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Tueeulala Falls

Tueeulala Falls, seen from above at true elevation

Tueeulala Falls is a waterfall in California, at a recorded elevation of 1,552 m. Forsyth Peak stands 3,408 m to the northeast, 17 miles off. The nearest named place is Wapama Falls, a waterfall 0.5 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 9.6 miles off.

The story

Tueeulala Falls is located on the north side of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. At roughly 880 feet it is the smaller of two large waterfalls that spill into Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, the other being Wapama Falls. It is, however, the larger of the two in terms of greatest free-fall distance, as Wapama is split into two falls. Tueeulala Fall drops free for 600 feet, hits a ledge, then slides steeply down 280 feet further. The hike to the top of the falls is off trail but fairly brush free and straightforward. The waterfall is highly seasonal and is one of the most irregular waterfalls in the park. This is due to it being located on a seasonal distributary of Falls Creek, the primary channel of which flows over Wapama Falls, that only flows during spring snowmelt when water from the creek rises sufficiently high. This can turn Tueeulala Falls into one of the most powerful waterfalls in the park during certain times, however it can also lose flow faster than any other waterfall in Yosemite.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q38232, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Height
279 m
Elevation
1552 m

How to reach it

Coordinates37.96401, -119.77276

Named places within 25 miles

Peaks
Waterfalls: 43
Springs: 25
Cliffs: 11
Museums: 9
Picnic sites: 8
Attractions: 7
  • Tunnel Tree: 13.6 mi
  • Merced Grove: 15.3 mi
  • Indian Arch: 17.6 mi
  • Valley View Parking: 18.1 mi
  • Valley View Yosemite (Sunset Spot): 18.1 mi
Beaches: 7
  • Benson Lake Beach: 14.1 mi
  • Beach 2: 19.6 mi
  • Beach 1: 19.8 mi
  • Pinecrest Dog Beach: 19.9 mi
  • Lake Lodge Beach: 24.1 mi
Historic sites: 7
Parks: 3
  • El Portal Park: 20.0 mi
  • Greeley Hill County Park: 23.2 mi
  • Red Cloud: 24.4 mi
Nature reserves: 1
Rest areas: 1
  • Scoutmaster Grotto: 19.7 mi
Gardens: 1

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 17.3 miles of Tueeulala Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Forsyth PeakNE 38°3,408.3 m17.0 mi
Wells PeakNE 50°3,389.4 m17.2 mi
Craig PeakNE 45°3,379 m16.3 mi
Snow PeakNE 46°3,336 m15.2 mi
Tuolumne PeakESE 111°3,309 m16.9 mi
Mount HoffmannESE 119°3,308 m16.4 mi
Pettit PeakE 84°3,277 m16.0 mi
Price PeakENE 62°3,251 m14.9 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:0318:3719:11
June solstice05:3819:4620:26
September equinox06:4818:2318:58
December solstice07:1216:0316:44

Local time (America/Los_Angeles).

Climate normals

Months averaging 5080 °F: Apr–Oct.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F404346515866737267584740
Precip in6.35.75.73.52.40.60.40.10.42.23.85.9

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Hetch Hetchy, under a mile away.

Months at or above the year’s average flow: May–Jul — fullest in Jun, leanest in Oct.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean cfs1221071292911,3031,72675514879.453.360.573.9

USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Tuolumne R NR Hetch Hetchy 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.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata

OpenStreetMap element node/2389340047

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