Backpacking in Little Yosemite Valley | Adventures in Yosemite Part 3
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley, vernal falls
Our second backpacking night during our visit to Yosemite National Park took us up the Mist Trail to Little Yosemite Valley. As we climbed out of the valley, we passed beautiful waterfalls and hundreds of day hikers before finding our way to a quiet spot at the Little Yosemite Valley campsite. The first waterfall we passed was Vernal Falls. The height of the falls dwarfed Forrest as he stood below.
The Mist Trail is famous for its 1000 foot climb over 600 stairs.
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley, vernal falls, mist trail
The view of the waterfall from 3/4 of the way up the trail made the climb totally worth it.
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley, vernal falls, mist trail
At the top of Vernal Falls, Liberty Cap and Mount Broderick came into view.
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley, liberty cap
Shortly after the footbridge, we came to the second waterfall of the day, Nevada Falls.
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley, nevada falls, mist trail
After climbing to the top of Nevada Falls, we had a short flat hike to the Little Yosemite campsites. The hike was pretty, offering views of the Merced River and just enough trees to make it feel wooded. And as we rounded around Liberty Cap, we got an up-close view of the lesser known side of Half Dome.
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley
As I built camp, Forrest collected firewood. The camping area was huge, designed to accommodate the thousands who summit Half Dome each summer. But, at this time of year, there were only a few other tents nearby.
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley
Before it got too dark, we set out to explore a bit, discovering a beautiful view of the Merced River. I can imagine how many people take a dip here in the heart of the summer.
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley
As darkness fell, Forrest worked hard on a campfire to keep us warm and entertained through the evening. We were soon joined by other campers and day hikers on their way down the trail, stopping for dinner or to warm up.
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley
While our campsite was nestled in the trees, we were offered a small clearing with the perfect view of the night sky above.
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley
Our night at Little Yosemite was a perfect night in the backcountry. We awoke well rested and set out for another gorgeous, sunny day in Yosemite Valley. We chose a different route for our hike out, avoided climbing down those 600 stone steps. We had no idea we'd get one of the best views of the trip on this trail.
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley, vernal falls, mist trail
yosemite national park, little yosemite valley