Chilnualna Fall
Chilnualna Fall is a waterfall in California, at a recorded elevation of 1,946 m. Gale Peak stands 3,258 m to the east, 13 miles off. The nearest named place is Chilnualna Creek Cascades, a waterfall 0.3 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 16 miles off.
The story
Chilnualna Falls is a series of waterfalls totaling 690 feet (210 m), located on Chilnualna Creek in the southern section of Yosemite National Park.
The falls are a popular horseback riding destination. Chilnualna Falls consists of five tiers ranging from 30 to 300 feet (9–91 m) in height. The first tier is 90–120 feet (27–36 m) high. The second is a 30-foot (9 m) high cascade. The third and largest is 300 feet (91 m) high. The fourth is 60 feet (18 m) high. The final tier is a 180–210 foot (54–64 m) high cascade. The trailhead to the falls is in the northeastern portion of Wawona, at the end of the paved portion of Chilnualna Falls Road. The trailhead elevation is approximately 4,000 feet (1,200 m), and the trail reaches the main portion of the waterfall at 6,200 feet (1,900 m).
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q37583, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1946 m
How to reach it
- 15.7 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- Viewpoint for Giant Sequoias · 18 mi
- View on Tenaya Lake · 19 mi
- Lembert Dome · 27 mi
- Disappearing Meadows · 28 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Wawona Dome: 0.5 mi
- Wawona Point: 3.2 mi
- Mount Savage: 4.1 mi
- Goat Meadow Hill: 5.1 mi
- Mount Raymond: 5.4 mi
- Chilnualna Creek Cascades: 0.3 mi
- Lower Chilnualna Falls: 1.2 mi
- Alder Creek Falls: 3.0 mi
- Red Rock Falls: 9.0 mi
- Corlieu Falls: 10.1 mi
- Yosemite History Center: 2.7 mi
- Mariposa Grove Museum: 3.6 mi
- Thornberry Museum: 7.7 mi
- Nature Center at Happy Isles: 12.0 mi
- Hetch Hetchy Railroad Museum: 12.0 mi
- Mariposa Welcome Plaza: 4.0 mi
- Grizzly Giant: 4.2 mi
- Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Historical Railroad: 7.7 mi
- Bull Buck Tree: 9.4 mi
- Big Ed: 9.4 mi
- Gold Rush BBQ: 6.4 mi
- Summit Meadow: 7.9 mi
- Cathedral Beach Picnic Area: 11.0 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 11.4 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 12.0 mi
- Cold Spring: 9.3 mi
- Barrel Spring: 10.0 mi
- Moss Spring: 10.7 mi
- Fern Spring: 10.8 mi
- Black Spring: 11.1 mi
- The Fissures: 10.3 mi
- Profile Cliff: 10.4 mi
- Panorama Cliff: 11.2 mi
- Rockslides: 11.4 mi
- Glacier Point: 11.8 mi
- El Portal Park: 12.1 mi
- Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park: 14.0 mi
- Wassama Roundhouse State Historic Park: 14.3 mi
- Oakhurst Community Park: 16.2 mi
- Midpines Park: 16.7 mi
- Foster Curry Cabin: 12.2 mi
- Women's Club Building: 12.2 mi
- Mt Buckingham School (historic): 12.4 mi
- John Muir: 12.8 mi
- World Heritage Site: 12.9 mi
- Nelder Grove Historical Area: 9.4 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 19.5 mi
- Whisky Snowmobile Area: 23.0 mi
- Agua Fria: 22.7 mi
- Mount Ophir: 24.8 mi
- Oakhurst Mural: 16.3 mi
- Arch Rock: 20.4 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 12.6 miles of Chilnualna Fall. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gale Peak | E 88° | 3,258 m | 12.6 mi |
| Redtop | E 96° | 3,039 m | 11.8 mi |
| Moraine Mountain | ENE 78° | 2,979 m | 9.0 mi |
| Mount Bruce | ENE 71° | 2,964 m | 7.1 mi |
| Buena Vista Peak | ENE 69° | 2,956 m | 5.8 mi |
| Iron Mountain | SE 129° | 2,794 m | 9.0 mi |
| Mount Starr King | NNE 29° | 2,767 m | 11.1 mi |
| Quartz Mountain | ESE 108° | 2,757 m | 9.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:03 | 18:36 | 19:11 |
| June solstice | 05:38 | 19:45 | 20:24 |
| September equinox | 06:47 | 18:22 | 18:57 |
| December solstice | 07:10 | 16:03 | 16:44 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 36 | 36 | 39 | 43 | 50 | 59 | 65 | 65 | 60 | 51 | 42 | 35 |
| Precip in | 7.6 | 6.7 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 5.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — SO Entrance Yosemite NP, 4 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Yosemite National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Jan and Feb; busiest: Aug.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/2389657944
Day trips start here
- Sierra Nevada · 12 mi
- Yosemite National Park · 12 mi
Take the scenic way to Chilnualna Fall.
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