Yosemite Falls

Upper Yosemite Falls from Yosemite Valley
Location	Yosemite Valley, Yosemite NP, CA, US
Type	Tiered
Total Height	2,425 feet/739 meters
Height of Longest Drop	1,430 feet/436 meters
Number of Drops	3
World Height Ranking	18

Yosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America. Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak. Download high resolution version (599x890, 251 KB)600-pixel-across photo of Yosemite Falls, collected from http://www. ... Yosemite Valley with Half Dome in the distance. ... Yosemite redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... Hopetoun Falls near Otway National Park, Victoria, Australia A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden break in elevation. ... Hopetoun Falls near Otway National Park, Victoria, Australia A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden break in elevation. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Yosemite redirects here. ... The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range that is almost entirely in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of California. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

The total 2425-foot (739-m) distance from the top of the upper falls to the base of the lower falls qualifies Yosemite Falls as the 6th highest waterfall in the world (with the recent discovery of Gocta Cataracts it presently appears on some lists as the seventh). Although often referred to as a "two-stage drop", the falls actually consist of three sections: Gocta Waterfall The Gocta Waterfall (in Spanish: la catarata Gocta), a waterfall with 2 drops, has been known for centuries to the local residents in Perus province of Chachapoyas in Amazonas, which is approximately 700 kilometers to the north-east of Lima. ...

• The 1430-foot (425-m) plunge qualifies the Upper Falls alone as one of the twenty highest waterfalls in the world. Trails up from the valley floor and down from other regions of the park outside the valley proper lead to both the top and base of Upper Yosemite Falls. The upper fall is formed by the swift waters of Yosemite Creek, which, after meandering through Eagle Creek Meadow, hurl themselves over the edge of a hanging valley in a spectacular and deafening show of force.

• Between the two obvious main plunges there are a series of cascades and smaller plunges generally referred to as "the cascades". Taken together these account for another drop of 675 feet (205 m), more than twice the height of the Lower Falls. Because of the layout of the area, the lack of any major drops in this section and the lack of public access, they are often overlooked. Most viewpoints in the valley miss them entirely. Several vantage points for the cascades are found along the Yosemite Falls trail. Several hikers climbing down from the trail towards the cascades have required an expensive helicopter rescue due to steep and slippery terrain and features.

• The final 320-foot (97-m) drop of the Lower Falls, adjacent to an accessible viewing area, provides the most-used viewing point for the waterfalls. Yosemite Creek emerges from the base of the Lower Falls and flows into the Merced River nearby. Like many areas of Yosemite the plunge pool at the base of the Lower Falls is surrounded by dangerous jumbles of talus made even more treacherous by the high humidity and resulting slippery surfaces.

In years of little snow, the falls may actually cease flowing altogether in late summer or fall. A very small number of rock climbers have taken the opportunity to climb the normally inaccessible rock face beneath the falls, although this is an extraordinarily dangerous undertaking; a single afternoon thunderstorm could restart the falls, sweeping the climbers off the face. Yosemite Creek, located in northern area of Yosemite National Park along Tioga Road (HWY 120), is a first-come first-served campground outside of Yosemite Valley. ... A cascade is a term for a waterfall, or series of waterfalls, and is applied abstractly to many different concepts involving a series of steps or effects that follow one after the other. ... The Merced River is in California. ... Scree or detritic cone is a term given to broken rock that appears at the bottom of crags, mountain cliffs or valley shoulders. ... Climbers on Valkyrie at the Roaches. ...

The Lower Falls are easily accessible near the Yosemite Lodge in Yosemite Valley. The top of the Upper Falls may be reached via a steep, strenuous, and usually crowded 3.5-mile (5.6-km) hike beginning near the Sunnyside Walk-in Campground. The Upper Falls may also be reached via several routes from the Tioga Road to the north. JUNCTION POSTMILE 5 ?? 395 ?? Legend Prev Next < Route 119 Route 121 > California State Highways Current - Unconstructed - Deleted - Scenic California State Route 120, in northern California, USA, is the end of the freeways heading east from the San Francisco Bay Area. ...

The Ahwahneechee Legend

The Ahwahneechee people of Yosemite Valley called the waterfall "Cholock" and believed that the plunge pool at its base was inhabited by the spirits of several witches, called the Poloti. An Ahwaneechee folktale describes a woman going to fetch a pail of water from the pool, and drawing it out full of snakes. Later that night, after the woman had trespassed into their territory, the spirits caused the woman's house to be sucked into the pool by a powerful wind, taking the woman and her newborn baby with her. This story was most likely concocted to caution people from approaching the dangerous splash pool. This article is part of the Witchcraft series. ...

Yosemite Falls Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (960x1280, 458 KB) Yosemite Falls, California, USA / Personal picture from user Urban 2004 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Yosemite Falls Metadata This file contains additional information...	The Middle Falls (which are really cascades) seen from a side trail. The Middle Falls are not visible from the valley floor Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 862 KB) Summary Picture of Yosemite Falls. ...	Lower Yosemite Falls seen from a side trail. The bridge can be seen in the center Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 795 KB) Summary Picture of Yosemite Falls. ...	Yosemite Falls has a 2,425 foot drop, making them higher than the Sears Tower and the Eiffel Tower combined This is a picture showing about 3/4 of Yosemite Falls, taken from 8,000 feet. ...
Yosemite Falls framed by trees Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (960x1280, 560 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Yosemite Falls Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner...	Yosemite Falls, 2005 Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1600, 586 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Yosemite Falls Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to...	Upper Yosemite Falls, January 2006 Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x2048, 1207 KB) Photo by Micah Bochart I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...	Lower Yosemite Falls, January 2006 Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x2048, 1395 KB) Photo by Micah Bochart I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

External links

• Yosemite Falls at the World Waterfall Database
• Yosemite Falls in "Waterfalls of the world"
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 37.755018° -119.597297°
  • Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth