January 17, 2014
Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, Yosemite National Park
Total distance walked: 4 miles
Ever since I started hiking in Yosemite National Park, I avoided the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. I was intimidated by it, imagining it to be an extremely difficult, crowded, and unbearably hot trek. It’s incredible how our minds can exaggerate things. In reality, there was nothing to fear.
Late in the morning, Mary Elizabeth and I set off on the trail that ascends 2,700 feet to the top of Yosemite Falls.
The sky above was a brilliant, cheerful blue, making me think of it as a “happy sky” as I looked up. The air was calm, and the weather was perfect for hiking: starting in the low 30s and warming up to the low 60s by the afternoon. Quite unusual for January.
We took our time ascending the rocky steps, savoring the journey. We passed under the fragrant California laurel trees and navigated steep switchbacks that provided breathtaking views of the valley below.
We paused at Columbia Point, which is at an elevation of 5,036 feet.
Along the way, we encountered a variety of people: a group of six men and women from New Zealand in shorts and tank tops; a man from China touring the United States who cautioned us about a slippery section of the trail ahead; and a couple with loaded backpacks, tackling a 24-mile loop over the holiday weekend.
From a flat section of the trail, we caught our first glimpse of the upper fall. It seemed almost dry, with only a trickle of water flowing down.
We kept walking until noon, when we found a flat boulder and decided to sit for lunch. From our vantage point above the snow cone, we could see the water spilling over the edge of the fall. John Muir once described the snow cone as follows: “In winter the thin outer folds and whirling spray of the great Yosemite Fall are frozen while passing through the air freely exposed and are deposited around the base of the fall in the form of a hollow, truncated cone, which sometimes attains a height of 400 feet.”
It seemed like we could easily reach the fall from our lunch spot, but we still had over a mile and another thousand feet to climb to the top. Content with what we had achieved for the day, we headed back to the car.
Looking back, there was nothing to fear about hiking the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail. The mild winter made the trail comfortable and much easier to climb than I had anticipated. However, we didn’t make it to the top.
Hiking Yosemite and Beyond 
That third picture, the one of the switchback, looks like you were walking on the edge of the earth. Beautiful pictures and I’m glad you were finally able to make that hike.
Dad
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When I first saw the switchback from the trail, I got a little nervous. It wasn’t so bad. What you don’t see from the trail is that it turns and goes inland up the mountain. It made for a good photo though. 🙂
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Yes, our minds can certainly blow things out of proportion and create fear when none should exist. However, perhaps caution is a good thing. I have a question. Have you always lived in this area?
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Hi Kathy, We’ve lived in the foothills for a little over seven years now.
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That is such a great hike, though it does get really busy in the summertime. Good call going now when it’s quiet. It’s so exhilarating to physically challenge yourself and then be rewarded by the amazing views in the Valley!
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Yes, I’d like to do it again sometime. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
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Hello! I found your blog while searching for the Sierra Hiking Seniors group. My dad recently moved to the Oakhurst area and does several hikes in the park and surrounding areas per week. Can you tell me how I might put him in contact with this group, or other active seniors?
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Hi Elena,
Here’s the e-mail address of the group’s contact. Her name is Franny. You can ask her questions about the group and get your dad on the e-mail list. They hike twice a week: Monday & Friday, all year long. frannyken@gmail.com –Janet
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This was my absolute favorite trail I did in my limited time in Yosemite. The extreme steepness sped up the change from the valley to upper Yosemite. I went in September and it was bone dry. Need to make it there in the winter when there’s fewer people there 😉
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Fewer people is always better. 🙂
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