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Nevada Fall
Nevada Fall
Location	Yosemite Valley, Yosemite NP, Mariposa County, CA, US
Coordinates	37°43′29″N 119°32′00″W / 37.724764°N 119.533374°W / 37.724764; -119.533374
Type	Horsetail
Total height	594 ft (181 m)
Number of drops	1
Longest drop	480 ft (150 m)
Watercourse	Merced River
World height ranking	576

Nevada Fall is a 594-foot (181 m) high waterfall on the Merced River in Yosemite National Park, California. It is located below the granite dome, Liberty Cap, at the west end of Little Yosemite Valley. The waterfall is widely recognized by its "bent" shape, in which the water free-falls for roughly the first third of its length to a steep slick-rock slope. This mid-fall impact of the water on the cliff face creates a turbulent, whitewater appearance in the fall and produces a great deal of mist which covers a wide radius, which led to its current name (Nevada is a Spanish word meaning "snowy").

The Indian name was Yo-wy-we, signifying the twist or squirm of the falling water. Lafayette Bunnell suggested the name "Nevada" for the waterfall. He wrote, "The Nevada Fall was so called because it was the nearest to the Sierra Nevada, and because the name was sufficiently indicative of a wintry companion for our spring (Vernal Fall)... The white, foaming water, as it dashed down Yo-wy-we from the snowy mountains, represented to my mind a vast avalanche of snow."

The Emerald Pool forms on the "step" between Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall downstream. The 317-foot (97 m) high Vernal Fall is a short hike from the bottom of Nevada Fall. They form a cascade in which the Merced River flows down to Yosemite Valley.

This cascade is sometimes called the giant staircase, which is evident when viewed from above, at Glacier Point.

The hike to the top of Nevada Fall, along the Mist Trail, is 3 miles (4.8 km) from the trailhead in Yosemite Valley. One must first hike to Vernal Fall and then trek another 2 miles (3.2 km) to reach the top. The John Muir Trail, which starts near the trail to Happy Isles, goes to the top of Nevada Fall.

Hazards

In spite of the dangers and deaths as recently as June 2013, the pool above Nevada Fall remains a popular swimming location, with no park restrictions. In June 2018, an 18-year-old teenager fell to his death from the edge of the fall while attempting to take a selfie.

References

1. "Nevada Fall". World Waterfall Database.
2. United States Geological Survey (1958). Yosemite National Park and Wilderness, California Mariposa County (PDF) (Map) (Shaded Relief ed.). 1:24,000. Reston, Virginia: U.S. Department of Interior. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-08-11. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
3. The official spelling is singular, see U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Nevada Fall
4. Bunnell, Lafayette H. (1892) Discovery of the Yosemite. Chapter 13, p. 205.
5. "Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall Trails". National Park Service. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
6. "Hope fades for teen swept over Yosemite waterfall". USA Today. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
7. Anteola, Bryant-Jon (2018-09-07). "Teen falls to his death in Yosemite National Park after trying to take a selfie". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2018-10-27.

External links

• Media related to Nevada Fall at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Yosemite National Park
Attractions	Yosemite Valley Yosemite Village Hetch Hetchy Glacier Point Badger Pass Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias Tuolumne Meadows Tioga Pass Wawona Tree Chilnualna Falls Valley attractions Half Dome Yosemite Falls El Capitan Films: El Capitan, The Dawn Wall, Free Solo, To the Limit Bridalveil Fall Happy Isles Mirror Lake North Dome Vernal Fall Nevada Fall Little Yosemite Valley LeConte Lodge Bracebridge Dinner Yosemite Firefall Yosemite Valley Chapel Hiking trails John Muir Trail Mist Trail Panorama Trail McGurk Meadow Ostrander Lake Taft Point Sentinel Dome Alder Creek Mariposa Grove Wapama Falls Lembert Dome Rock climbs Fairview Dome, North Face Half Dome, Northwest Face Lost Arrow Spire Lost Arrow Spire Tip Midnight Lightning Royal Arches Route Salathé Wall (El Capitan) Steck-Salathé Route (Sentinel Rock) Separate Reality The Nose (El Capitan)
People	John Muir Stephen T. Mather Galen Clark Shelton Johnson Buffalo Soldiers Chief Tenaya Ahwahnechee people
Lodging and camping	Yosemite Lodge at the Falls The Ahwahnee Camp Curry Wawona Hotel Housekeeping Camp High Sierra Camps Camp 4
Natural disasters	1938 Yosemite TWA crash 1996 Yosemite Valley landslide 1997 Merced River flood 2013 Rim Wildfire 2022 Washburn Wildfire
Transportation	Nearby airports FAT RMY MMH YARTS Route 140 Route 41 Route 120
Nearby municipalities	Foresta El Portal & Arch Rock Entrance Yosemite West & Chinquapin Wawona Bootjack Mariposa Briceburg Oakhurst Midpines Lee Vining
Additional information	History of the Yosemite area Geology of the Yosemite area National Register of Historic Places in Yosemite National Park List of waterfalls Yosemite Category California Portal

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