Panorama Trail + Yosemite photography - May 4, 2025

I was due for a monthly conditioning hike and chose to go up the Mist Trail and JMT up to Panorama Point since I had never been up that way before, not even to Vernal and Nevada Falls. My real aim was an unnamed 7007-ft summit above Panorama Point which I had hoped would have good views of the surrounding area.

I arrived in the park at sunrise and first made my way to Tunnel View to see if the cloud conditions would be worth photographing (it had rained the day before). Unfortunately, conditions were clear and uninteresting. However, further in the valley low clouds shrouded Lower Yosemite Fall in mist and made for some amazing photos in the early morning light.

Upper Yosemite Fall through the morning mist.

Peak 7007 via Panorama Trail

By the time I was done dillydallying with photography, it was already 7:15 AM and I knew the Mist Trail would be very crowded on a spring Sunday. The parking situation was a bit confusing since the Mist Trail parking lot lies on a road with a posted “no private vehicles” sign. Apparently, this sign only refers to the portion of the road beyond the parking lot. Not knowing this, I just parked at the Curry Village day use lot which added only a mile roundtrip to my hike.

I did zero research for this hike beyond knowing that 1. the Mist Trail and JMT run parallel to each other with the former getting you close to the falls 2. this is one of the most popular hikes in the entire park. At 7:30 the trail wasn’t all that busy. I quickly peeled away from the slower groups and found myself at the Vernal Fall footbridge. The morning light filtering through the trees along the river was heavenly. The portion of the trail up to the top of Vernal Fall was quite intense in terms of grade, something I wasn’t expecting. The stone steps are large and definitely gave my quads and glutes a work out.

I was too stubborn to put my rain jacket on and ended up getting pretty drenched on the final portion of the first ascent. The top of Vernal Fall was pretty busy so I didn’t really stop to take any photos. I peeled away from the Mist Trail and decided to take the JMT up to the Panorama Trail. At this point, I saw only about 5-6 people on the trail (most people evidently ascend via the Mist Trail and descend via the JMT), and once I headed up on the Panorama Trail away from Nevada Fall, I more-or-less had complete solitude.

The cross country terrain up to Peak 7007 was generally wide open with some occasional low brush that didn’t impede progress. Views towards Half Dome and Yosemite Falls were fantastic. I debated continuing on towards Glacier Point since I really wanted to see Illilouette Fall and the panoramic views of Vernal and Nevada Falls, but I started a bit too late and don’t think I packed enough food for such a long hike. A loud clap of thunder shortly after 11 AM ended up making the decision for me. The descent via the JMT was uneventful though a bit more crowded than morning now. Once I made it back down the the Mist Trail, it was a proper conga line! I made it back to my car just before the afternoon storms moved in.

Yosemite Valley photography

I napped in my car for a bit and killed some time on my phone before deciding what to do next. I knew cloud conditions right after a storm could lead to some dramatic sunset views, but it was only 2 PM and staying for sunset would likely mean not getting home until nearly midnight. Still, I begrudgingly made my way to Tunnel View to at least see how things were shaping up. The clouds danced around the summit of El Cap and Bridalveil Fall in a wild show but what I was really after was low-lying clouds on the valley floor which were nowhere to be seen.

I killed some time texting with friends, asking if they thought it would be worth it to wait until sunset and half-hoping they would convince me to stay. By the time I made up my mind, sunset was just around the corner and clouds on the valley floor seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Clouds to the west prevented much color from showing up but the swirling clouds in the valley more than made up for it. I ended up staying well past sunset and chatted with another photographer about landscape photography and travel. I didn’t make it home until midnight but the effort was well worth it!

Yosemite Valley blanketed in clouds after a spring rainstorm.

—Justin