Yosemite Falls

Drop everything

Is it plungeworthy?

1,430feet tall

1,430 ft — one of the tallest in the country.

Scale60/60

Documentation20/20

Character20/20

The details

Tiers: 6 drops
Type: Tiered Plunge
Watercourse: Yosemite Creek
Coordinates: 37.75681, -119.5968

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About Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Falls is a 1,430-foot tiered plunge in California, on Yosemite Creek. The water falls in 6 distinct tiers.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates Yosemite Falls 10/10 — drop everything. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

The tallest waterfall in North America: 2,425 feet in three acts — the 1,430-foot upper plunge, the middle cascades, and the 320-foot lower fall — pouring off the north rim of Yosemite Valley. The paved one-mile base loop delivers you to the footbridge in the spray of the lower fall; a separate, serious trail climbs to the very top.

Getting there

Trailhead: Lower Yosemite Fall Trailhead, near Yosemite Village (shuttle stop 6)
Parking: Yosemite Village lots ~0.3 miles away, or the free valley shuttle
Road: Paved all the way; Hwy 140 is the most weather-proof approach
Hike: 1 mi round trip, 50 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: The eastern half of the base loop is wheelchair accessible. The top-of-the-falls trail from Camp 4 is a different animal: 7.2 miles round trip, 2,700 feet of climbing.

When to go

Time it right: the falls run on snowmelt, peak in May, and can be bone dry by late August — a first-time visitor in September finds a stained cliff. November rains restart it. Winter builds a snow cone at the base of the upper fall.

For 2026 Yosemite dropped its timed-entry reservation system, so entry is the $35/vehicle gate fee and your patience with Village crowds — mornings are kinder.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Yosemite entrance fee: $35/vehicle (7 days, covers every fall in the Valley); interagency passes accepted. No 2026 entry reservation required.
Dogs: Leashed dogs on the paved base loop only; not on the climbing trail
Hours: Open 24 hours
Camping: Upper/Lower/North Pines and Camp 4, all within a mile — reserve on recreation.gov well ahead
Warnings: Stay off the boulders above the footbridge — polished granite is lethal even dry, and people die here doing exactly that.

Researched from NPS — Yosemite Falls Trail · NPS — Yosemite waterfalls & flow timing. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Yosemite Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.