Yosemite Falls, Waterfall at Yosemite National Park, California, US.
Yosemite Falls is a waterfall in Yosemite National Park in California that drops in three sections over a combined height of 2,425 feet (739 meters). The upper portion plunges down, followed by a middle cascade and a lower section that collects at the valley floor.
The area was home to the Ahwahneechee people before European settlers arrived in the 1850s. The waterfall itself was carved by glacial movements that scraped away the hard granite bedrock over thousands of years.
The name comes from the Miwok language and means something like big mouth, referring to the wide cleft from which the water plunges. Today, viewpoints along the trails mark the best spots to see the entire drop in full view.
The lower section is reachable via a short level trail, while climbing to the top requires a full day of demanding hiking with many steep switchbacks. Spring offers the strongest flow, while late summer may see the water reduce to a trickle or stop completely.
On cold winter days, the mist at the base of the upper section freezes into a cone-shaped ice tower that can reach up to 300 feet (90 meters) high. This ice cone grows as long as the spray freezes in the air and piles up layer by layer.
Location: Mariposa County
Height: 436 m
Width: 27 m
Part of: Yosemite Creek
GPS coordinates: 37.75144,-119.59714
Latest update: December 5, 2025 16:36
Waterfalls draw you in through your senses. You hear the roar of falling water, feel the mist on your skin, and watch light dance across the spray. Many of the most powerful examples are found in places that stay relatively untouched, where reaching them is half the reward. These destinations give visitors something increasingly hard to find at famous natural sites: time alone with the landscape. This collection shows waterfalls shaped by different geographies and climates across the world. In Croatia, Plitvice Lakes displays terraces of limestone with pools that cascade from one to the next beneath tall trees. Utah's Coyote Gulch reveals hidden alcoves and pools carved by water into red sandstone over millions of years. India's Nohkalikai Falls plunges from a forested plateau down to a green pool far below, while China's Huangguoshu Waterfall has a cave you can walk behind, sheltered by the falling water itself. At the border between Vietnam and China, Ban Gioc-Detian spreads wide like a sheet of water across the terrain. Venezuela's Angel Falls drops nearly 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) from a flat-topped mountain into the valley below. Norway's Geirangerfjord holds the Seven Sisters, seven streams that run parallel to each other and pour directly into the fjord. Iceland's Dettifoss releases a massive amount of glacial water over black volcanic rock, creating a powerful display. In South Africa, Tugela Falls descends in separate tiers down the steep cliffs of the Drakensberg range. And in the Philippines, Kawasan Falls forms a series of turquoise pools framed by tropical trees. Each location has developed its own look, shaped by the type of rock beneath it, the weather that surrounds it, and the land around it.
Ahwahnee Hotel
2.1 km
Camp 4
1.2 km
Lost Arrow Spire
625 m
Four Mile Trail
2.3 km
Housekeeping Camp
1.9 km
LeConte Memorial Lodge
2 km
Swinging Bridge
1.6 km
Yosemite Museum & Library
868 m
Royal Arch Cascade
2.3 km
Columbia Boulder
1.2 km
Eagle Peak
1.7 km
Rangers' Club
1 km
Lehamite Falls
2 km
Yosemite Village Historic District
964 m
Yosemite Valley
2 km
Stoneman Bridge
2.4 km
Yosemite Valley Visitor Center
915 m
Yosemite National Park Post Office
1 km
Ahwahnee Bridge
2.3 km
Yosemite Creek Bridge
700 m
Indian Canyon
1.4 km
Ansel Adams Gallery
964 m
Sentinel Bridge
1.1 km
Yosemite Wilderness Center
985 m
Yosemite Creek Footbridge
207 m
Superintendent's House
893 m
Housekeeping Footbridge
2 km
Yosemite Research Library
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