Yosemite National Park is full of epic hikes throughout the park. Big-name trails include trails like Clouds Rest, Half Dome, 4-mile Trail (Glacier Point), Panorama Trail, and more. But one hike that definitely stands out is Upper Yosemite Falls.
In this article, I will break down what the hike is like to Upper Yosemite Falls and also to the nearby Yosemite Point.
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Upper Yosemite Falls Overview
Highlights on the Upper Yosemite Falls trail include: exceptional views of Yosemite Valley and Upper Yosemite Falls, somewhat challenging heights, and the potential for bucket-list worthy bragging rights of hiking to the top of the tallest waterfall in North America (2,425 feet).
- Distance: 7.6 miles
- Elevation Gain: 3,218 feet
- Route Type: Out and back
- Pets: No
- Difficulty: Strenuous
- Time needed: 5 to 8 hours
My map below also includes the hike to Yosemite Point, which adds on about 2 miles.
Getting to the trailhead
We found plenty of parking on the day use parking lot along Northside Drive near Camp 4. (Turn on Meadow Lane to access the parking lot.) This is just past Yosemite Valley Lodge, so if you are staying there you could easily walk to the trailhead.
I’m sure the lot fills up fast in the summer so my advice would be to get there early for a parking spot and to start the hike at the right time.
Trail conditions
The trail is one of the oldest in the park and was built in the 1800s (1873 to 1877) but it is still in great condition.
At pretty much every point it is easy to follow so you should not need to worry about getting lost on the trail.
The trail is very rocky and consists of a lot of steps, so I would advise to wear hiking boots with good ankle support.
The other issue with the steps is that they can be slippery due to loose sand/dirt and also they can get slippery when the falls cast a lot of mist into the air.
For that reason, I would also highly recommend bringing at least one trekking pole. I recently switched to a collapsible trekking pole and now I bring that single lightweight pole with me on pretty much every hike! (Unfortunately, I did not have it for this hike though!)
This trail is open during the winter but chances are you will encounter snow and ice on the higher portions. You would definitely want some type of traction help like crampons if entering up there in the winter.
Route description
From the parking lot described above you will cross the street and you should see the sign post for the trailhead pretty quickly. You will shortly intersect with the Valley Loop Trail so make sure that you keep heading straight.
You will hit the switchbacks almost immediately when starting the trail so be prepared for the incline to begin with very little warm-up. My GPS showed that the 1st mile had almost 800 feet in elevation gain which is pretty steep so be ready for a nice little work out.
The steps will take you through pretty thick oak forest so you should have some shade to help you out but I would advise you to start at sunrise for optimal shading.
As you climb you will start to encounter some pretty nice views of the valley. I found this one nice viewpoint at about 1 mile into the trail.
At just over 1 mile in you will pass the first landmark which is Columbia Rock. This is a great spot to rest up a little bit and to enjoy some of the spectacular views of the valley and Half Dome.
After Columbia rock you’ll have some loose sand and a little bit more incline to contend with but then you will actually start to drop in elevation so you can give your legs a nice rest.
You’ll be dropping about 200 feet in elevation so just keep that in the back of your mind on the way back.
The views continue to impress at this point.
As you start to drop in elevation and turn the corner a little bit, this is when the views of Yosemite Falls begin to emerge. The terrain is relatively flat and you have some awesome views of the falls!
We arrived at this point pretty early in the morning and the falls were casting mist on a very windy morning, so it was extremely cold. So if you are getting a very early start just be prepared for it to get pretty chilly for a little while. Gloves and a beanie could help.
Also, a lot of the rocks were wet and slick so you need to be extra careful not to slip. (You can often grip tree branches to help you during some sections.)
We were hoping the mist would still be falling on our way down when it would be much warmer. But I think the winds shifted because we didn’t really feel anything on the way down.
As we continued to move forward the sun began to cast beautiful rays over Half Dome. It’s hard to beat the early morning and late evening light in Yosemite.
Once you move past these views and get about 2 miles into the hike it is time to begin the next group of switchbacks. It is going to be about 1.5 miles of pure switchbacks to the top of the falls.
Mile three showed 1,152 feet in elevation gain. That’s a pretty steep mile so my advice would be to take breaks as you head up and just enjoy the views. Try to knock out one switch back at a time if you are getting exhausted and eventually you’ll get there!
If you start late you will be exposed to the sun during this entire stretch which can make the climb much more difficult. Because we started around sunrise we had shade the entire time going up and did not feel the sun until we had made it pretty much to the top.
Also, we did not encounter any hikers until we got to the top of the falls.
As you work your way up the switchbacks you will have some decent views but the canyon walls you are heading up start to narrow so your view also narrows.
You will know that you were getting close to the top whenever you start to hit the pine and fir trees.
Once you make it to the top of the switchbacks you can rejoice because while you do have a little bit further to go, it is on pretty flat terrain. Simply follow the signs and trail and you’ll end up heading towards the overlook.
At first, this section of the hike might look super intimidating but just relax yourself and take it one step at a time. The exposure is not quite as bad as it looks and not on the level of something like Angels Landing.
At the overlook, you have the option to head down some very narrow stairs built into the rock. It’s a super cool section of the hike and there is some railing to help you out.
Some hikers who arrived before us left their trekking poles and bags on these narrow steps so we had to contend with those.
The hikers were super apologetic about it and nice enough to lend us some sunscreen so it was not a huge deal but please for the sake of other hikers don’t do this. It’s already narrow enough!
Once you make your way down you can enjoy the view.
You don’t actually have a great view of the falls at this point but there is still that sense of accomplishment of making it to the final point of the hike.
After you check out the overlook you should definitely head over to the little wooden bridge that goes over the creek. It is only about .3 miles away along pretty flat terrain and it is just a cool spot to check out. It’s kind of trippy how such a small creek produces such a massive waterfall.
You can also up your water supply here if you have a pump or some other type of filter.
Obviously, you need to be careful approaching the creek because if you get swept away that is a fall that you will not survive.
You then have the option to continue on to other trails. If you are okay with adding a handful of miles you can head to Eagle Peak (follow signs to El Capitan). I haven’t been there yet but I’ve heard from some people it has the best views of the valley.
If you want something more tame like what we did you can head to Yosemite Point. From the bridge, Yosemite Point is about .8 miles away and you will be gaining an additional 400 feet or so in elevation.
We decided to check out Yosemite Point and it was a cool spot. The hike to the viewpoint takes you through some beautiful high country forest — the type of scenery where it feels like a bear will pop out any second.
It was nice that we had the entire trail and viewpoint to ourselves but it did add just enough extra mileage and elevation to make this hike more strenuous.
If you think you are already pretty gassed from the climb up you may not want to add on this additional mileage. In total it adds about 2 miles onto the hike to Upper Yosemite Falls.
The way back down was a little brutal I have to be honest. Without the aid of a trekking pole I slipped a number of times and almost ate it pretty bad.
It was so bad that directly after this hike I purchased a new trekking pole and I would love to go back and do it again with it because I think it would’ve made such a big difference.
Because this trail is so steep your knees and legs also get worked pretty good on the way down.
I honestly think that if we had not added on the additional 2 miles and additional elevation gain to go to Yosemite Point the way down would not of been nearly as bad but who knows?
I would highly recommend to do step ups, calve raises, and lunges for the weeks leading up to your trip if you are doing this hike. Without any type of preparation this could be a pretty brutal experience.
Final word
Overall, this is a must do hike in my opinion. It’s really cool to get so close to the falls into say that you have hiked to the top of the highest waterfall in North America.