Add Your Heading Text Here

Season Special: Yosemite Waterfalls Bursting at the Seams!

After months of heavy precipitation in the Sierras, a unique and spectacular season for Yosemite waterfalls has arrived!

Spring is in the air in Yosemite, and as the snow melts after an exceptionally heavy winter in the backcountry, a fleeting and truly outstanding waterfall season is taking over Yosemite Valley!
 
 
Yosemite Falls as captured on April 10, 2019 by the National Parks Service webcam. Look forward to even higher flows in coming months!
Flow rates in local rivers are the highest on record in years, and the valley’s most visible falls—iconic sights like Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Falls—are beginning to showcase their most impressive forms. Deeper in the valley, lesser-seen seasonal sights like the 2,000-foot giant Sentinel Falls and the more illusive Ribbon Falls are already bursting at the seams with the promise of higher flows in coming months.
 
Bridalveil Falls in modest form compared to what’s coming this waterfall season in Yosemite.
 
Our onsite guides—many of whom are longtime, year-round residents in the area—are already reporting an exceptional display.
 
“They were so amazingly beautiful,” said veteran guide and local resident Juliet Ramirez earlier this month. “The ice cone under Yosemite Falls is huge right now. Ribbon Fall’s still has an ice cone as well. But my favorite part might be the way they sound. They are so loud and have an almost overwhelmingly bold presence, even when you can’t see them! Driving into the valley yesterday, there were waterfalls coming off of the walls that I had never seen before. Cascades that are often just trickles were full blown waterfalls that would be destinations in themselves.

If you get close, they’ll really blow your hair back!”

Looking forward to an epic season of backpacking, our guided backpacking and day hike trip planners are tailoring routes to showcase the unique waterfall display for guests. For day trips,  our Glacier Point down the Panorama and Mist Trails trip provides constant views of Yosemite’s rushing water, and the Yosemite Valley Tour pulls out at all the most iconic stops. In addition to some of our most popular waterfall backpacking adventures—trips like Glacier Point to Half Dome and the Yosemite Icons Tour—we’re creating custom backpacking experiences to share the valley’s many outstanding falls with you in a way only a local’s view can provide. And if yoga is your thing, we offer guided yoga retreats with river-side practices along the way!

Visiting options for waterfall sightseeing

In the days surrounding your backpacking adventure, or for a more moderate Yosemite waterfall tour, there’s no better way to experience Yosemite waterfalls than spending a few days right at the falls’ bases. With more than 10 stunning cascades within a short driving or hiking distance, our lodging and camping options put you right in the midst (and mist) of this natural phenomenon. Bring luxury with you to the base of Yosemite Falls with one of our Rush Creek lodging/hiking packages, or build your perfect family camping trip. In addition to providing reservations and permits, we also offer pre-planned and custom guided waterfall day tours to make your waterfall encounter in Yosemite Valley as rich as possible!

“Our guests are going to be able to see more than the few well-known and iconic waterfalls that are typically in the valley,” says Lasting Adventures’ founder, Scott Gehrman. “They’ll also see 6-8 more falls that are seasonal and normally dry, an amazing and unique side of the park, if they know where to look!” But they shouldn’t have to look far because as the weather warms water will be essentially cascading over the granite wherever possible.

The season is fleeting and trips are filling up. Let’s start planning your Yosemite waterfall adventure!

 

EXPLORE WATERFALL TRIPS

Nevada Falls Loop
Yosemite Icons Backpacking Trip

Trips by Destination

Trips by Type

Camping Programs
Lodge-Based Programs