Bridalveil Falls Day Hike
(Hwy 41)
About
This is the first big waterfall that most Yosemite visitors see. When John Muir first spotted it from a distance he was delighted to think it might be as much as 70 feet high. Bridalveil is 620 feet high - even Muir's sense of scale was thrown off by this canyon. Follow the signs to the parking area or park in the strip parking along Southside Drive, and take the short trail up to the base. The trail is only a couple hundred yards long, but quite steep as you approach the top. Bridalveil flows year-round, and creates a drenching experience for those who walk up here April-June. If it's cold, ice could make this trail very dangerous. There's a good view of the little known Ribbon Falls across the canyon from Bridalveil's viewing platform. Lots of people scramble up the slick rocks above the viewing platform, and quite a few bruised shins, skinned knees and bumped tailbones result - be careful if you're tempted upstream. Swiftwater and the steep gradient make this area a truly dangerous place during spring runoff.
