Nevada Falls Strenuous


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Location: Yosemite Village, Yosemite National Park, Mariposa County
Stream: Merced River
Alternate Names:

Height: 594 ft.
Access:   hike   nodog  
Distance: 6.4 miles (RT)
Elevation: 4000 ft. (+2000 ft.)
Season: Apr-Jul
Form:   horsetail
Lat/Long:37.72496, -119.53249
Directions:On Southside Drive, drive to Curry Village and park. Then take the free shuttle to Happy Isles, stop #16. Start walking up the paved trail to Nevada Falls.

If you continue up past Vernal Falls another mile, you will reach the top of spectacular Nevada Falls. It is a difficult hike to the top, but it is well worth the effort. There are many rocky steps to climb up to the top. These two waterfalls still have lots of water flow even in the summer, unlike others in the park. Come back down the John Muir Trail from the top of Nevada for a little change of scenery, instead of going back down the Mist Trail.

The official height of Nevada Falls is 594 ft. by the National Park Service. However, if you look at USGS Topo map and Google Earth, it seems closer to 450 ft., so it is possible that the NPS official height is incorrect. I have not been able to measure it myself because I was not able to get a good reading due to too much mist.

2 Miles S Yosemite CA (Elev. 7730 ft)

This Afternoon
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. West wind around 5 mph.
Tonight
A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 44. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 58. South southeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the morning.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 40. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable in the evening.
Monday
Sunny, with a high near 53. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.
Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 38. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east northeast after midnight.
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 57. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west southwest in the morning.
Tuesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 42. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east southeast in the evening.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 58. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the morning.
Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 42. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 57. West southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Get Google Maps directions to trailhead

Zoom out on map to see all nearby waterfalls:

Other waterfalls nearby:

Silver Apron Falls 0.50 miles
Vernal Falls 0.62 miles
Illilouette Falls 1.71 miles
Staircase Falls 2.36 miles
Tenaya Falls 2.42 miles
Royal Arch Cascade 2.65 miles
Snow Creek Falls 2.80 miles
Merced River Falls 2.85 miles
Sentinel Falls 3.40 miles
Clark Fork Falls 3.55 miles
Lehamite Falls 3.56 miles
Bunnell Cascade 3.61 miles
Lower Yosemite Falls 3.86 miles
Upper Yosemite Falls 4.05 miles
Lower Pywiack Cascade 4.64 miles
Pywiack Cascade 4.90 miles
Echo Creek Falls 5.41 miles
Horsetail Falls 5.55 miles
Silverlace Falls 5.67 miles
Bridalveil Falls 6.10 miles
Ribbon Falls 6.20 miles
Upper Tenaya Creek Falls 6.62 miles
Widows Tears 7.18 miles
Silver Strand Falls 7.40 miles
Lower Washburn Lake Falls 8.08 miles
Tioga Pass Falls 8.77 miles
Upper Washburn Lake Falls 8.91 miles
Sacred Pool Falls 9.36 miles
Cascades 9.58 miles
Tamarack Falls 9.74 miles
Wildcat Falls 9.80 miles
Merced Peak Fork Falls 9.95 miles

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