Nevada Fall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Nevada Fall**
Nevada Falls
Location	Yosemite Valley, Yosemite NP, CA, US
Type	Horsetail
Total Height	594 feet
Height of Longest Drop	480 feet
Number of Drops	1
World Height Ranking	576

Nevada Fall ^[1] is a 594 ft (181 m) high waterfall on Merced River in Yosemite National Park, California. It is located below the granite dome, Liberty Cap, at the west end of Little Yosemite Valley, at 37°43′31″N, 119°31′58″W.

The Emerald Pool forms on the "step" between Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall downstream. The 317 ft (97 m) high Vernal Fall is a short hike from the bottom of Nevada Fall. They form a cascade in which Merced River flows down to Yosemite Valley.

This cascade is sometimes called the giant staircase, which is evident when viewed from above, at Glacier Point.

[edit] Hiking Trail

The hike to the top of Nevada Falls, along the Mist Trail, is 3.4 miles from the trailhead in Yosemite Valley. One must first hike to Vernal Falls and then trek another 2 miles to reach the top. Due to the extra hiking milage and difficulty, Nevada Falls is not as popular as Vernal Falls. Many hikers will stop at Vernal Falls and not make the extra effort to go to the top of Nevada Falls. The trail after Vernal Falls is shaded and progressive the first half until you reach the base of Nevada Falls where you climb for about 20 minutes with the sun glaring on you the entire time. This second half can be dangerous, especially on the way down. Your knees will take a beating, especially by the time you've made your way all the way down from Nevada and Vernal Falls. Much like Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls has a nice area atop the waterfall for relaxing and dipping in the water, though many people consider "dipping in the water" just meters from a 600 foot waterfall to be rather foolish. The pool is quite limited; and if one ventures out too far out in the water, he or she could get caught in the current. You will find it crowded only due to the fact that the area for water access is much smaller than the Vernal Falls pool.

[edit] Pictures

Giant staircase, seen from Glacier Point. Vernal Fall is the lower fall, Nevada Fall is the upper fall, coursing through Little Yosemite Valley. Liberty Cap is the granite dome next to Nevada Fall.