Vernal Fall

The 317 foot Vernal Fall is one of the many powerful waterfalls within Yosemite National Park, not visible from the main valley but easily reached along a well-marked path that begins near the Happy Isles Nature Center. The stretch is half a mile from the end of the publicly drivable road and is served by a free shuttle bus.

The path (the John Muir Trail) is level at first although sandy and rocky, and is often quite crowded. It winds through wooded land just north of the Merced River, at this point a fast-flowing, boulder-filled whitewater torrent with many small rapids and cascades. The view looking back towards Yosemite Valley gets more dramatic as the path gradually ascends, turning due east as it rounds Sierra Point, below 8,222 foot Grizzly Peak. Many steep steps take the trail up the rock face beside the waterfall, after which the path emerges onto a large, flat, open area at the top, with a railing-protected viewpoint right at the edge of the surging water. Just upstream is a large tranquil pond (Emerald Pool), and an unusual cascade known as the Silver Apron, where the waters flow down into a smooth, 30 degree slope of polished granite, dropping about 50 feet.