Logistics
Day hikers should be properly equipped (sturdy shoes, raingear, a hat), even for this comparatively small hike, because the trail rises thousands of feet. Fortunately, a prudent walker can simply turn back if the going gets too difficult. The hike ceases to be wheelchair accessible at the Happy Isles, but there are bridges to the Isles themselves.
Hikers are cautioned that they should register a plan with the rangers so that their safety can be monitored; in this day of cell phones, that advice may seem unnecessary, but a cell phone can always be lost or broken and the loss of service is common on the trail.
Beyond the Mist Trail, on the John Muir Trail, hikers may find themselves sharing the trail with a horse and rider; etiquette and safety demand that hikers yield to the horses, because if someone spooks the horse, both horse and rider may be pitched down the mountainside.
Read more about this topic: Mist Trail