have been implemented. Public outreach and education in the form of stationed rangers and volunteers provide critical information through the park's Preventative Search and Rescue program, supported by Yosemite Conservancy. Still, within the Mist Trail Corridor, the need for a larger, more comprehensive planning effort to address existing management and safety issues is clear.

What is the Purpose of this Project?

The purpose of the project is to enhance the visitor experience in the Mist Trail Corridor by addressing safety, wayfinding, stewardship, education, and improving amenities to accommodate sustainable levels of visitor use.

Why is this Project Needed?

The project is needed to address the following challenges along the Mist Trail Corridor:

Safety. Some visitors do not recognize the danger of navigating steep trails, swift water, and the cables on Half Dome, resulting in injuries, fatalities, and dangerous rescue and recovery operations.

Wayfinding/Orientation. The current trailhead inadequately serves the needs of the high volume of visitors it receives. Hikers often miss the opportunity to plan their route and assess the difficulty of the trail system. Consequently, many set out on their journeys without the necessary information, unaware of the challenges that lie ahead.

Stewardship/Education. Opportunities exist for educating visitors on the unique natural and cultural resources within the Mist Trail Corridor. An increased respect for and stewardship of the corridor's natural and cultural resources is a key consideration of any physical improvement.

Visitor Services. Existing visitor services do not effectively support the volume of trail users within the corridor. Infrastructure improvements are needed to better accommodate a variety of user groups.