Wildcat Falls
Wildcat Falls is a waterfall in California, at a recorded elevation of 1,296 m. Mount Starr King stands 2,767 m to the east, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is The Cascades, a waterfall 0.3 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 3.7 miles off.
The story
Wildcat Falls is located in the western quarter of Yosemite National Park alongside Highway 140, approximately 2.8 miles inside the park from the Arch Rock Entrance. It consists of a relatively thin string of falls and cascades totaling 720 feet (some sources list 630 feet), and only flows until about May or June. There are a total of seven drops in the waterfall, the longest being 120 feet. The base of the waterfall is a mossy grotto that is easily reached on foot and is a popular location among photographers.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q8001011, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 190 m
- Elevation
- 1296 m
How to reach it
- 3.7 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- Viewpoint for Giant Sequoias · 6 mi
- View on Tenaya Lake · 14 mi
- Lembert Dome · 23 mi
- Disappearing Meadows · 26 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Elephant Rock: 0.7 mi
- Turtleback Dome: 1.0 mi
- Devils Dance Floor: 1.5 mi
- Old Inspiration Point: 2.6 mi
- Stanford Point: 3.0 mi
- The Cascades: 0.3 mi
- Upper Cascades: 0.4 mi
- Silver Strand Falls: 2.9 mi
- Foresta Falls: 3.2 mi
- Little Nellie Falls: 3.6 mi
- Fern Spring: 2.9 mi
- Black Spring: 3.1 mi
- Moss Spring: 3.2 mi
- Barrel Spring: 5.9 mi
- Iron Spring: 9.0 mi
- Hetch Hetchy Railroad Museum: 5.1 mi
- Indian Village: 7.3 mi
- Yosemite Museum & Library: 7.3 mi
- Yosemite Exploration Center: 7.3 mi
- Ansel Adams residence: 7.3 mi
- Valley View Parking: 2.7 mi
- Valley View Yosemite (Sunset Spot): 2.7 mi
- Yosemite Valley Railroad Caboose Number 15: 5.1 mi
- Hetch Hetchy Railroad Number 6: 5.1 mi
- Tunnel Tree: 5.7 mi
- Fireplace Bluffs: 1.8 mi
- Rockslides: 3.0 mi
- Profile Cliff: 6.2 mi
- The Fissures: 6.3 mi
- Castle Cliffs: 7.4 mi
- Summit Meadow: 4.9 mi
- Cathedral Beach Picnic Area: 5.0 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 5.3 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 6.5 mi
- Red Bud Picnic Area: 6.8 mi
- El Portal Park: 5.1 mi
- Midpines Park: 17.6 mi
- Greeley Hill County Park: 21.3 mi
- Mariposa Art Park: 21.4 mi
- Mariposa Park: 21.5 mi
- John Muir: 6.9 mi
- World Heritage Site: 7.3 mi
- Foster Curry Cabin: 8.0 mi
- Women's Club Building: 8.1 mi
- Mt Buckingham School (historic): 15.7 mi
- Cat Town: 21.1 mi
- Agua Fria: 23.4 mi
- Mount Ophir: 23.9 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 12.4 mi
- Nelder Grove Historical Area: 21.6 mi
- Benson Lake Beach: 23.0 mi
- Dedication Garden: 23.9 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 12.2 miles of Wildcat Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Starr King | E 97° | 2,767 m | 11.0 mi |
| Half Dome | E 81° | 2,694 m | 10.2 mi |
| Indian Rock | ENE 66° | 2,592 m | 9.9 mi |
| Mount Watkins | ENE 69° | 2,590 m | 11.6 mi |
| Boundary Hill | ENE 60° | 2,575 m | 5.6 mi |
| Subdome | E 81° | 2,564 m | 10.4 mi |
| East Quarter Dome | ENE 77° | 2,535 m | 11.7 mi |
| West Quarter Dome | ENE 78° | 2,490 m | 11.5 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 | 19:46 | 20:25 |
| September equinox | 06:47 | 18:23 | 18:57 |
| December solstice | 07:11 | 16:03 | 16:44 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 38 | 36 | 38 | 42 | 50 | 60 | 68 | 67 | 62 | 53 | 43 | 37 |
| Precip in | 6.9 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 4.4 | 7.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Yosemite Village 12 W, 6 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Apr–Jul — fullest in May, leanest in Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 213 | 264 | 454 | 1,181 | 2,353 | 1,893 | 638 | 146 | 61.5 | 67.5 | 119 | 179 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Merced R A Pohono 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.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/4251176815
Day trips start here
- Sierra Nevada · 8 mi
- Yosemite National Park · 9 mi
Take the scenic way to Wildcat Falls.
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