The entrance begins at Happy Island. The first part of the road to Vernal Falls is very paved and less than a mile from the destination. Although absolutely steep, the first part of the hike has many families and children, and you can see the spring waterfall. After arriving at the Vernal Falls footbridge, you will see a lot of people taking a break and enjoying the scenery. If you plan to continue hiking to Nevada Falls, this is also a great place to use the bathroom and add water to the water station.