Wapama Falls

This review is for Wapama Falls Trail which was a ~4.7 miles round trip that took ~2.5 hours to complete. Located away from the busy and crowded hikes of Yosemite; this trail was worth the stop. Beautiful views of the reservoir and waterfall! Rocky at some parts of the trail with annoying flies. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/Xy-VTDD_Zpg

Wapama Falls is the second most powerful waterfall in CA! Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Hetch Hetchy/Yosemite area. The hike is around 5 miles round trip, not bad at all. It's pretty hilly and not completely uphill which is great for beginners and intermediates alike! My coworkers and I finished the hike in around an hour and a half. The hike back to the O'Shaughnessy dam was a little less than an hour. You start at the dam and then walk through the tunnel. The trail is pretty well marked and clear, just note that when you get to the fork in the road with multiple signs, stay to the right! There's a bunch of picturesque places on this hike so remember to bring a camera! When you get to the falls, the bridge may or may not be covered in water! Keep in mind that it is very dangerous to cross the bridge if the waterfall is flowing over it... That should be a given, right?? Haha but thankfully it was open when I went, and I got to see so many views of Wapama Falls! The waterfall is so tall and majestic and absolutely beautiful! Surrounded by the beauty of Hetch Hetchy reservoir, you can't help but be amazed!

I got to do some work out here and this is an amazingly beautiful place to spend the day. I would love to come out here again

Very beautiful area. It was much prettier than I had expected. From the dam to Wapama Falls is just 2.5 miles, so 5-mile out and back, simple hike. Since we had a big hike the day before, we decided to do a short hike. Next time I want to hike up to Rancheria Falls.

It's about a 5 mile round trip that takes roughly 3 hours, with very little elevation change. It's nice to walk along the shoreline in essence of the reservoir and see the mountainside as well. The falls, once there, are awesome. You can see Wapama Falls from the parking lot on the other side of the dam and it looks farther than what it seemed getting there. Another wonderful experience in the Yosemite National Park.

I grew up going to Yosemite, camping, hiking, etc. but it wasn't until this year that I finally made it to Hetch Hetchy. I had seen that Wapama Falls was the day hike to do if you're at Hetch Hetchy in Sunset Magazine a while ago so my husband and I gave it a go. It's a very easy hike, not strenuous, just light ups and downs. I guess the "hardest" part of this trail is slippery areas/rocks and a few stairs. The slippery parts are probably depending on what time of the year you go. We went in the spring and everything was melting and the falls was flowing, not too horrible though. After coming home I did a little research on this trail and read that some times the falls is impassable because it's flowing too much and you can get swept off the trail. I had thought about this when crossing because there are parts where there is no bridge, just a rock wall/trail that you cross. If that is wet or flooded I would suggest NOT crossing you will just fall off the side. We were able to cross and kept going a little ways, but turned around since we were only there for the day. We brought a lunch and enjoyed it on a part of the trail where the rocks dome over and there is plenty of bare areas to sit and enjoy the views. I have to say never seeing this side of Yosemite, I was blown away all over again. Yosemite never ceases to amazing me with it's beauty and Hetch Hetchy is no exception. The view was beautiful I never wanted to leave, then again that's how I feel when hiking any where in Yosemite.

My wife and I have hike all over Hetch Hetchy for years. We love the fact that you can get out in Yosemite without as many people. The Wapama Falls is a nice and easy hike for all level of hikers. In 2017 my wife and I hike to the falls many times. We have seen massive rockfalls in the area and even the bridge closed do to water damage from the falls. Hetch Hetchy is located about 30 minutes from the Hwy 120 entrance into Yosemite.

Had a wonderful day here today, good weather high 60's low 70's. Was a relatively easy hike with no huge grades, able to get to falls and back to car with several detours in about 3 hours