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.
The valley that surrounds the falls was flooded in the early 1900s when the O'Shaughnessy Dam was built to supply water to San Francisco. The lower section of the rock face where the water runs is now submerged beneath the reservoir.
The name comes from the Sierra Miwok people who lived in this valley long before the national park was established. This connection to the land and its original inhabitants remains part of the place's identity.
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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