The 6 Best Waterfalls at Yosemite National Park

Bridalveil Fall

Miles (round trip): 0.8
Elevation Gain: 114 feet
Trail Map and Current Conditions

Looking for an easy waterfall to visit at Yosemite National Park? Check out the Bridalveil Fall Trail! Located in the Yosemite Valley section of the park, this short and easy 0.8 mile walk (round trip), takes you to a viewpoint of Bridalveil Fall, which plunges 620 feet. 

If you get to visit in the spring when the waters are the highest, the waterfall will be raging and will possibly spray on you! And in extreme cases, the viewpoint at the end of the trail may not be accessible. However, the rest of the year it’ll be a lighter, swaying flow, which is where its name comes from. 

This is one of the best waterfalls at Yosemite for all visitors since it is so fast and easy to get to!

Lower Yosemite Falls

Miles (round trip): 1.2
Elevation Gain: 55 feet
Trail Map and Current Conditions

Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America at 2,425 feet! And Lower Yosemite Falls Trail is an easy, paved trail that takes you to a viewpoint of the lower falls, which fall 320 feet. Which is super impressive on its own!

During our most recent visit (June 2024), the water was RAGING and we got misted along the trail. However, like some of the waterfalls at Yosemite, it can dry up in the summer. So if you visit in August, it may be trickle.

Since this trail is so accessible for all ages and abilities, it makes it one of the most popular waterfalls at Yosemite. And to make this trail even better, it’s one of the few dog friendly trails, so your pup can join in on the fun too!

Vernal Falls

Miles (round trip): 2.4
Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet
Trail Map and Current Conditions

The Mist Trail takes you to two of the best waterfalls in Yosemite and is one of our top hikes in Yosemite National Park! 

After 2.4 miles, the first waterfall you’ll come across is Vernal Falls. Despite being pretty short, it is steep and strenuous. If you’re feeling too tired after reaching Vernal Falls you can turn around here. Or if you still have some energy, continue on the trail to Nevada Falls (more on that below!).

While both waterfalls are well worth a visit, Vernal Falls is our favorite because you get blasted with mist as you walk alongside it. Hence, the trail name! You can embrace the mist, which can feel great on a hot day, but is a bit chilly just after sunrise or in colder weather. We definitely recommend bringing a pack cover to protect your backpack and belongings, and a rain jacket or poncho to have on hand in case the mist is too much for you.

This is one of the most popular hikes in the park, so you definitely should get here early to beat the crowds. There will still be crowds, even at sunrise, but when we hiked down, the crowds were Disneyland level bad. 

Parking tip: The parking lot is a large gravel lot that can fill up early! If the lot is full, you’ll need to find other parking and then take the shuttle to the trailhead. We did this hike twice during our most recent visit, starting around 6 AM both times, and had no issues parking.

Wapama Falls

Miles (round trip): 4.7 
Elevation Gain: 1,108 feet
Trail Map and Current Conditions

One of the most underrated waterfalls at Yosemite is the Wapama Falls Trail. Located in the much less visited Hetch Hetchy area of the park, it’s similar to the Mist Trail, but with WAY less people. So if you liked that one then you’ll definitely enjoy this one too! 

You’ll walk across the Hetch Hetchy Dam, go through a tunnel, and then walk along the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The end of the hike takes you along bridges that go over Wapama Falls. 

During our visit in June the waterfalls were blasting the bridge and we got soaked! And since this trail is at a bit lower elevation, the temperature is warmer, which means the mist from the falls feels wonderful!

Nevada Falls

Miles (round trip): 6.4
Elevation Gain: 2,208 feet
Trail Map and Current Conditions

As we mentioned above, you’ll take the Mist Trail to get to Vernal Falls first and then you can continue on to Nevada Falls. In total, this hike will gain about 2,200 feet of elevation, so it’s pretty tough. But 100% worth it to see these two stunning waterfalls at Yosemite!

Unlike Vernal Falls, which you walk right next to, you are a bit further from Nevada Falls, so you don’t get AS misted. But there are a couple spots where you get closer and can feel its icy mist. 

At the top, there is a viewpoint to the right where you can overlook the waterfall. Plus you can cross a bridge to go over the top of the waterfall, where there is a great open rocky area that is perfect for a picnic!

To head back down you can either go back the same way you came or go a slightly different way (which we recommend). Due to a current closure on the John Muir Trail at the top of Nevada Falls, you will have to go back down Nevada Falls the same way you came. But just after crossing a bridge further down the trail, there will be a split off that takes you to Clark Point. Follow this and continue down this trail until you eventually meet up with the regular trail again. 

We prefer hiking down this way as it helps us avoid some of the crowds, especially at the Vernal Falls section. You will skip the mist this way, so if you do not want to get misted at all, you could bypass Vernal Falls and head up to Nevada Falls this way instead.

Upper Yosemite Falls

Miles (round trip): 6.6
Elevation Gain: 3,254 feet
Trail Map and Current Conditions

In addition to Lower Yosemite Falls, you also have the option to hike all the way to the top of the towering 2,425 foot tall Yosemite Falls. But be prepared, this is a HARD hike!

Beginning on the valley floor, it is a steep uphill climb the entire way. We are pretty experienced hikers and it still kicked our butts! But along the way you’ll have great views of Yosemite Valley, plus pass Oh My Gosh Point (properly named!), for a great view of the falls. 

Once at the top, you can go to an overlook (which requires a narrow stairs section with railing) to see the falls plummet over the cliff edge. But for the most part, the views from the top are mostly of Yosemite Valley.

There are some good flat picnic spots at the top to take a break after your hard work. And if you have any energy to spare, you can continue on another mile one-way to Yosemite Point. While you’ll likely be completely exhausted, the views from Yosemite Point are even better than from the top of the falls. It isn’t too much extra effort, and we highly recommend it!

Dogs are NOT allowed everywhere

If you’re bringing your pet with you to the park, they aren’t allowed at most of the waterfalls at Yosemite or on the majority of trails in the park.

Pets are ONLY allowed in developed areas, on fully paved roads, paved overlooks, sidewalks, and bike paths (unless there is a “no dogs” sign), and in all campgrounds except walk-in campgrounds. They can also hike on a couple trails, including the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail, but must be on a 6 foot leash.

Curious what we do with Kona when she cannot join us on a hike? Read this guide about how we travel full time with a dog.

Download offline maps

Cell service is not great inside Yosemite National Park, so we recommend downloading Google Maps for offline use. You’ll want to have the area of the park downloaded so that you can get between places, even if you don’t have cell service. We also suggest downloading offline AllTrails maps so you can navigate on hikes even without cell service.

Want to get 30% off an AllTrails Plus membership? Use our code aplusk30 (you must redeem this code on the website, not the app)!

We use AllTrails Plus on every single hike and it is the most helpful hiking tool out there! Some of the features we love are offline maps (so we can navigate even without cell service), wrong-turn alerts, and its 3D maps feature, so we can get a feel for trails before we hike.