bridalveil fall trails + overlooks

yosemite valley’s iconic waterfall gets new trails and overlooks.

bridalveil fall is a gateway to yosemite, as the landmark water feature framed in the sublime tunnel view and a first stopping point on the valley floor for many visitors. the fall’s dramatic 620 foot vertical drop from the hanging valley above and unique year-round perennial flow endow its popularity, which had outpaced its existing facilities and trails. 

newly accessible loop trails and a pair of overlooks with restored striking views of the falls safely welcome visitors through the seasonal water fan flows, culminating at the expanded and elevated upper overlook bathed in the waterfall’s windswept spray. en route, boardwalk bridges and on-grade trails bring visitors up close with mossy boulders and sacred black oak trees, where interpretive signage gives backstory to geologic, hydrologic, and native histories in this majestic valley. a new elliptical overlook serves as a fulcrum for visitors hiking from the historic carriage road, those having crossed the bridge over seasonal overflows, and a boardwalk spur inviting an up-close intimate moment with an elder live oak tree rising between two mighty fairy boulders. from the ellipse, a booming torrent and signature mist beckon visitors up the final trail to a clearing in the boulder field at the foot of the towering rock-face over which bridalveil fall thunders down. and, when the light is just right, a rainbow may even welcome you overhead.

rebecca managed the second round of the trails and overlooks project as part of john northmore roberts & associates’ larger, multi-phased work with nps and the yosemite conservancy on the rehabilitation of bridalveil fall area.