Yosemite Falls
| Yosemite Falls | |
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Yosemite Falls from Yosemite Valley
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| Location | Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°45′18″N 119°35′50″W / 37.75500°N 119.59722°W |
| Type | Tiered |
| Total height | 2,425 ft (739 m) |
| Number of drops | 3 |
| Longest drop | 1,430 ft (436 m) |
Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park, dropping a total of 2,425 feet (739 m) from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall. Located in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak.
The falls consist of three sections:
In years of little snow, the falls may actually cease flowing altogether in late summer or fall. A very small number of rock climbers have taken the opportunity to climb the normally inaccessible rock face beneath the falls, although this is an extraordinarily dangerous undertaking; a single afternoon thunderstorm could restart the falls, sweeping the climbers off the face.
Lower Yosemite Fall is easily accessible near the Yosemite Lodge in Yosemite Valley. The top of Upper Yosemite Fall may be reached via a steep, strenuous, and usually crowded 3.5 miles (5.6 km) hike beginning near Camp 4. The Upper Fall may also be reached via several routes from the Tioga Road to the north.
The main village of the native people of Yosemite Valley, the Ahwahneechee, was located at the base of the falls.
The Ahwahneechee people called the waterfall "Cholock" ("the fall") and believed that the plunge pool at its base was inhabited by the spirits of several witches, called the Poloti. An Ahwaneechee folktale describes a woman going to fetch a pail of water from the pool, and drawing it out full of snakes. Later that night, after the woman had trespassed into their territory, the spirits caused the woman's house to be sucked into the pool by a powerful wind, taking the woman and her newborn baby with it.
Coordinates: 37°45′18″N 119°35′50″W / 37.755018°N 119.597297°W
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Wikipedia