Lower Yosemite Falls
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Height of falls:
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320 feet | ||
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Watercourse:
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Yosemite Creek | |||
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Elevation of crest:
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4420 feet | |||
| click for a larger picture | ||||
| Taken as a whole, Yosemite Falls drops 2425 feet, almost half a mile. Between the upper and lower falls, the intermediate cascades churn though a series of pools and cataracts, nearly hidden in a narrow gorge, dropping a total of 675 feet. The final drop, though, is free-leaping, over a sheer cliff at a slight angle to the main valley wall.
Lower Yosemite is the most approachable of the valley's major falls. It is a gentle walk through the forest from Yosemite Lodge to the very base of the falls. In spring the viewing area is lashed with spray, but by midsummer there is just a pleasant current of cool air, perhaps with a hint of mist. The cliff to the left of the falls, dark with moss and lichen because it is kept constantly wet, is known to rock climbers as the Black Wall, and offers the valley's noisiest climb. |
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