Lower Yosemite Fall - Where Muir Made His Home

Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)

A stop on Yosemite Valley, a free self-guided tour.

Follow the loop path to the footbridge at the base of the falls. Yosemite Falls drops a total of about 2,425 feet in three sections, one of the tallest waterfalls in North America. Here you're facing the Lower Fall's final 320-foot plunge, with the Upper Fall visible from the trail as you approach.

The water is snowmelt, so the falls roar in late spring, when spray can soak you on the bridge, and they often slow to a trickle or stop completely by late summer or fall. If it's dry, look for the dark streaks on the rock where the water runs in season.

The Ahwahneechee called the fall Cholock. In their tradition, spirits lived in the pool at its base.

Yosemite Creek once powered a sawmill near the start of this trail, where a young John Muir worked in 1869. He built a small cabin beside the creek so he could hear the water as he slept. The easy one-mile loop is paved; stay off the slick boulders below the falls.

Getting here: From Sentinel Bridge, walk north on the Cook's Meadow path and across Northside Drive to the Lower Yosemite Fall loop, about a mile. Or ride the free shuttle to the Lower Yosemite Fall stop.

Did you know?: Muir diverted a little stream of Yosemite Creek to run beneath the floor of his cabin and trained ferns to grow over his writing desk.

Photo op: From the footbridge at the base, frame the Lower Fall with the boulders and creek in the foreground. In spring, protect your camera from the spray.

Nearby: Restrooms near the trailhead and shuttle stop. Food and water at Yosemite Valley Lodge, a short walk west.

More on Wikipedia: Yosemite Falls · John Muir

Lower Yosemite Fall - Where Muir Made His Home

Stops on this tour