The Journey to Upper Yosemite Falls
On Sunday May 17, 2026 I finally hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls! Many people assume that I have done most hikes out of Yosemite Valley since I lived there for almost 3 years and have visited a ton of times over the years. But in reality, I have and still am intimidated by the elevation gain of many of the hikes starting in Yosemite Valley. And when I was living in the park/valley, I was not much of a hiker. Let alone the fact that I had some negative experiences hiking with people who would leave me during a hike because I was slower and/or less experienced.
Fast forward to 9 years since my first season working in Yosemite National Park and I made it to the top of Yosemite Falls via the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. You will find that the total mileage/distance and elevation gain varies depending on where you’re looking online or on maps. That could be for many reasons. It could depend on where you technically start the hike, if you go straight to Yosemite Falls overlook once you get to the top and/or take some detours like stopping at Columbia Rock. According to Strava, my total mileage was 9.47 miles with 3,411 feet of elevation gain in 4 hours 53 minutes of “moving time.” We left Mammoth Lakes around 6:15am, parked at the Yosemite Valley Lodge parking lot across from Camp 4, and started our hike around 8:44am. By the time we made it back to the car it was around 3:30pm.
Alright, enough of the logistics, let’s talk about what this experience was like for me. I’d been intimidated, and rightfully so, by this hike not only because of the elevation gain but also due to my inexperience as a hiker. For much of my life there have been assumptions made about my physical abilities because I’ve always been “skinny” with “muscular arms.” But the truth is, I never played any sports during my childhood. I’ve always been curious and open to trying things but was never an athlete. Instead I was interested in theater, dancing, and singing. And as my podcast listeners know, I didn’t grow up hiking, camping, etc. Then add on the fact that some of my first experiences hiking with people in Yosemite were discouraging. So, instead I spent my first summer in the park enjoying what I like to refer to as “adult summer camp.” If you know, you know.
When I started dating my husband (Joe) 1 month shy of 8 years ago, I used to tell him that I would try hiking with him but couldn’t promise I would ever really get into it. Since then, I’ve hiked more times than I can count and gone on 9 backpacking trips (and counting!). I also started running back in mid-January 2026 after signing up for a 10k running event that is set for late September. My reasoning for getting into running was to develop my endurance and stamina for hiking/backpacking. Although I downhill ski, practice yoga regularly, and hike (among other things) I noticed that longer hikes and especially those with lots of elevation gain would wreck me. So, I got the idea to try running as a way to be healthier and train my body in another way that would benefit my hiking abilities. And to be honest, I’m tired of seeing pictures of places I know are better experienced in person by getting there using my own body. Plus, I’ve got a big backpacking trip in August that I’m training for which will be the most miles and elevation gain I will have ever completed up to that point.
For years me and Joe have talked about me finally hiking to the top of Yosemite Falls and seeing the view from the top of a waterfall that I have spent years gazing up at from the valley floor. When the opportunity came for us to visit Yosemite Valley soon after Tioga Pass reopened for summer 2026, I knew this is what I had to do. The waterfall, which is ephemeral, would be full and the park vegetation would be nice and lush. I also figured I’m probably in the best shape I’ve been in in years and possibly in my life in general. So what better time than now to get it done and I figured this would be great training for my backpacking trip in August.
At the start of the hike, I felt so strong with a steady pace and was breathing fairly easily. I assumed this could be attributed to the fact that I live at 7,900 feet above sea level and am regularly active at a high elevation. So starting a hike at 3,991 feet above sea level shouldn’t be much of a problem. By the time we had our first break right before Columbia Rock, I was feeling pretty confident that I could finish the remainder of the hike strongly. However, there is something to be said about sitting down in the middle of a hike and losing your momentum. I felt a bit sluggish and the fatigue from the first set of switchbacks had started to set in. Thankfully, after Columbia Rock there is a section where you actually lose a bit of elevation and walk on a fairly level/flat part of the trail. And then, you are rewarded with your first view of Yosemite Creek crashing down from the top of Upper Yosemite Falls. From the mist that cooled us down to the roar from the waterfall, I once again felt psyched to continue my journey up the second half of switchbacks to the top.
The good and bad part about this hike is that when you start the hike you can see where your destination/end goal is, so you know where you’re going. And once you get past Columbia Rock, you can see how much further you have to go to get to the top. Although all of that almost makes it worse because you can regularly gauge how far you’ve come and how much farther you have to climb. The waterfall was so full that instead of creating this stream it instead turned into mist. During the first third of the second set of switchbacks, it felt as if we were somewhere else. The sun was gone due to the dense tree coverage, it was windy from the air coming from the waterfall, and cold because the mist was spraying you. We couldn’t tell if it was raining or just misty from the waterfall.
The second set of switchbacks proved to be a great challenge. But what I usually do when I am hiking is to find a steady rhythm and go into a flow state. Because dwelling on the discomfort or remaining distance/elevation gain won’t be helpful. By the final third of the switchbacks from hell, the exhaustion had settled in. To be honest, I was dragging a bit there but was encouraged by the sight of the top of the trail and gained energy from knowing I was almost there. I was close to being able to say I had made it to the top of Yosemite Falls!
The trail finally became gradual as we hiked the last bit of the trail towards the Yosemite Falls overlook. The sweeping views of Yosemite Valley came into view along with many other familiar landmarks such as Half Dome, Glacier Point, and Sentinel Dome. I’ll be honest, the bit of the trail to get down to the Yosemite Falls overlook is kind of sketchy because the trail is essentially stairs carved into the granite and only wide enough for one person to pass at a time. And there was only railing on one side the whole time with the other side being pretty exposed to the ledge of the overlook. Once we made it to the overlook, I was full of relief and pride that I literally started tearing up. I felt so proud of myself for all the work I have done to get my body to the point where it is today and thankful that my body is able to take me to these amazing places.
After taking some photos at the Yosemite Falls overlook, we spent about an hour at the top having a little lunch break and checking out Yosemite Creek (off of the Yosemite Point trail). Then it was time for our descent. Which I was not looking forward to because I knew how steep the trail was and I know how my knees can get shaky on steep downhill, uneven terrain. Since I had been trail running I had hoped I would be able to jog down the switchbacks and make it down in good time. But that was not the case. Due to the busyness of the Yosemite Falls trail and the steepness of the trail, I was humbled to take it slow and steady in order to not risk injuring myself.
Honestly, I think the way down was worse than the way up because of how shaky my legs were. Every step I took, I felt like my legs were going to give out on me. Very thankful to have had my trekking poles to help me maneuver the terrain and be able to distribute some of my body weight onto them. Going downhill was especially tough because there were so many people who were not practicing proper trail etiquette. For the record, whoever is going uphill should have the right of way.
Anywho, in the end I was so relieved when I made it back down to the bottom of the trail. At that point it was official that I had done it. I finally checked off another big item on my hiking bucket list! Within minutes of arriving back at the car and sitting down for a bit, I felt some relief from the exhaustion and sore knees. It was nice knowing that what we had to look forward to was spending time with my sibling (who currently works in the park) by the Merced River with an ice cold brewski. While hanging out by the river, me and Joe took turns soaking our legs in the snow melt river water which provided us with some much needed relief from all of our hard work earlier that day.
Would I do that hike again? Maybe one day. But, I don’t feel the need to do that again anytime soon. However, the satisfaction I felt and still feel knowing I made it to the top of Yosemite Falls will live with me forever. The sore legs, fatigue, and blisters were worth it! My advice to anyone thinking of hiking Upper Yosemite Falls would be: get plenty of rest, be sure to hydrate and stretch before, during, and after the hike, start early because the trail is pretty exposed at times as well as busy especially during the weekend, and do some hiking before that will prepare you for the long day, distance, and elevation gain. If you do these things, I can’t promise you that it’ll be easy, but what I can promise is that you will make it to the top of the highest waterfall in North America.
