Three Chute Falls
Three Chute Falls is a waterfall in California, at a modelled elevation of 1,339 m. Mount Clark stands 3,512 m to the southeast, 7.0 miles off. The nearest named place is Snow Creek Falls, a waterfall 0.5 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 3.4 miles off.
The story
Three Chute Falls (also known as Hidden Falls or Tenaya Creek Falls) is a waterfall on Tenaya Creek in Yosemite National Park, in the U.S. state of California. The waterfall is located in lower Tenaya Canyon, around a half mile upstream from Mirror Lake. The name is from the three distinct "chutes" that the creek splits into upon flowing onto a slab of granite atop the falls, after which it plunges about 80 feet (24 m) into a congregation of boulders.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7797390, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 3.4 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- View on Tenaya Lake · 5 mi
- Lembert Dome · 13 mi
- Viewpoint for Giant Sequoias · 15 mi
- Disappearing Meadows · 16 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Watkins Pinnacles: 0.7 mi
- Ahwiyah Point: 0.7 mi
- Subdome: 0.9 mi
- Half Dome: 0.9 mi
- West Quarter Dome: 1.1 mi
- Snow Creek Falls: 0.5 mi
- Silver Apron: 2.3 mi
- Vernal Fall: 2.3 mi
- Royal Arch Cascade: 2.3 mi
- Nevada Fall: 2.4 mi
- Nature Center at Happy Isles: 2.6 mi
- Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center: 3.0 mi
- Ansel Adams residence: 3.2 mi
- Yosemite Exploration Center: 3.2 mi
- Yosemite Museum & Library: 3.3 mi
- Diving Board: 1.3 mi
- Glacier Point: 3.1 mi
- Panorama Cliff: 3.2 mi
- Castle Cliffs: 3.2 mi
- Cascade Cliffs: 3.5 mi
- Indian Arch: 1.8 mi
- Valley View Yosemite (Sunset Spot): 8.2 mi
- Tunnel Tree: 15.1 mi
- Yosemite Valley Railroad Caboose Number 15: 15.2 mi
- Hetch Hetchy Railroad Number 6: 15.2 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 4.1 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 5.4 mi
- Cathedral Beach Picnic Area: 5.8 mi
- Summit Meadow: 9.0 mi
- Red Bud Picnic Area: 17.0 mi
- Iron Spring: 1.7 mi
- Black Spring: 7.7 mi
- Moss Spring: 7.7 mi
- Fern Spring: 8.0 mi
- Soda Springs: 12.1 mi
- Women's Club Building: 2.7 mi
- Foster Curry Cabin: 2.8 mi
- World Heritage Site: 3.2 mi
- Soda Springs Cabin: 12.1 mi
- Ghost Cabin: 17.9 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 5.6 mi
- Nelder Grove Historical Area: 23.1 mi
- El Portal Park: 15.2 mi
- Gull Lake Park: 24.6 mi
- Benson Lake Beach: 18.0 mi
- Bennettville: 19.2 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 7.9 miles of Three Chute Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Clark | SE 128° | 3,512 m | 7.0 mi |
| Mount Hoffmann | N 10° | 3,308 m | 6.1 mi |
| The Bowmaiden | NNE 15° | 3,241 m | 7.5 mi |
| Tresidder Peak | NE 50° | 3,231 m | 7.7 mi |
| Obelisk Lake Peak | ESE 122° | 3,206 m | 7.5 mi |
| Quartzite Peak | ESE 118° | 3,182 m | 6.5 mi |
| Columbia Finger | NE 54° | 3,158 m | 7.2 mi |
| Tenaya Peak | NE 45° | 3,129 m | 6.7 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 | 16:43 |
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, 3 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, 3 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/9620017765
Day trips start here
- Yosemite National Park · 2 mi
- Sierra Nevada · 3 mi
Take the scenic way to Three Chute Falls.
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