Happy Isles (Yosemite)
Published
TrailheadYosemite Valley, Mariposa County, California, United States

Happy Isles (Yosemite)

The Yosemite Valley trailhead for the Mist Trail, Half Dome, and the John Muir Trail.

0.0 (0) 0 viewsPlaces and POI • Recreation Areas
Get Directions
National Park Service via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
54°F Sunny
0 activities
37.7320°, -119.5580°

Overview

Happy Isles, in Yosemite Valley, California, is one of the most famous and busy trailheads in the United States — the starting point for some of the most beloved hikes in Yosemite National Park, including the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls, the cables route up Half Dome, and the legendary John Muir Trail that runs 211 miles south to Mount Whitney.

Set beside the Merced River amid the towering granite walls of Yosemite Valley, Happy Isles buzzes in summer with day hikers bound for the thundering waterfalls and ambitious climbers headed for Half Dome's iconic dome, as well as backpackers setting off into the High Sierra. As the gateway to the valley's most spectacular trails, Happy Isles is a hallowed launching point for adventures in one of the world's greatest national parks.

Media3 items

Media

3 items
Happy Isles Bridge in Yosemite Valley , Yosemite National Park, California.
Happy Isles Bridge in Yosemite Valley , Yosemite National Park, California.
National Park Service via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Happy Isles , Yosemite National Park
Happy Isles , Yosemite National Park
Nogwater from Oak Park, CA, USA via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Site of the old Happy Isles Bridge (foreground). Happy Isles is where the Merced River enters the Yosemite Valley after falling and tumbling over the Grand Staircase. The Happy Isles themselves are a series of granite islands in the middle of the river, accessable by footbridge. Yosemite National Park, California
Site of the old Happy Isles Bridge (foreground). Happy Isles is where the Merced River enters the Yosemite Valley after falling and tumbling over the Grand Staircase. The Happy Isles themselves are a series of granite islands in the middle of the river, accessable by footbridge. Yosemite National Park, California
Glenn Scofield Williams from USA via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Files & Downloads
0 files
No files yet.
Trailhead Data0 / 0 fields
No attributes defined for this entity type yet.
Wildlife & Natural Features
No wildlife or natural features documented yet. Know what lives here? Contribute!
Observations
Sign in to log
No observations logged yet. Be the first!
Nearby Places
Upper Pines Campground
Campground0.4 mi
Lower Pines Campground
Campground0.8 mi
North Pines Campground
Campground0.8 mi
Glacier Point
Lookout0.9 mi
Yosemite National Park
Park1.7 mi
Yosemite Valley Welcome Center
Recreation Area1.8 mi
Half Dome Permits
Recreation Area2.0 mi
Camp 4 (Yosemite)
Camp Area2.6 mi
Showing 1–8 of 48
Page 1 of 6
Partners & Businesses

Nearby Partners & Businesses

0 businesses near Happy Isles (Yosemite)
No businesses match your filter
No partner businesses listed near this location yet.
Reviews0

Reviews & Ratings

No reviews yet

No reviews yet for this place.

Tags & Aliases0
Tags & Aliases
No tags or aliases yet.
Map of Happy Isles (Yosemite)
Get Directions Full map

Location

Yosemite Valley, California
Mariposa County
United StatesUS
37.73200°, -119.55800°
nps.gov/yose (Official Website)

Current Weather

Updated 4:23 PM
54°F
Sunny
Feels like 65°
Wind
4 mph S
Humidity
43%
Visibility
37 mi
UV Index
5

5-Day Forecast

Sun 1%74° 53°
Mon 84%77° 56°
Tue 1%80° 55°
Wed 2%85° 58°
Thu 3%86° 59°

Activities

No activities listed yet. Know what you can do here? Contribute!
Know somewhere we don't?
Recommend a place or a business — takes a minute, helps everyone find it.
Recommend
Added Jun 25, 2026
Data Disclaimer & Safety Notice

Conditions at outdoor locations change rapidly and without notice. Trail status, road access, facility availability, hours of operation, permit requirements, and fee structures listed on Hang Outdoors represent a snapshot in time and may be outdated by the time you visit. Seasonal closures, wildfire damage, flood damage, washouts, and temporary management actions are not reflected in real time.

Check directly with the land management agency — NPS, USFS, BLM, state park, or equivalent — for current conditions before heading out. Some high-demand locations require advance permits that sell out weeks or months ahead. Hang Outdoors does not guarantee access to any location and is not responsible for trip planning decisions made on the basis of information displayed on this platform.

Information on Hang Outdoors is provided for general informational purposes only. Data may be incomplete, inaccurate, or outdated. A significant portion of our content is crowd-sourced or user-contributed and has not been independently verified. Always consult official sources, qualified professionals, or local authorities before making decisions based on information found on this platform. Hang Outdoors makes no warranties — express or implied — regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of any information on this site. Use of this data is entirely at your own risk.

User-Contributed & Crowd-Sourced Data

Observations, sightings, catch reports, attribute values, images, and other user-submitted content have not been independently verified by Hang Outdoors. Reported species locations, catch weights, sizes, and environmental conditions are self-reported and may be inaccurate, exaggerated, or outdated. We reserve the right to remove inaccurate or inappropriate content but cannot guarantee the accuracy of all user-submitted information at any given time.

By using Hang Outdoors you acknowledge and accept these limitations. Questions? Contact us.

Hang Outdoors

Your comprehensive platform for discovering outdoor places, learning about wildlife, and planning your next adventure with confidence.

69,903 locations and growing

Explore

Library

Company

Hang Outdoors® is a registered trademark of Hang Outdoors, Inc. Hang Outdoors brand materials © 2026 Hang Outdoors, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hangar is part of the Hang Outdoors® family of applications.

Powered by Atlas, a Reaxiom Solutions, LLC platform. Atlas, Hangar, software, platform technology, data, data points, entities, geolocations, data structures, workflows, design, and development are owned by Reaxiom Solutions, LLC and are made available to Hang Outdoors, Inc. under permission from Reaxiom Solutions, LLC. © 2026 Reaxiom Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved.

Rejoining the server...

Rejoin failed... trying again in seconds.

Failed to rejoin.
Please retry or reload the page.

The session has been paused by the server.

Failed to resume the session.
Please reload the page.