Upper Yosemite Falls Private Hike
Yosemite National Park
4.9 (10 reviews)Trip Highlights
- America's Tallest Waterfall
- Phenomenal Photography
- Dizzying Exposure & Views
- Top-Shelf Backpack & Trekking Poles
- Amazing Natural & Cultural History
- Tasty Trail Snacks & Picnic Lunch
Description
The Upper Yosemite Falls Trail promises a challenging, steep work out with up-close views of North America’s highest waterfall and panoramic views of Yosemite Valley. Spring and early summer are the best time for this iconic Yosemite hike as the volume of water in the falls diminishes with the heat of the summer melting the high country snowpack. Beginning at Camp 4, the legendary epicenter of Yosemite’s pioneering big-wall climbing era, the trail ascends numerous switchbacks to Columbia Point, where Half Dome dominates an awe-inspiring view of Yosemite Valley. Beyond the point, the impressive Upper Yosemite Falls comes into view, offering a refreshing spray of mist along with the thundering sight of tons of water dropping straight down for 1430 ft. The trail tops out on the rim in a forest of impressive Jeffrey pines after climbing switchbacks through a break in the Valley wall. A bit farther at the end of the trail a sketchy descent to an overlook provides one of the more remarkable viewpoints in the park.
(Important: We run hikes in almost all weather conditions and very rarely cancel. See our terms and conditions for information on cancellations and refunds.)
$225-$620 Per Person
Season: Mar-May
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 4
Scale of 1-5. 1 is least difficult; 5 is most difficult
This trek follows a well maintained trail that includes 2700 feet of elevation gain/loss in roughly 7 miles round trip. The top of the falls is exposed to vertical drops less than 3 ft away.
Hiking Distances:
7 miles
Backpack Weight:
10-15 pounds
Terrain:
Lightly Rugged
Max Daily Elev. ↑↓:
2700 ft
Heights Exposure:
Significant
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THIS TRIP
- Hiking uphill or downhill with a 10-15 pound backpack for 6-10 hours
- Maintaining balance and footing on lightly rugged terrain
- Hiking with significant heights exposure
Learn About Our Private Trips
View Private Trips"*" indicates required fields
Rates
- 1 person: $620
- 2 people: $350 per person
- 3 people: $310 per person
- 4-5 people: $260 per person
- 6-7 people: $225 per person
- 10 and younger: $155 per person
Private day hike tours are only open to your party.
*Prices do not include guide gratuity
TRIP DATES & BOOKING
This tour is booked on a custom basis for private groups so does not have set dates (requested dates are almost always available). Give us a call at 800-715-HIKE (4453) to schedule your hike!
The season for this hike is March through May.
Don't see your dates? Call us! We may be able to add new trip dates.
800-715-HIKE (4453)Trip Details
What's Included
- Trained hiking guide(s) with years of personal wilderness and hiking experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into breathtaking landscapes. See Guide Bios.
- A commitment to make the tour as exciting, challenging, informative, and full as you’d like, and as is possible in a day
- Trail snacks and a picnic lunch
- Use of a top of the line, technical day pack
- Use of trekking poles
- Mandatory 5% national park fee that passes through directly to Yosemite
What's Not Included (Required)
- Lightweight hiking shoes or hiking boots
- Waterproof rain jacket or poncho
- Warm wool or fleece top (Spring, Fall, Winter)
- Warm hat and gloves (Spring, Fall, Winter)
- Water bottles or bladder (2 liters total capacity)
- Sunhat
What's Not Included (Recommended)
- A cold or frozen bottle of water or Gatorade (Spring, Summer, Fall)
- Sunglasses
- Knee braces (if needed)
- Sunscreen
- Camera
- Gratuity for your guide
Food: What to Expect
Day hike tours include energizing trail snacks and a delicious picnic lunch. Your guide will customize the food for your hike, but a typical lunch consists of gourmet sandwiches or wraps, fruit, veggies, chips, drinks and a dessert. On wintery or cold days you may be treated to soup or a hot, freshly cooked lunch (if you’d prefer a hot meal, please let us know!)
We regularly accommodate vegan, vegetarian, kosher and non-gluten diets and will make adjustments for food allergies. These and other special dietary requests may require an additional fee.
Trip Logistics
Where Do We Meet?
This hike meets at Curry Village. Your guide will contact you approximately 7 days prior to coordinate the rendezvous and answer any last minute questions you have.
Safety Precautions
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.
If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
Age Restrictions
Age restrictions on this trip are as follows:
- 5 and older to join private tours, with final approval on a case by case basis
Weather in the Sierras
Being a high mountain environment, the Sierra Nevada Mountains are prone to sudden temperature and weather shifts. This is an exciting aspect of being in the mountains. On trips in June, snow is a possibility, and the rest of the summer rain is always a possibility on your trip. To be fully prepared, please follow the recommended clothing list closely (this list comes as part of your trip packet when you register). See below for average summer temperatures:
| Average Temperatures (Fahrenheit) | ||||||
|
Month
|
Valleys
|
Alpine
|
||||
|
hi
|
low
|
hi
|
low
|
|||
|
January
|
49°
|
26°
|
45°
|
25°
|
||
|
February
|
55°
|
28°
|
46°
|
26°
|
||
|
March
|
59°
|
31°
|
48°
|
27°
|
||
|
April
|
65°
|
35°
|
54°
|
30°
|
||
|
May
|
73°
|
42°
|
62°
|
37°
|
||
|
June
|
81°
|
51°
|
71°
|
46°
|
||
|
July
|
89°
|
57°
|
77°
|
50°
|
||
|
August
|
89°
|
56°
|
81°
|
53°
|
||
|
September
|
82°
|
51°
|
71°
|
46°
|
||
|
October
|
74°
|
39°
|
62°
|
37°
|
||
|
November
|
58°
|
31°
|
51°
|
29°
|
||
|
December
|
48°
|
26°
|
46°
|
25°
|
||
Trip Reviews
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Erik G
Highly Recommend
I booked the Upper Yosemite Falls hike with WT for our family of 4. This was our 2nd time using them and it is well worth the money spent. Our guide Tashi was terrific. She started us off with a great breakfast. She was personable, relaxed, fun, and made sure that we took the hike at a good pace for all of us (it took a while for my wife and I to hike down). The views both along the hike and at the top were amazing. Our lunch at the top was incredibly good, too. I highly recommend both Wildland Trekking and Tashi.
Erika J
Would book again!!
Our guide, Tashi, was amazing!! She went above and beyond with lunch, given my challenging diet restrictions. She was also very kind and knowledgeable. Would book again!!
Samantha M
Most Incredible Day
My husband and I had the most incredible day hiking Upper Yosemite Falls with Cody from Wildland Trekking! Cody was a fantastic guide. He taught us a lot about the history of Yosemite Valley and pointed out other landmarks and hikes throughout the park. He frequently checked in with us to make sure we were okay with his pace and even added on an extra mile loop on our hike to get us to a higher lookout point. He packed an awesome lunch for us to enjoy at the top of the mountain and took tons of photos of us throughout the day to have as memories. We will definitely use Wildland Trekking on future trips!
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