Lower Yosemite Falls is the perfect hike for everybody. This hike is perfect for a stroller or wheelchair. It is short, flat, paved, and leads to an amazing waterfall just a quarter mile from shuttle stop # 6.
The hike has several ways to approach the falls, all of which are easy. We walked to the left after we got off the shuttle because there are bathrooms about fifty yards up the road. The trail then turns into the trees, but you can see the waterfall cascading down before you’ve taken a hundred steps. Lower Falls is really impressive. It cascades 320 feet into a large pool. You’ll also get a great view of Upper Falls, which drops an amazing 1,430 feet! From the top of Upper Falls to the bottom of Lower Falls is an astounding 2,425 feet!
The trail continues toward the falls until you reach a large viewing platform. It is pretty busy at the viewing area, but we found plenty of room to take all the pictures we wanted. The most difficult part was getting the entire scene in the view finder!
From the platform, you can cross a foot bridge and walk back through the trees to the shuttle stop. This loop makes the trail about 1.0 mile roundtrip. If you’d like to keep your hike shorter, you can walk back the way you came, and it will only be about 1/2 mile.
Make sure to keep your eyes open, though. Even though it was busy we spotted two deer and a bobcat. The bobcat walked right across the trail and plopped down about 20 yards away under a rock. We watched him for about 30 minutes, and dozens of people walked by without a clue we were having one of the best sightings of our lives! It was really amazing! (Note: we were close, but we were on the trail, and our pictures were taken with a telephoto lens.)
Every visitor to Yosemite National Park can and should do Lower Yosemite Falls! For other hikes in Yosemite, check out our list of kid friendly hikes in Yosemite National Park.
