Upper Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Valley · near Yosemite Valley · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 7.2 miles
- Elevation gain
- 3,200 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Spring for peak flow (April–June) · Falls often dry by late summer · Year-round trail
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. Yosemite Valley timed-entry reservation may apply May–September (check current rules). The trail is open year-round but can be icy in winter up high.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Top of North America's tallest waterfall · 2,425-ft waterfall · Panoramic Valley views · Columbia Rock viewpoint en route · Serious switchback climb
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- The trailhead is near Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley (the historic climbers' campground). Spring is essential for the waterfall's full power. For an even bigger day, strong hikers continue to Yosemite Point or Eagle Peak. The Valley shuttle connects all the trailheads — skip the parking hassle.
The guide
The Upper Yosemite Falls trail is a classic Valley grind with a spectacular payoff — a relentless 3,200-foot climb up granite s…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Upper Yosemite Falls — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.756, -119.598