Staircase Falls
Staircase Falls is a waterfall in California, at a recorded elevation of 1,341 m. Gray Peak stands 3,526 m to the east-southeast, 9.5 miles off. The nearest named place is Foster Curry Cabin, a historic site 0.2 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 5.0 miles off.
The story
Staircase Falls is a series of waterfalls located on the southern side of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. The falls descend a total of 1,300 feet (400 m) into Yosemite Valley over a series of steps. Staircase Falls is relatively ephemeral and is usually dry by the end of June. The falls are located immediately behind Camp Curry on cliffs below Glacier Point.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q37584, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 310 m
- Elevation
- 1,341 m
How to reach it
- 5.0 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- View on Tenaya Lake · 7 mi
- Viewpoint for Giant Sequoias · 13 mi
- Lembert Dome · 16 mi
- Disappearing Meadows · 19 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Moran Point: 0.5 mi
- Union Point: 0.7 mi
- Sentinel Dome: 1.0 mi
- Sentinel Rock: 1.2 mi
- Washington Column: 1.2 mi
- Royal Arch Cascade: 1.0 mi
- Sentinel Fall: 1.4 mi
- Illilouette Fall: 1.6 mi
- Lower Yosemite Fall: 1.7 mi
- Vernal Fall: 1.8 mi
- Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center: 0.4 mi
- Nature Center at Happy Isles: 0.9 mi
- Ansel Adams residence: 1.2 mi
- Yosemite Exploration Center: 1.2 mi
- Yosemite Museum & Library: 1.2 mi
- Glacier Point: 0.3 mi
- Panorama Cliff: 1.6 mi
- Castle Cliffs: 1.7 mi
- Diving Board: 1.9 mi
- The Fissures: 2.2 mi
- Indian Arch: 3.1 mi
- Valley View Yosemite (Sunset Spot): 5.3 mi
- Yosemite Valley Railroad Caboose Number 15: 12.3 mi
- Hetch Hetchy Railroad Number 6: 12.3 mi
- Tunnel Tree: 12.8 mi
- Foster Curry Cabin: 0.2 mi
- Women's Club Building: 0.3 mi
- World Heritage Site: 1.2 mi
- Soda Springs Cabin: 15.1 mi
- Chetwood Cabin: 19.6 mi
- Iron Spring: 1.3 mi
- Black Spring: 4.8 mi
- Moss Spring: 4.8 mi
- Fern Spring: 5.1 mi
- Barrel Spring: 12.1 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 1.4 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 2.6 mi
- Cathedral Beach Picnic Area: 2.9 mi
- Summit Meadow: 6.0 mi
- Red Bud Picnic Area: 14.2 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 7.4 mi
- Nelder Grove Historical Area: 21.2 mi
- El Portal Park: 12.3 mi
- Midpines Park: 23.7 mi
- Benson Lake Beach: 19.9 mi
- Bennettville: 22.1 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 9.6 miles of Staircase Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Peak | ESE 116° | 3,526 m | 9.5 mi |
| Mount Clark | ESE 108° | 3,512 m | 8.4 mi |
| Mount Hoffmann | NNE 24° | 3,308 m | 8.5 mi |
| Obelisk Lake Peak | ESE 105° | 3,206 m | 9.1 mi |
| Quartzite Peak | E 99° | 3,182 m | 8.3 mi |
| Clouds Rest | ENE 64° | 3,028 m | 5.2 mi |
| Sunrise Mountain | ENE 59° | 3,026 m | 7.9 mi |
| The Pinnacles | ENE 67° | 2,885 m | 4.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:03 | 18:36 | 19:10 |
| 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, 1 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, under a mile 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/2389658166
Day trips start here
- Sierra Nevada · 0 mi
- Yosemite National Park · 1 mi
Take the scenic way to Staircase Falls.
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