Trail Map of Upper Yosemite Fall Hike

Yosemite Fall, dropping 2,425 feet to the bottom of the valley from the top, is one of the most visited places in Yosmite National Park. The fall consists of three sections: upper falls, middle cascade and lower falls. While most people visit lower falls only, upper falls is definely worthy of visiting for its eye-opening views and hiker's self-satisfaction of reaching it.

The trail to Upper Yosemite Fall is about 3 miles one way, and gaining 3,000 feet in elevation along the way. Once you get to the top of the valley, you can go to Yosemite Fall Overlook, a small plateform near the mouth of Upper Yosemite Fall, to enjoy the  the thrilling views of looking down from above. Before hiking the trail, please be sure that your physical condition is fit as it will surely be heart-pounding to get to the top.

The trailhead is located in the Sunnyside campgroud (Camp 4) near Yosemite Lodge. In essence, the hike can be divided into sections as the following: from the trailhead to Columbia Rock, from Columbia to the lower gate, from the lower gate to the upper gate and from the upper gate to the overlook. It generally takes 6 - 8 hours for average hikers to complete the roundtrip hike. The trail is generally open for the whole year but can be difficult to hike in winter due to snow, especially beyond Columbia Rock.

GPS coordinate (UTM / WGS 84) and elevation for waypoints:
Trailhead: 11 S 270623 4180467 (4,000 ft.)
Columbia Rock: 11 S 270667 4180891 / 5,036 ft.)
Lower Gate: 11 S 271058 4181358 (5,000 ft)
Upper Gate: 11 S 271028 4182303 (6,625 ft.)
Yosemite Fall Overlook: 11 S 271222 4182028 (6,550 ft.)

Bring a lot of water and be careful of loose gravels on the the trail.