Overview

Vernal Falls Yosemite stands 317 feet tall, 80 feet wide and is a sight to behold when visiting the park. It’s accessible by foot only, runs all year long and is a great place to take some vacation photos.

Location & Information

Vernal Falls can be reached by driving on Southside Drive to Curry Village, parking and taking the free shuttle to stop # 16 (Happy Isles). From there you’ll find a trail to the falls. The Vernal Falls hike is not very far, and you can even hike all the way to the top of the falls. In the winter, the Mist Trail is closed, but you can still use the John Muir Trail to reach the top, although it may be snowy.

Vernal Falls is accessible all year, but the best time to come is the spring when the water flows are at their peak.

Contact Information:
Yosemite National Park
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389
209-372-0200 (8:30 am to 4:30 pm)

Activities

• Hiking
  The most popular activity at this Yosemite waterfall is hiking the Mist Trail to the top of the falls. When you start out at the Happy Isles Nature Center, it is only a 1.5-mile hike to the top on this Vernal Falls trail, and with many beautiful views. You’ll find it slippery due to the tremendous spray coming off the falls, and beware – you may get wet! If you don’t want to go all the way to the top, you can still find an excellent view from the footbridge, only .7 miles from the trailhead.

Fun Facts

Yosemite Vernal Falls is shown on a 1932 stamp from the Philippines. The stamp was supposed to depict the Pagsanjan Falls, a popular tourist attraction in the Philippines, but due to this printing error, the stamp has become a most-sought-after prize worth much more than others in the same set.