Sentinel Fall
Sentinel Fall is a waterfall in California, at a recorded elevation of 1,716 m. Gray Peak stands 3,526 m to the east-southeast, 10 miles off. The nearest named place is Sentinel Rock, a peak 0.3 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 6.0 miles off.
The story
Sentinel Falls is a long series of cascades descending into Yosemite Valley, in the U.S. state of California, alongside Sentinel Rock. It is a tiered waterfall consisting of 6 major drops totaling 1,920 feet (590 m), the longest single drop being 500 feet (150 m). It ranks on many lists as the twelfth-highest waterfall in the world, although in truth it is roughly the sixtieth-tallest, as most weaker waterfalls do not make it into such lists. Despite its immense height it has a relatively low drainage and is usually dry by July.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7451320, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 590 m
- Elevation
- 1716 m
What to expect
- Seasonal
- Yes
How to reach it
- 6.0 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- View on Tenaya Lake · 9 mi
- Viewpoint for Giant Sequoias · 12 mi
- Lembert Dome · 17 mi
- Disappearing Meadows · 20 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Sentinel Rock: 0.3 mi
- Sentinel Dome: 0.7 mi
- Union Point: 0.8 mi
- Taft Point: 0.9 mi
- Moran Point: 1.0 mi
- Staircase Falls: 1.4 mi
- Horsetail Fall: 1.8 mi
- Lower Yosemite Fall: 1.8 mi
- Middle Cascades: 2.0 mi
- Illilouette Fall: 2.1 mi
- Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center: 1.4 mi
- Yosemite Museum & Library: 1.7 mi
- Yosemite Exploration Center: 1.7 mi
- Indian Village: 1.7 mi
- Ansel Adams residence: 1.7 mi
- Valley View Yosemite (Sunset Spot): 4.0 mi
- Valley View Parking: 4.0 mi
- Indian Arch: 4.3 mi
- Yosemite Valley Railroad Caboose Number 15: 10.9 mi
- Hetch Hetchy Railroad Number 6: 11.0 mi
- Profile Cliff: 0.9 mi
- The Fissures: 0.9 mi
- Glacier Point: 1.3 mi
- Castle Cliffs: 2.2 mi
- Panorama Cliff: 2.3 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 0.8 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 1.3 mi
- Cathedral Beach Picnic Area: 1.6 mi
- Summit Meadow: 4.7 mi
- Red Bud Picnic Area: 12.8 mi
- John Muir: 1.5 mi
- Foster Curry Cabin: 1.6 mi
- Women's Club Building: 1.7 mi
- World Heritage Site: 1.7 mi
- Soda Springs Cabin: 16.4 mi
- Iron Spring: 2.7 mi
- Moss Spring: 3.5 mi
- Black Spring: 3.5 mi
- Fern Spring: 3.8 mi
- Barrel Spring: 10.7 mi
- El Portal Park: 10.9 mi
- Midpines Park: 22.4 mi
- Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park: 24.9 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 8.4 mi
- Nelder Grove Historical Area: 20.5 mi
- Benson Lake Beach: 20.7 mi
- Bennettville: 23.5 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 10.3 miles of Sentinel Fall. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Peak | ESE 110° | 3,525.5 m | 10.3 mi |
| Mount Clark | ESE 102° | 3,512 m | 9.4 mi |
| Mount Hoffmann | NNE 29° | 3,308 m | 9.6 mi |
| Obelisk Lake Peak | E 99° | 3,206 m | 10.1 mi |
| Quartzite Peak | E 94° | 3,182 m | 9.4 mi |
| Clouds Rest | ENE 63° | 3,028 m | 6.6 mi |
| Sunrise Mountain | ENE 59° | 3,026 m | 9.3 mi |
| Buena Vista Peak | SSE 154° | 2,956 m | 10.0 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 | 07:11 | 16:03 | 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, 2 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.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/2389658093
Day trips start here
- Sierra Nevada · 1 mi
- Yosemite National Park · 3 mi
Take the scenic way to Sentinel Fall.
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