Nevada Fall
Nevada Fall is a 594 ft (181 m) high
waterfall on
Merced River in
Yosemite National Park,
California. It is located below the granite dome, Liberty Cap, at the west end of
Little Yosemite Valley, at .
The
Emerald Pool forms on the "step" between Nevada Fall and
Vernal Fall downstream. The 317 ft (97 m) high Vernal Fall is a short hike from the bottom of Nevada Fall. They form a cascade in which 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 Falls is 3.4 miles from the trailhead in Yosemite Valley. One must first hike to
Vernal Falls and then trek another 2 miles to reach the top. Due to the extra hiking milage and difficulty, Nevada Falls is not as popular as Vernal Falls. Many hikers will stop at Vernal Falls and not make the extra effort to go to the top of Nevada Falls. The trail after Vernal Falls is shaded and progressive the first half until you reach the base of Nevada Falls where you climb for about 20 minutes with the sun glaring on you the entire time. This second half can be dangerous, especially on the way down. Your knees will take a beating, especially by the time you've made your way all the way down from Nevada and Vernal Falls. Much like Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls has a nice area atop the waterfall for relaxing and dipping in the water. The pool is quite limited and if one ventures out too far out in the water they could get caught in the current. You will find it crowded only due to the fact that the area for water access is much smaller than the Vernal Falls pool.
Image:Waterfalls.jpg|Giant staircase, seen from Glacier Point. Vernal Fall is the lower fall, Nevada Fall is the upper fall, coursing through Little Yosemite Valley. Liberty Cap is the granite dome next to Nevada Fall.Image:Nevada-TOP.jpg|The top of Nevada Falls
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USGS National Mapping Information about Nevada Fall
