Nevada Fall
Nevada Fall is a waterfall in California, at a recorded elevation of 1,801 m. Red Peak stands 3,567 m to the southeast, 8.4 miles off. The nearest named place is Liberty Cap, a peak 0.3 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 5.7 miles off.
The story
Nevada Fall is a 594-foot-high (181 m) waterfall on the Merced River in Yosemite National Park, California. It is located below the granite dome, Liberty Cap, at the west end of Little Yosemite Valley. The waterfall is widely recognized by its "bent" shape, in which the water free-falls for roughly the first third of its length to a steep slick-rock slope. This mid-fall impact of the water on the cliff face creates a turbulent, whitewater appearance in the fall and produces a great deal of mist which covers a wide radius, which led to its current name (Nevada is a Spanish word meaning "snowy"). The Native American name was Yo-wy-we, signifying the twist or squirm of the falling water. Lafayette Bunnell suggested the name "Nevada" for the waterfall. He wrote, "The Nevada Fall was so called because it was the nearest to the Sierra Nevada, and because the name was sufficiently indicative of a wintry companion for our spring (Vernal Fall)... The white, foaming water, as it dashed down Yo-wy-we from the snowy mountains, represented to my mind a vast avalanche of snow." The Emerald Pool forms on the "step" between Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall downstream. The 317-foot (97 m) high Vernal Fall is a short hike from the bottom of Nevada Fall. They form a cascade in which the Merced River flows down to Yosemite Valley. This cascade is sometimes called the giant staircase, which is evident when viewed from above, at Glacier Point. The hike to the top of Nevada Fall, along the Mist Trail, is 3 miles (4.8 km) from the trailhead in Yosemite Valley. One must first hike to Vernal Fall and then trek another 2 miles (3.2 km) to reach the top. The John Muir Trail, which starts near the trail to Happy Isles, goes to the top of Nevada Fall.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q38586, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 181 m
- Elevation
- 1801 m
How to reach it
- 5.7 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- View on Tenaya Lake · 7 mi
- Lembert Dome · 15 mi
- Viewpoint for Giant Sequoias · 15 mi
- Disappearing Meadows · 17 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Liberty Cap: 0.3 mi
- Mount Broderick: 0.6 mi
- Grizzly Peak: 1.0 mi
- Half Dome: 1.5 mi
- Subdome: 1.5 mi
- Silver Apron: 0.4 mi
- Vernal Fall: 0.6 mi
- Illilouette Fall: 1.7 mi
- Staircase Falls: 2.4 mi
- Three Chute Falls: 2.4 mi
- Nature Center at Happy Isles: 1.5 mi
- Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center: 2.7 mi
- Ansel Adams residence: 3.4 mi
- Yosemite Exploration Center: 3.4 mi
- Yosemite Museum & Library: 3.4 mi
- Indian Arch: 3.7 mi
- Valley View Yosemite (Sunset Spot): 7.4 mi
- Valley View Parking: 7.4 mi
- Yosemite Valley Railroad Caboose Number 15: 14.3 mi
- Hetch Hetchy Railroad Number 6: 14.3 mi
- Panorama Cliff: 1.3 mi
- Diving Board: 1.3 mi
- Glacier Point: 2.2 mi
- Cascade Cliffs: 2.5 mi
- Bunnell Cliff: 3.6 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 3.7 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 4.8 mi
- Cathedral Beach Picnic Area: 5.0 mi
- Summit Meadow: 7.4 mi
- Red Bud Picnic Area: 16.1 mi
- Women's Club Building: 2.1 mi
- Foster Curry Cabin: 2.2 mi
- World Heritage Site: 3.4 mi
- John Muir: 3.6 mi
- Soda Springs Cabin: 14.0 mi
- Iron Spring: 1.7 mi
- Moss Spring: 6.9 mi
- Black Spring: 7.0 mi
- Fern Spring: 7.2 mi
- Barrel Spring: 13.8 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 7.9 mi
- Nelder Grove Historical Area: 20.7 mi
- El Portal Park: 14.3 mi
- Benson Lake Beach: 20.4 mi
- Bennettville: 20.9 mi
- Arch Rock: 24.0 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 8.9 miles of Nevada Fall. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Peak | SE 126° | 3,566.6 m | 8.4 mi |
| Gray Peak | ESE 119° | 3,525.5 m | 7.2 mi |
| Mount Clark | ESE 109° | 3,512 m | 6.1 mi |
| Mount Hoffmann | N 8° | 3,308 m | 8.5 mi |
| Obelisk Lake Peak | ESE 104° | 3,206 m | 6.8 mi |
| Quartzite Peak | E 96° | 3,182 m | 5.9 mi |
| Tenaya Peak | NE 34° | 3,129 m | 8.7 mi |
| Clouds Rest | NE 39° | 3,028 m | 3.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:02 | 18:36 | 19:10 |
| June solstice | 05:37 | 19:45 | 20:24 |
| September equinox | 06:47 | 18:22 | 18:57 |
| December solstice | 07:11 | 16:02 | 16:44 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 38 | 41 | 45 | 50 | 58 | 66 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 56 | 44 | 37 |
| Precip in | 7.0 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 4.0 | 5.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Yosemite Park HQ, 4 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Apr–Jul — fullest in May, leanest in Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 95.9 | 116 | 210 | 574 | 1,274 | 1,203 | 468 | 108 | 40.7 | 38.9 | 61.1 | 81.7 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Merced R A Happy Isles Bridge NR Yosemite CA, 2 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
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/243671720
Day trips start here
- Yosemite National Park · 1 mi
- Sierra Nevada · 2 mi
Take the scenic way to Nevada Fall.
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