Tours and Tickets to Experience Yosemite Falls

There are plenty of ways to experience Yosemite Falls. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip from San Francisco

• Yosemite National Park 2-Day Tour from San Francisco with Lodging

• Yosemite 3-Day Camping Adventure from San Francisco

• Jeep 4 X 4 Yosemite Park Tour with Hotel Pickup

• Yosemite Valley Private Hiking Tour

To visit Yosemite Falls, you need to purchase a pass for Yosemite National Park to access the falls. A standard pass costs US$20 if you arrive on foot or by bike, US$35 per vehicle, and US$30 for motorcycles. High-traffic times, such as summer, require a paid reservation.

Yosemite Falls is a 3-tiered waterfall located in Yosemite National Park and reached by two hiking trails. Made up of the Upper Fall, Middle Cascades, and Lower Fall, the falls reach a total height of 2,425 feet (740 meters), making it one of the tallest waterfalls in North America.

While the trails to Yosemite Falls are open year-round, the optimal time to visit is in late spring (May–June) when snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada peaks results in the highest water flow. By late summer, the falls have often run dry or become a mere trickle, while the crowds swell.

The Upper Yosemite Fall Trail is a challenging 7.2-mile (11.6-kilometer) round-trip hike, climbing more than 2,700 feet (823 meters) to the top of the falls and affording panoramic views across Yosemite Valley and Half Dome. Alternatively, you can access the Lower Falls along a short paved trail.

A moonbow is a rainbow formed by the light of the moon shining and refracting through the spray of a waterfall. In April and May, when the full moon rises over the powerful Lower Yosemite Fall, there’s a higher than usual chance of spotting—and photographing—the rare phenomenon.