Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley in June: waterfalls at full blast

June is the month this permit was made for. The Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley entry covers the shortest serious overnight in Yosemite: about 4.7 miles from the Valley floor at 4,035 feet to the first legal camping area at 6,150, past two of the most powerful waterfalls in the park while they are running at their annual maximum. Nevada Fall drops 594 feet, and in June the spray off the Mist Trail section soaks everything within range. This is also, not coincidentally, one of the highest-demand wilderness entries in the park. The permit is a Recreation.gov reservation against a daily trailhead quota, not a lottery. Summer weekend dates disappear the moment they release, but June behavior has a useful wrinkle: this trailhead absorbs a lot of speculative winter bookings from people building Half Dome plans, and a steady stream of those get cancelled as groups' lottery results, fitness, and schedules sort themselves out. Weekday June dates come back into the system regularly. If your group can move on a Tuesday, the odds improve dramatically. About Half Dome, because it drives most of the demand here: Little Yosemite Valley is the classic basecamp for it, and the cables typically go up in late May. The Half Dome day-hike permit is its own separate lottery, so holding this wilderness permit does not by itself put you on the cables; sort out the Half Dome side before you build the trip around it. Even without Half Dome, LYV earns the night. Clouds Rest and the Merced high country sit above camp, and a dawn walk back down past Nevada Fall with the crowds gone is the best hour on this trail. What June looks like on the ground: the Mist Trail is loud, wet, and packed with day traffic through midday, with slick granite steps that produce more injuries than anything above them. The JMT switchbacks make a drier, saner descent with a loaded pack. LYV camp itself is a designated area with a composting toilet and food storage; it runs at or near capacity most June nights, so arrive with time to pick a site and expect neighbors. Bears work this corridor as hard as anywhere in the Sierra, and canisters are required. Water is a non-issue in June: the Merced runs full beside camp, and there is no dry stretch on the route. Treat all of it. The river deserves respect in melt season; the flat water above Nevada Fall is faster than it looks, and June is exactly the season when staying out of it matters most. Common mistakes on this one: - Hauling overnight packs up the Mist Trail at noon on a Saturday. Take the JMT side, or start before 7am. - Assuming the wilderness permit includes Half Dome. It does not; the cables permit is a separate lottery. - Showing up at LYV at dusk expecting site selection. The camp fills. - Underrating the trip because it is short. The 2,100-foot climb with full packs in June humidity next to the falls is honest work. — Compiled by the PermitSnag team from agency info, ranger updates, and public trip logs.