Yosemite V: To Nevada Falls

I’m not a fan of crowded trails, but the trail from Yosemite Valley up through Vernal and Nevada Falls is one of my favorite destinations in Yosemite National Park despite the swell of people it attracts.

Thankfully we started the hike early enough to avoid the swell. From the southeast corner of Yosemite Valley, the trail begins with a modest ascent towards the south and then to the east to gain a view of the Illilouette Valley. A footbridge across the Merced River offers the first glimpse of Vernal Falls in the distance to the east. A short while later one arrives at the southern side of the falls where there is a steep incline up the granite bedrock up to the top of the falls. In wetter seasons, Vernal Falls is a wide white ribbon that cascades over a sharp lip of granite, but at the tail end of a long dry season, the November falls were broken into three independent streams of water flowing down the rock.

Despite the diminished flow, Vernal Falls still seemed to have more water than some of the other waterfalls in the Valley, notably Yosemite Falls which was barely a humble trickle of water. I rather prefer to see Vernal Falls at this lower level of flow; the waterfall produced trickles and ribbons of water rather than a huge thunderous gush. The effect at the base of the falls is very different too since a full cascade of water produces so much spray that the trail becomes doused in mist.

Vernal Falls.

Nevada Falls.

At the top of Vernal Falls, the trail levels out to commanding views of the Illilouette Valley to the west, and the greeting of Emerald Pool, a temporary tranquil rest stop for Sierra snow melt before it plunges over the Vernal. The trail continues east and then crosses over the Merced River again back to its northern bank. Then the trail ascends steeply again in anticipation of reaching the top of Nevada Falls.   

Nevada Falls exceeds Vernal Falls in height, but the latter is more elegant in my opinion since it the sheer 90 degree drop at the crest of the falls results in an elegant plunge of water. At the head of Nevada Falls, the water seems to shoot out more forcefully where it then drops nearly vertically for some distance and finally hits a more sloping granite face where it slides further in sheets down the rocks. Anywhere else, a waterfall such as Nevada Falls would be the chief highlight of the area, but in Yosemite where there are an abundance of natural waterworks, one can be more choosy.

I hiked just a bit beyond Nevada Falls along the John Muir Trail where it heads into the Little Yosemite Valley and crosses into the Yosemite wilderness. Venturing a little off trail, I went just a ways up the eastern slope of Liberty Cap where there was an excellent view of the valley to the east. A pair of granite domes were visible some miles in the distance to the east. The domes appeared to be composed of sheets of granite, like Half Dome itself.  Where the sheets were partly broken, the laminar fractures produced dark shadows on the rocks. These patterns are one of my favorite manifestations of the diversity of granitic composition in the Sierra.

Panorama (looking east) of Little Yosemite Valley from the eastern slope of Liberty Cap.

The trail continues several miles to the summit of Half Dome and the broader Yosemite wilderness for overnight backpacking. Permits are required for both, and while both adventures sound very appealing, I’d prefer to find a time to when the crush of the crowds can be avoided. 

Sheets of water at the base of Nevada Falls.