Yosemite Falls Trailhead — Attraction in Oakhurst

Yosemite Falls Trail refers to Upper Yosemite Fall Trail, not to be confused with the much shorter & easier Lower Yosemite Falls Trail. The Upper Yosemite Falls trail is one of the most challenging hiking trails in the valley. It is about 7 miles round trip with 2700 feet net elevation gain. With ups & downs, total elevation gain is over 3000 feet. It will take between four to six hours to finish. Don't plan anything else for the day if you decide to challenge the peak.

The starting point is near Camp 4 kiosk, near Yosemite Valley Lodge. There are plenty of parking spaces, but fills up quickly during summer and weekends, so try to arrive early in the morning.

The whole trail can be divided into 4 sections; time estimate is based on a moderately active person: Trailhead to Columbia Rock is about 1.5 miles with an elvation of around 1000 feet. Because this part of trail receives lot of sunshine, it is free of snow or ice year-round. It is a little over the 1/3 of the whole trip to the peak and takes about 1 hour to complete. Columbia Rock to Lower Gate is about 0.5 miles. There is a rather steep incline that takes you 240 feet up, but the downward section isn’t bad. It takes about 20 minutes to complete. At Lower Gate, you can take a close view of the middle section of Yosemite fall. Depending on the season, the fall can be roaring in May, or totally gone in late October. Lower Gate to Upper Junction is about 1.2 miles with an elevation gain over 1600 feet. It takes about 1 hour to complete. Upper junction to Yosemite Fall Overlook is about 0.3 miles, not much elevation gain, and takes about 10 minutes.

If you still have energy, you can hike another mile to reach the Yosemite point, the view of half dome is spectacular from the vista point.

Getting down is easier, but be careful, pay special attention to the trail section around Columbia Rock; the rock and sand makes the trail very slippery.

Tips: Don't wear too much clothes, even for the chilly winter morning. You will get warmed up very quickly after hiking 5 to 10 minutes on the trail Don't carry heavy stuff (i.e. a heavy camera). A lot of water, snacks, and your smart phone(part of the trail has cellular coverage) Trekking poles are very helpful, especially when you go down hill. Sunscreen and hat are strongly recommended, large portion of the trail is unshaded. The fall dries up during fall and winter season, but floods during the spring and summer, so you can get soaked...

"This is gonna be tough," I said to myself. I have done trails with 3,500 ft elevation gain and 7 miles in length, but it does not get much easier even if you hike often like I do. In addition, it was going to be really warm, mid 70s, and in the sun probably even high 70s.

I arrived at the trailhead at 7.45 AM and started the hike around 8 AM. It took me 6 hours of pretty much non-stop hiking (except 25 min at the top) and by 2 PM I was back to my car.

The way up was hard. In the blazing sun with no shade as you reach the second half of the trail (pretty steep uphill) you just hope the end will come soon. On the way down it is much easier, but now you have to be careful of where you step because some portions of the trail are pure sand, others are covered in trickling springs flowing downhill. My knees were sore and the next day I felt like I have never exercised my calves. Was it worth it? Yes!

The views on the top were really incredible, and the waterfall full with water during this time of the year. As you hike near the falls, closer to the bottom of it, you are gently sprinkled with mist coming from the powerful waterfall. It felt incredible on skin and refreshing enough to continue going.

A few tips:

1. get at least 2 L of water;
2. bring sunscreen, and reapply constantly;
3. wear hiking shoes with good traction on the soles;
4. wear a had and sunglasses;
5. bring your good camera. I didn't and some pictures came out not so great because of lots...

Complexity of the trail i between moderate and hard, depending on the area. The part of the trail that goes to the Columbia point is moderate. The part that goes to the falls is mostly hard because of not even rocky surface. There are 3 main points on the trail: a) Columbia point: great views to the valley (30% of the trail) b) upper falls side view: very cool and misty (40% of the trail) c) the top of the mountain where the falls is starting. Views from the top are amazing. Hiking shows with anti slip surface are very recommended. Stones are slippery and I saw a few people wearing normal walking shows kept slipping. Also there are several wet parts of the trail because of springs and waterfall water. Hiking poles are also recommended. It is better to start hiking early. Even though the trail is mostly shady, there are many sunny spots there as well, so it can be very hot. Have water with you. I drunk ~2 liters during the hike. I am not an experienced hiker, and it took me about 4.5 hours to hike to the end of the trail to the waterfalls starting point and...