Upper Yosemite Fall
Summary
The hike to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls is approximately a 6.4 mile round trip.
In comparison to the Half Dome Hike, this trail is
much shorter but is almost constantly a steep up-hill journey. I do not encourage
this hike for anyone not in good health.
Getting to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls will give you a fantastic feeling of
achievement. By the time you reach to top, you know how hard you've worked and you're
rewarded with a extraordinary view of the valley below.
Parking/Trailhead
Use the West side of the Yosemite Lodge parking lot. In the summer time this lot
fills up pretty early and visitors start parking on the edge of the main road so
get there early. The trailhead is on North/East side of the Sunnyside Backpacker's
Campground. Cross the street from the Yosemite Lodge parking lot, walk through the
Sunnyside Campground Parking lot (intended only for Sunnyside campers) and you'll
find a trailhead sign right on the other side.
Trail Description
This is one of the steeper trails that you'll find from the Valley Floor to the
Valley Rim. This steepness means that there are a lot of accidents on the trail
due to hikers slipping on loose gravel or wet rocks. On my last hike, I slipped
at least a dozen times due to gravel and bumped my butt on the trail twice (ouch!).
If I wasn't so experienced at tripping, I'd be in a world of hurt. All of these
slips occurred when I was headed DOWN the trail . . . so be CAREFUL!! Of course,
no one laughed because they were doing the same thing.
Speaking of slippage, one really needs to pay attention to the rocks on the trail
near the mist of the waterfall. This doesn't account for a large portion of the
trail (percentage wise) but these extremely slippery and slimy rocks have no mercy
for the hiker in a rush.
The first half of the trail is approximately 80% shaded which is something that
we learn to appreciate during the summer. The second half of the trail is approximately
5% shaded which is something that is very hard to forget on a hot day. Now guess
which part of the trail is steeper?
Supplies
Use the standard Day Hike Checklist for this
hike.
Itinerary
If we can help it, we'd like to start early enough to so that we can spend around
an hour and a half at the top of the falls just kicking back and enjoying the view.
The biggest scheduling danger on this trip is hiking down the trail after dark which
very often pitch. This is also the reason that bringing flashlights is MANDATORY!
The following times are very general and can vary greatly if additional trails are
followed at the top of Upper Yosemite Falls. It's always best to plan nothing else
during a hike day.
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Time
|
Location
|
|
5:00 am
|
Leave Fresno Area
|
|
6:00 am
|
Quick Breakfast in Oakhurst at McDonalds
|
|
7:30 am
|
Sunnyside Trailhead
|
|
11:00 am
|
Upper Yosemite Falls
|
|
1:00 pm
|
Start Back to Car
|
|
3:00 pm
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Start Back to Fresno
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|
5:30 pm
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Return to Fresno Area
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(Back to Top)
