Related Articles Yosemite National Park to close due to heavy smoke

Yosemite: Hazardous smoke, fire closure. Oh, and biting snakes. FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Yosemite rangers are searching for a man who fell into the Merced River from the Mist Trail on Monday.

The unidentified man was seen falling into the river around 12:30 p.m. Yosemite’s alert about the incident describes him as about 6-foot-2, with a shaved or bald head, and possibly in his 20s. He was wearing a blue shirt and red or tan shorts; he carried a hiking pole but had no backpack.

The Mist Trail gets hundreds of visitors each day of the summer. From Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley, it is less than a mile to the footbridge at Vernal Fall, almost 3 miles to Nevada Fall. Because it follows the plunging river, many sections of the trail are wet and the rocky banks are slick, especially in spring and early summer.

Authorities ask that anybody with information contact the park’s dispatch line, (209) 379-1992.

Two other men remain on Yosemite’s missing-persons list: