Spring is the Best Time for Yosemite WAterfalls
The awe-inspiring panorama of Yosemite National Park features sky-scraping granite walls and domes with heart stopping 3,000-foot plunging cliffs making some of the world’s largest and most majestic waterfalls. Waterfalls in Yosemite animate and enliven the park’s massive stage.
How many waterfalls are in Yosemite? The answer depends on seasonal rainfall & snowfall and when you visit. Yosemite’s largest waterfalls flow from October or November through July, but tend to peak in April and May and into June, with some falls (including the park’s
signature Yosemite Falls) running dry by late summer. Here’s a quick tour of world-class waterfalls in Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite Falls • Height: 2,425 feet • Location: Yosemite Valley
• Flow: November to July, peak in May/June Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America and the sixth tallest in the world. The twin cascades – upper and lower – are together nearly twice the height of the Empire State Building and visible from many points around Yosemite Valley.
There is a one-mile loop trail to the base of Lower Yosemite Fall (year-round and wheelchair accessible). The full Yosemite Falls Trail is strenuous, but for strong hikers well worth the trek.
In spring as the rains continue and high-country snow begins to melt, the most iconic fall in Yosemite Valley bursts with water into a torrent that plunges to the Valley Floor. As the year creeps on, the falls slow into a trickle and eventually into nothing when Yosemite Falls turns into “Yosemite Walls”. Then the cycle resets each fall with the first rains of the new wet season.
Bridalveil Fall • Height: 620 feet
• Location: Yosemite Valley
• Flow: Year-round, peaks in May The first waterfall most Yosemite National Park visitors see is stunning Bridalveil Fall which greets visitors as they enter Yosemite Valley from Highway 140 or Highway 41. Truly a head-turner, Bridalveil is that waterfall – the one that graces the right foreground of Yosemite’s iconic Tunnel View panorama. It varies from a thunderous spring flow to a gently swaying wisp by season’s end. Bridalveil’s beauty is surpassed only by its ease of access. Thanks to the Yosemite Conservancy’s multiyear Bridalveil Fall Restoration project, the newly-renovated, paved trail to the base of the fall is wider, wheelchair accessible, and pet-friendly. New restrooms and expanded viewing areas are just the frosting on the cake that is a multi-year project set to be completed this spring.
Vernal Fall • Height: 317 feet • Location: Yosemite Valley
• Flow: Year-round, peaks late May. Vernal Fall – and Nevada Fall directly above – are the stars of perhaps Yosemite’s most famous hike: The Mist Trail. Looking like something straight out of Lord of the Rings, The Mist Trail climbs up hundreds of steps carved directly into the side of a mountain past Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall (more on Nevada Fall in a second) which flow year-round. Wear grippy shoes or boots and a waterproof shell for the Mist Trail’s snowmelt spritz!
Nevada Fall
• Height: 594 feet • Location: Yosemite Valley
• Flow: Year-round, peaks late May The operatic Mist Trail continues steeply for 1.5 additional miles with 2,000 ft. elevation gain to the top of its second aquatic act, Nevada Fall. Nevada Fall thunders in late spring and summer as the roaring Merced River tumbles down toward Yosemite Valley. The view from the top is spectacular, especially where a footbridge crosses above the Merced. Consider taking the John Muir Trail back down to the Valley floor for a different perspective and slightly less strenuous descent.
Chilnualna Falls
• Height: 2,200 feet • Location: Wawona
• Flow: Year-Round, peaks in May Chilnualna Falls, located in Wawona, is one of the least-visited big waterfalls in Yosemite. Part of the reason: it can’t be seen from the road. The strenuous, switch backed 8-mile trail to the top begins at an elevation of 4,200 feet and plays peek-a-boo with a series of falls, cascades, and cataracts. Discover the trailhead just off the Chilnualna Falls parking area, two miles up from Chilnualna Falls Road.