Upper Yosemite Fall
Upper Yosemite Fall is a waterfall in California, at a modelled elevation of 1,987 m. Mount Hoffmann stands 3,308 m to the northeast, 7.8 miles off. The nearest named place is Lost Arrow Spire, a peak 0.1 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 3.9 miles off.
The story
Highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park.
Wikidata Q491677, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 440 m
- Elevation
- 1,599 m
What to expect
- Seasonal
- Yes
How to reach it
- 3.9 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- View on Tenaya Lake · 7 mi
- Viewpoint for Giant Sequoias · 12 mi
- Lembert Dome · 16 mi
- Disappearing Meadows · 19 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Lost Arrow Spire: 0.1 mi
- Yosemite Point: 0.2 mi
- Eagle Tower: 0.4 mi
- Arrowhead Spire: 0.5 mi
- Eagle Peak: 1.2 mi
- Middle Cascades: 0.2 mi
- Lower Yosemite Fall: 0.4 mi
- Lehamite Falls: 1.1 mi
- Royal Arch Cascade: 1.5 mi
- Staircase Falls: 1.9 mi
- Indian Village: 0.7 mi
- Yosemite Museum & Library: 0.8 mi
- Yosemite Exploration Center: 0.8 mi
- Ansel Adams residence: 0.8 mi
- Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center: 1.5 mi
- Castle Cliffs: 0.5 mi
- Glacier Point: 2.2 mi
- Profile Cliff: 3.1 mi
- The Fissures: 3.1 mi
- Diving Board: 3.2 mi
- Indian Arch: 2.7 mi
- Valley View Yosemite (Sunset Spot): 4.9 mi
- Tunnel Tree: 11.4 mi
- Yosemite Valley Railroad Caboose Number 15: 11.8 mi
- Hetch Hetchy Railroad Number 6: 11.8 mi
- Iron Spring: 2.5 mi
- Black Spring: 4.3 mi
- Moss Spring: 4.5 mi
- Fern Spring: 4.7 mi
- Barrel Spring: 12.0 mi
- World Heritage Site: 0.8 mi
- Foster Curry Cabin: 2.0 mi
- Women's Club Building: 2.0 mi
- Soda Springs Cabin: 15.1 mi
- Mt Buckingham School (historic): 21.1 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 1.4 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 2.4 mi
- Cathedral Beach Picnic Area: 2.8 mi
- Summit Meadow: 6.5 mi
- Red Bud Picnic Area: 13.6 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 6.4 mi
- Nelder Grove Historical Area: 22.7 mi
- El Portal Park: 11.8 mi
- Midpines Park: 23.8 mi
- Benson Lake Beach: 18.6 mi
- Bennettville: 22.2 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 9.8 miles of Upper Yosemite Fall. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Hoffmann | NE 37° | 3,308 m | 7.8 mi |
| The Bowmaiden | NE 37° | 3,241 m | 9.3 mi |
| Quartzite Peak | ESE 107° | 3,182 m | 9.8 mi |
| Tenaya Peak | ENE 59° | 3,129 m | 9.7 mi |
| Clouds Rest | E 83° | 3,028 m | 5.9 mi |
| Sunrise Mountain | ENE 72° | 3,026 m | 8.4 mi |
| The Pinnacles | E 86° | 2,885 m | 5.6 mi |
| Mount Starr King | SE 131° | 2,767 m | 5.7 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, under a mile 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/2389658224
Day trips start here
- Sierra Nevada · 2 mi
- Yosemite National Park · 3 mi
Take the scenic way to Upper Yosemite Fall.
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