Yosemite Falls Trail
Submitted by Tom on Fri, 2006-04-28 21:39.
Hiking
Trail Facts
Quality:
Classic (5/5)
Scenery:
Excellent
Crowds:
Packed
Difficulty:
Tough for the mileage
Distance:
6.8 miles. Round trip distance. Don't be fooled by the distance, though. It's a tough 6.8 miles.
Route Type:
Out and back
Elevation Gain/Loss:
2600/2600
Elevation Min/Max:
4000/6600
Trailhead:
Camp 4
Running:
Rough and steep (4 out of 5) See the notes for runners below
Highlights
Stunning views of Upper Yosemite Fall and Yosemite Valley with a handful of excellent viewpoints and lunch spots. The price of admission? Crowds, steep switchbacks and for the upper part, sundrenched and hot switchbacks. This trail is also a favorite fitness test, with Hans Florine keeping records on fastest ascents (current record as of Spring 2006 is still 43:04 by Hari Mix). Times are for the part from the T intersection with the Valley Loop Trail at the bottom up to the last winter closure gate at the top, but does not include the last 0.2 miles to the lookout itself. Typical hikers should count on taking several times as long as Hari does. I've often polled people near the top and find that most people take 2-4 hours to hike up and rather less to hike down. Fit runners should still count on about an hour.
What's to See?
Photo Gallery of the Yosemite Falls Trail
Details
Welcome to Disneyland. The Yosemite Falls Trail vies with the Mist Trail for being the most crowded trail in Yosemite National Park, which surely makes it one of the most crowded trails in America. If you want some solitude on this trail, you'll have to go very early, very late or during the winter when the trail is closed (and you could get fined for hiking it). That said, you will have the best views of Yosemite Falls and excellent views of Yosemite Valley. You can also extend the hike up to the summit of El Capitan or Yosemite Point, where crowds will diminish dramatically. Plus, everyone has to hike it once (and I hike it many times every year just because it's convenient and an excellent workout).
Begin at the Camp 4 parking lot and walk straight back to the Valley Loop Trail and the Falls Trail intersection. The trail begins in oak forest with a long set of switchbacks of the old style - short and relatively steep. If you're not fairly fit, you will likely suffer here, but it is not *that* long. This is the least pleasant part of the trail. After a bit, you'll start to cross some washes (dry after about mid-June) and you'll know that the worst of the switchbacks is over and soon you'll start to reach relatively frequent viewpoints across the Valley. When the trail starts to get sandy, you'll know that you're getting close to Columbia Point, which is an excellent place to stop and take in the view and have some lunch. Columbia Point is almost exactly one third of the way to the top by time (somewhat less by distance). Take however long it has taken you to get here and, if you continue at a similar pace, that will give you a pretty good idea of how long it will take you to the summit.
After Columbia Point you have just a couple more sandy switchbacks and then the trail will flatten out for nearly a mile with a bit of up and down until you get into the valley cut by Yosemite Creek. Here you get your first views of Upper Yosemite Fall. At this point, pay attention and look for a spur that goes off to the right where the trail turns left. This is the so-called "Oh My Gosh Point", a lookout with the best views on the entire trail and a rail protecting the vertiginous view (but hold onto your children!). From Oh My Gosh Point you will look straight down on Lower Yosemite Fall and straight across at the Upper Fall and see almost all of the middle cascade. Once back on the trail, you'll soon pass the middle winter closure gate. At that point you are almost exactly half way to the top by time. You also have a nice flat section with views of Upper Yosemite Fall.
From here you go back to switchbacks, but now through open chapparal. On the bottom it can range from hot and dry to pouring down mist, but usually it's just a pleasant cooling mist. As you hit the first switchbacks after the flat section, another spur goes straight where the trail turns left. A short little walk will get you out of the trees and give you an excellent close-up view of the Upper Fall.
Once you hit the manzanita scrub, you'll have no shade and this can be oppressively hot in the summer. Again, it doesn't last that long and what you see is what you get: there's no false summit and you can judge by the top of the falls how high you have to go.
The winter closure gate marks the end of the climbing. From there it's just a relatively easy quarter mile to the lookout. Those who are afraid of heights should be forewarned: the steps down to the lookout are narrow and exposed. Also, stay away from the water. In the summer of 2005 an Irish tourist wanted to get a picture of himself close to the edge. He slipped and went over the falls to his death. This is a safe place, but use some common sense.
Runner's Notes
I've already given some notes on running the trail. The times may seem quite slow: the record is about 43 minutes (by Hari Mix) for 3.2 miles with 2600' elevation gain, but the trail is often rocky and uneven and it is hard to keep pace. The key is to keep the pace reasonable (i.e. not to fast) on the early switchbacks. Once you get to Columbia Point you can let it go a little and speed up. For a one-hour time, my splits would be something like this:
17-18 mins to Columbia Point
25 mins to the winter closure gate
40 mins to the second time the trail touches the wall opposite the falls (uh, yeah, everyone knows where that is)
47 mins to the first big Jeffrey Pine.
60 mins to the top winter closure gate.
I find the Mist Trail, with similar distance and elevation, to be somewhat easier, though not a lot.
Boo! Hiss! Boo!
Submitted by Edie (not verified) on Tue, 2006-12-12 08:20.
*ptui!*
Eh, f'nabla, this trail, she no good. Too rocky, too many switchbacks, too many mosquitoes, too many young, healthy people passing me by, making it look easy. Hey, I'm old, I have a bad knee, I smoke too much, do you really wonder why I HATE this trail?
Tom is right. Oh-My-Gosh Point ALMOST makes it worth it. Oh, all right, add carmudgeonly to the above list.
In all seriousness, I have an intense dislike of this trail. Perhaps it's because it was one of my first hikes in this valley, I was 35 lbs heavier, smoked way more than I do now, and did it late when it was hot and dusty on the trail, without enough water. I was so damn tired when I got to the top, all I could do was look down--and the only thing I could make out was the swimming pool at Yosemite Lodge.
Yeah, yeah, I should do it again now that I'm in shape, give it another chance. Naw. I'd rather spend my time on the Snow Creek trail. *noddle*
Edie
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There's some truth in that
Submitted by Tom on Tue, 2006-12-12 16:58.
I sort of agree with Edie's assessment, but people seem to love this hike and when the waterfall is flowing in the spring, it is just amazing. But it can be hot and it is rocky. That said, when I want a good quick workout, I almost always end up there. It takes me two hours round trip and I feel nice and worked. My friend Donovan has done multiple laps back to back in about 4.5 hours... I haven't been that masochistic.
Snow Creek, however, has always involved great suffering. The first time I went up Snow Creek I had started at the Wawona Tunnel and done Sentinel Dome and Half Dome on my way to North Dome and El Cap and out to Foresta (53 miles total). I hit Snow Creek at 1:00pm and it climbs relentlessly with almost no shade. It's been hard for me to enjoy Snow Creek Ever since... but I have the pictures and will eventually do a page on it and I'll have to solicit Edie to sing it's praises, since I can't.
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Snow Creek VS Yosemite Falls
Submitted by Edie (not verified) on Wed, 2006-12-13 01:51.
I can appreciate your dislike of Snow Creek. You're right, it is pretty exposed, and that does make it pretty unpleasant going. However, the trail itself is in pretty good shape, and the switchbacks aren't too close together. Oddly, I've done this trail three times, and only once did I make to the top, that lovely grove of pines/firs. I honestly didn't know it was the top of the trail, it was getting late in the day and I turned around, rather dejected that once again I hadn't made it. The third time I did it was in June of this year, and a sudden snow squal made me turn around and go back at the 50th switchback. Yeah, I'm a wimp. But the temps had dropped at least 20 degrees, and it was SNOWING.
I think I love this trail because, like the 4 Mile Trail, it has spectacular views of a Yosemite icon; Half Dome in this case.
I'd rate it in the middle between the Falls trail and the 4 Mile trail. I think the views are better than 4 Mile. And I know now to start early in the day in order to avoid the heat.
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Upper Yosemite Falls--Great hike, but intense
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2007-05-29 20:43.
I was fortunate enough to do this hike on my own last year. I was not in the best shape, but going by myself allowed me to pace myself and push as hard or as easily as I wanted. If you want a good, temperate time to complete this hike, try early June. This was when I did it last year, and I left at about 8:30 in the morning, making it to the top at about 10:30 or so. The only major crowds I ran into were as I was coming down, and a lot of them were students from the Yosemite Institute. The flow of people was actually quite nice--there were many parts of the trail where I was in solitude, only to be met by very friendly people. Be careful coming down the trail if you are on a high-water year--near the area where the mist reaches the trail (heavily shaded with some granite steps), I slipped a couple of times and fell. Otherwise, I found the worst part of the trail to be after the oak switchbacks on the sandy incline. I had a difficult time obtaining a good footing, and the sun really zapped me for that few minutes on that climb.
The views, the flowers, and the overall scenery were well worth the difficulty in the climb.
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We almost died!
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2008-06-27 08:33.
My party barely made it backpacking up the trail with 30-40 lb. packs and down again after camping above the falls. Difficult footing over rocks makes it very hard on the muscles when you carry that much weight. Seeing all those day-hikers skipping by, especially the young ones, was plenty embarrassing too. But we did find that the upper stretch is shaded by the valley wall after about 3pm. This makes it far easier than it would have been in the sun. Coming up the sandy switchbacks just before Columbia Point with the sun beating down was far worse. I would not want to stop for lunch there -- not near enough shade! The level stretch between Columbia and "Oh My Gosh" has far better places for stopping.
In all, probably not bad for a day hike, especially if you're in shape. But it proved to be far more than we bargained for.
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Thanks for that reminder.
Submitted by Tom on Tue, 2008-07-01 23:03.
I've also hiked that trail at midday with a climbing pack (so not a full overnight pack, but heavier than the usual daypack by a lot). Indeed, it is draining.
The power of the sun on that trail is not to be underestimated. Start early or start late. I've done it plenty of times at midday and each time I think "You idiot, didn't you learn from last time." Answer: no, I guess not!
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Tough trail for even the fit athlete
I hiked this trail 1 year ago on Memorial Day weekend. I saw some of the fittest looking people having trouble with the last section of switchbacks. Don't let the distance fool you. This is a tough trail.