This page is intended to provide a comprehensive listing of known waterfalls in the Yosemite National Park area, in California. Thanks to my friends Donald Bain and Dean Goss for supplying me with information I've used to start creating this web-page. It is my hope that you will find this page of value. This page will be updated as I find information on the waterfalls. Yosemite was first seen by Joseph Rutherford Walker and a group of explorers in 1833. Yosemite was given protection by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864, setting it aside for public use. It was declared a National Park in 1890, in part because of the work of John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt. January 2001 Update: 01/25: Added links for several waterfall pages on the California Waterfalls site. This is one of my friend Yudschin's many excellent sites covering waterfalls. Other pages that I've linked to to provide pictures of various waterfalls are by Dave Banghart, Gene Rose, and the National Park Service's Yosemite NP site. If you happen to know of sites featuring pictures of the other Yosemite waterfalls, please let me know. All pictures by Yudschin, Banghart, and the other photographers are copyrighted by them.
November 2009 News: 11/28: Removed all dead
Geocities site links.
Alder Creek Falls - 250 feet high.
Bridal Veil Falls, Bridalveil Creek, Yosemite Valley. Also listed as Bridalveil Falls. The most notable waterfall in Yosemite National Park. Best views are from base of falls, which leaves one soaked. 620 feet high. On South wall of Yosemite Valley. View BridalVeil Fall pictures.
Bunnell Cascade - no info known.
California Falls, Tuolumne River, downstream from Tuolumne Meadows. Possibly in Big Tuolumne Canon.
Carlon Falls - 35 feet high.
Cascade Cliffs - 1,250 feet high.
Cascade Creek Falls, on Cascade Creek, located above The Cascades.
The Cascades: Lower Cascades, Highway 140 near Arch Rock entrance. Visible part is 300 feet high. Upper Cascades, Highway 120 shortly before it meets Hwy 140. Visible part is 240 feet high. On North wall of Yosemite Valley. View Lower Cascades picture.
Chilnualna Falls, Chilnualna Creek, on Chilnualna Falls Road, near Wawona. Located in south part of park. 690 feet high. There are five waterfalls on the trail ranging from 30-300 feet high according to secondary source data. Fall #1 is 90-120 feet high. Fall #2 is a 30-feet high cascade. Fall #3 is 300 feet high. Fall #4 is 60 feet high. Fall #5 is a 180-210 feet high cascade. Picture viewing links: View Yudschin's Chilnualna Trail pictures.
Chinquapin Falls - no info known.
Columbia Cascade. On North wall of Yosemite Valley.
Columbia Falls. On North wall of Yosemite Valley.
Deer Creek Falls. On South wall of Yosemite Valley.
Dome Creek Falls - no info known.
El Capitan Falls - 1,000 feet high. On North wall of Yosemite Valley. Only visible during/after times of heavy rainfall.
Fern Springs Falls. Somebody's idea of a joke, calling this one a waterfall, since it is only 1 foot high.
Foresta Falls - no info known.
Horsetail Falls, near Lake Tahoe. Also listed as Horse Tail Fall. 1,000 feet high.
Illilouette Falls, Illilouette Creek, in the Illilouette Canon. Accessed via the Panorama Trail from Glacier Point or Happy Isles. 370 feet high. On South wall of Yosemite Valley. View Illilouette Falls picture.
LeConte Falls - 300 feet high.
Lehamite Falls. On North wall of Yosemite Valley.
Little Nellie Falls - 30 feet high.
Nevada Falls, Merced River, in the Nevada Canon, Yosemite Valley. Located where the river leaves the Little Yosemite Valley, leaping several hundred feet over a cliff. It is easily viewed from Glacier Point, which is 1300 feet above, and two miles away. You may also hike to the top of the falls, either by following the river up past Vernal Falls, or by taking the Panorama Trail. On South wall of Yosemite Valley. View Nevada Falls pictures. Actual waterfall height is around 420 feet, based on friends' study of topographical maps of the park.
Pywiack Cascade - 600 feet high.
Rancheria Falls, possibly on Rancheria Creek, Hetch Hetchy Valley. 30 feet high. Located north of the Yosemite Valley.
Ribbon Falls, Ribbon Creek, Yosemite Valley. The highest free-leaping waterfall in Yosemite, California, and North America. Located west of El Capitan, almost oposite of Bridalveil Falls. Best seen from southside road opposite of Bridalveil Falls. Exists only while the winter snow is melting. 1,612 feet high. On North wall of Yosemite Valley. Also called Virgin's Tear by John Muir. View Ribbon Falls pictures.
Royal Arch Falls - possibly same waterfall as Royal Arches Cascade.
Royal Arches Cascade. 1,250 feet high. On North wall of Yosemite Valley.
Sentinel Cascades - two waterfalls, combined HEIGHT of 3,000 feet. Listed by John Muir. Possibly same waterfall as Sentinel Falls.
Sentinel Falls, Yosemite Valley near Sentinel Rock, 4 Miles Trailhead. 2,000 feet high. On South wall of Yosemite Valley. View Sentinel Falls picture.
Silver Apron Falls - also called Diamond Cascade. Located between Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls.
Silver Strand Falls, Meadow Brook, Yosemite Valley. Located on cliffs above the Wawona Tunnel Lookout, and is often not seen by those viewing the Yosemite Valley. Is dried up by mid-summer. Located on the South wall of Yosemite Valley. View Silver Strand Falls picture. Actual waterfall height is 574 feet, based on friends' study of topographical maps of the park.
Snow Creek Falls - 2,000 feet high. On North wall of Yosemite Valley.
Spelt Creek Falls - no info known.
Staircase Falls. 1,300 feet high. On South wall of Yosemite Valley. May also be named Stairstep Falls.
Tamarack Creek Falls, on Tamarack Creek.
Tenaya Cascades, Tenaya Creek, Tenaya Canon. 600 feet high. On North wall of Yosemite Valley.
Tenaya Fall, Tenaya Creek, Tenaya Canon. 40 feet high. On North wall of Yosemite Valley.
Tissiack Cascades - no info known.
Teeulala Falls, Hetch Hetchy Valley. Located a few miles north of the Yosemite Valley. 1,000 feet high. Listed as being over an 1,800 feet high cliff in John Muir's book. View Teeulala Falls picture.
Tuolumne Falls, Tuolumne River, downstream from Tuolumne Meadows, near Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp. 100 feet high.
Vernal Falls, Merced River, Giant Staircase area, Yosemite Valley. Reached by a 1.25 mile long trail from the Happy Isles Area in Yosemite Valley. Also viewable from Glacier Point. Located on the South wall of Yosemite Valley. View Vernal Falls pictures. Actual waterfall height is around 200 feet, based on friends' study of topographical maps of the park.
Wapama Falls, Falls Creek, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir/Valley. Located north of Yosemite Valley. 1,700 feet high. View Wapama Falls pictures.
Waterwheel Falls, Tuolumne River, downstream from Tuolumne Meadows, near Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp. 300 feet high. Waterwheel is unique among waterfalls in that viewers are looking to see how high the water jumps up in the air instead of how high they are. View Waterwheel Falls information and pictures.
White Cascade, Tuolumne River, downstream from Tuolumne Meadows, near Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp. Located near Waterwheel Falls.
Widows Tears Fall - 1,170 feet high. No other data known.
Wildcat Falls, Hwy 140 near Arch Rock entrance. Visible part is 180 feet high, total HEIGHT is 250 feet. On North wall of Yosemite Valley. View Wildcat Falls picture.
Yosemite Fall, Yosemite Creek, Yosemite Valley. The Middle Cascades, located between the Upper Falls and Lower Falls, is a series of pools and cascades, covering 675 feet. A cliff to the left of the Lower Falls, known as the Black Wall, is a favorite location for rock climbers. The combined height of the waterfall is 2,425 feet, which makes it the tallest waterfall in North America. View Yosemite Fall pictures.
Lower Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Creek. Located near the Yosemite Lodge. Usually visited by taking trail through woods from the Yosemite Lodge. 320 feet high. View Lower Falls pictures.
Upper Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Creek. Located near the Yosemite Lodge. Best viewed during the spring, since the creek becomes a trickle in summer and autumn. Is directly viewable by using a trail from Camp Five, going over Columbia Point. 1,430 feet high. View Upper Falls pictures.
Yosemite Gorge Fall and Cascades - no info known.
Budd Creek, Cathedral Creek, Nevada Creek, Hoffman Creek, Rancheria Creek, Timberline Creek, and Virginia Creek.
Avalanche Canon, Big Tuolumne Canon, Fall Canon, Grand Canyon of the
Tuolumne, Illilouette Canon, Indian Canon, Merced River Canon, Nevada Canon,
and Tenaya Canon.
| Yosemite NP, CA - Aristov | Images of Yosemite National Park - Armstrong |
| Hiking World - Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls and Half Dome - Banghart | Yosemite Photos by William Chan |
| Brad's Photos of Yosemite - Mills | Photos - Yosemite Gold Country |
| Waterfalls of Yosemite - Bain | Yosemite National Park Home Page |
| Yosemite NP Portfolio - Finley | Yosemite National Park -- Sights to See |
| Yosemite98 - Yen-Wen Lu | Yosemite 2001 - Yen-Wen Lu |
| California Waterfalls - Yudschin (Frames) | Vernal Falls, Clark's Point, full height view - Bain |
| Falls of Yosemite National Park - Slackta | Resources (The Yosemite FAQ) Page |
| Waterfalls of California - Turnbull |
The Castle Camelot Yosemite Waterfalls Page was created by Donald Tidmore on Jun. 03, 2000. Primary sources of information were Donald Bain, Dean Goss, Dave Banghart, and Yudschin. If you wish to provide information on waterfalls, Yosemite waterfall site links, feedback or suggestions, please write me at donald.tidmore (at) usa.net. Web-page created using MS Frontpage Express and a DOS text editor program. This page address, as of July xxth, 2014 is: http://castlecamelot.sourceforge.net/cam-yose.htm.
Page counter info: As of Oct. 05, 2002, the cam-yose.htm page on my GeoCities site had 1,975 hits. The counter was in use since Jun. 03, 2000.
You are visitor number since Jul. 16th, 2007 (May 31th, 2007).
Copyright © 2000-2014 Donald Tidmore. Page edited on: May 28, 2014 at 02:00 am.