Wapama Falls, Waterfall in Hetch Hetchy, United States.
Wapama Falls is a waterfall in the Hetch Hetchy area of Yosemite National Park, in Tuolumne County, California, where water drops in tiers down a granite face. The falls sit at the far end of a trail that follows the edge of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, ending at a set of wooden footbridges directly in front of the drop.
Wapama Falls drops about 1,100 feet down the northern wall of Hetch Hetchy Valley, below Hetch Hetchy Dome. The valley floor was flooded after the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923 to supply San Francisco with water. The falls themselves remain above the reservoir, and the trail bridge at their base is sometimes inundated at peak flow.
The falls also appear on maps as Hetch Hetchy Falls and Macomb Falls, names recorded alongside Wapama. The Sierra Miwok name Wapama is the one that stuck for the waterfall on Falls Creek, below Hetch Hetchy Dome.
The round trip trail follows mostly flat ground along the reservoir shore and is manageable for most walkers, though a few short climbs appear along the way. In spring, when snowmelt is at its peak, water can wash over the footbridges and make crossing them wet or temporarily impossible.
When the falls run at full force, the spray from the water can soak the footbridges so heavily that rangers sometimes close access to them for safety. Visitors who get close enough on a high-water day often end up completely wet before they even reach the bridges.
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