Forget Mist Trail: Hike Yosemite's Underrated Waterfall Escape With Scenic Views, Wildflowers, And Fewer Crowds

Yosemite is a veritable theme park for waterfall lovers. From the 2,425-foot-high Yosemite Falls, one of the tallest on the whole planet, to the elegant Bridalveil Fall that welcomes you to the heart of the Yosemite Valley, there is plenty to see in this preserve's vast 2 million acres. And yet, while this might be the most-visited national park in California by quite some distance, there are still waterfalls that remain firmly off the beaten path, in nooks and crannies of the wilderness where few visitors ever manage to reach. Enter Chilnualna, a multi-tiered cataract that drops through a valley in one of Yosemite's less-trodden corners.

It's a cracking option for crowd-shy hikers who are considering hitting the wildly popular Mist Trail. You can swap that famed route to the Vernal Falls and the Nevada Falls, which happens to be among the most-trafficked day-hike routes in Yosemite as a whole, and head south to the Wawona area instead. That's where the Chilnualna Falls Trail awaits, with 8 miles of zigzagging pathway. It will lift you more than 2,200 feet up into a world of blooming spring-summer wildflowers, where the granite tops of the Wawona Dome loom large, and waterfalls wash over the rocks.

Convinced? The Chilnualna Falls Trailhead sits in Yosemite's secret gateway town of Wawona, where it's even possible to sleep within park boundaries to make sure you're first on the trail in the morning. More specifically, the path lies up the Chilnualna Falls Road, a spur that comes off Wawona Road, which is reachable in a little over 1.5 hours from the Fresno Yosemite International Airport, and in just under 4 hours from the bigger international air hub in San Francisco.

Find the start of the path at the end of the designated parking area along the Chilnualna Falls Road. It's flagged by one of those classic Yosemite metal markers, and it instantly puts you on a dusty trail that's hemmed in by big pines, boulders that stick out of the ground, and the odd burst of forest wildflowers. It won't be long until you see the first section of the falls, a small fountain of water that gurgles into a splash pool.

That's the point where the route begins its ascent in earnest, jutting first to the west, then to the east, as it squiggles through the woodlands, going ever higher. Eventually, it emerges from the canopy and crosses a dramatic section of path that forms steps right on the edge of a granite cliff — be wary of sheer drops here, and watch your footing on the slippery rocks!

After that, you'll enter a secret cleft in the mountain. There'll be one section of the Chilnualna Falls above you, another below, and a gurgling creek running through the pockets of woods right by your feet. One more push along the switchbacks will take you up to another ledge where the final reward for your day's effort is a peer-over view of the waterfalls as they drop off a cliff, throwing plumes of mist up into the air to a backdrop of lush green woodlands.

The great ace up the sleeve of the Chilnualna Falls Trail is the fact that it lies neatly away from the ultra-popular confines of the Yosemite Valley. Okay, so the waterfall you're headed to see might not be quite as iconic as the Vernal Falls that roar over the Mist Trail, but you can bet your hiking boots that there will be far fewer people on the path. That's especially the case on those high-season summer days, when past hikers report huge crowds — even queues — on the Mist Trail.

Then there are the wildflowers. This path is well known for showcasing some pretty darn lovely displays of flora once the warmer months hit. They come in many forms, from the sweeping covering of white Mountain Misery blooms that roar into life come June to species of lupine endemic to the state of California.

What's more, while long sections of this trail stay inside the forest, there are also moments when the trees drop away, and the views open up. You'll see the dramatic 240-foot section of the falls themselves from a distance, and the hulking top of the Wawona Dome looming overhead to boot. Combine everything, and you can see why one past hiker writing on AllTrails sums up their trip with such glowing words: "For us, one of the best hikes at Yosemite. Views terrific, wild flowers, big trees, two waterfalls and cascades, saw 10 people in 8 hours."