The views are spectacular along the Mist Trail, but there are also many issues including safety, wayfinding and more. Public comment is now open for input about proposed improvements.
Yosemite National Park has released the Mist Trail Corridor Environmental Assessment (EA) for public review and comment.
The project proposes improvements to one of the most heavily visited and iconic trail corridors in the National Park System.
The public comment period will remain open through June 29.
The Mist Trail Corridor includes the Happy Isles area, Mist Trail, John Muir Trail, Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall and access routes to Half Dome.
Each summer, tens of thousands of visitors use the corridor, making it Yosemite National Park’s busiest hiking area.
“The Mist Trail is one of Yosemite’s most unforgettable experiences, but it is also one of the park’s most physically demanding and heavily visited trail systems,” said Superintendent Ray McPadden. “This planning effort focuses on improving visitor safety, orientation and stewardship while protecting the natural and cultural resources that make this place so special.”
The project is intended to address several long-standing challenges within the corridor, including:
• Visitor safety concerns associated with steep terrain, slick surfaces, swift water and visitor overexertion.
• Limited orientation and wayfinding opportunities at the trailhead.
• Crowding and visitor congestion.
• The need for improved visitor information and stewardship messaging.
• Infrastructure and visitor service need associated with sustained high visitation.
Potential improvements analyzed in the EA include enhanced trailhead orientation, improved wayfinding, visitor circulation improvements, additional route and loop opportunities, visitor safety messaging and other visitor experience enhancements.
The National Park Service will host a virtual public meeting during the public comment period to provide information about the project and answer questions. Meeting information will be posted on the project webpage.
Public comments may be submitted online through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website at:
[Insert PEPC link] ParkPlanning – Mist Trail Corridor Project EA
Additional project information, including the Environmental Assessment and StoryMap, is available at: parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?documentID=150212
More information can be found at www.nps.gov/yose/getinvolved/misttrailcorridor.htm
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