Chilnualna Falls

Each waterfall has its own shape, character, and "personality." I think these falls are the primary attraction of Southern Yosemite (though I'm sure others beg to differ) and a very worthwhile way to spend a half day or a relaxing full day in the bush.

The Chilnualna Falls hike gains 2400ft over 4 miles (8 miles round trip) as it passes by at least five waterfalls culminating in a six-tiered cascade. Starting at 4200ft, the well-developed, steadily climbing trail can be comfortably completed in around 5-6 hours. Bring plenty of water and a lunch for this excursion.

From the car park (see directions below), you walk back towards the Chilnualna Falls Road then turn right where you can see the trail begins. And after a flat 10 minutes or so of walking, the terrain starts to get a little rockier as the trail starts to climb, and before you know it, you're already in front of the first waterfall!

This one falls in multiple tiers, but the closest tier is a gushing 30 or 40-footer. However, it's hard to get an all-encompassing view of all the tiers in this one spot, and it's even harder to scramble to a lower spot to get right in front of this tier of the waterfall.

After the first waterfall, the trail climbs steeply up a combination of narrow granite steps and ledges. Shortly after this climb, the trail junctions with the stock trail (coming from Wawona). Keep right at this junction to continue up the trail.

Next, the consistently uphill but mostly shaded trail passes through a mix of forest and open terrain. You won’t see another waterfall for the next two miles, but you can at least check out Wawona Dome protruding prominently to the east.

As you get higher up on this section of trail, you can catch a glimpse of a big Chilnualna Creek waterfall (which I'm calling #3 even though you haven't seen #2 yet) off in the distance seen through the immediate foliage obstructions. There are a few decent views of this large waterfall at the elbows of some of the switchbacks, which are worth exploring for a closer look.

Finally, after two miles of dry hiking, the trail will pass before the second waterfall. But this delicate 15ft cascade is not on Chilnualna Creek and flows only during the snowmelt period so I'll leave it up to you whether you think this should count as one of the Chilnualna Falls or not.

Continuing further, the trail starts to climb along a ledge providing views of the valley carved by the South Fork Merced River. As you reach the top part of this climbing section of trail (nearly 3.5 miles from the trailhead), you’ll reach the top of the third major waterfall. This is that waterfall that you’ve seen from afar on your way up to the second waterfall. Unfortunately, you can’t safely get a good view of this waterfall since it’s limited to a rather precarious downward glimpse from the lip of the 240ft falls (perhaps the tallest of the Chilnualna Creek waterfalls).

Just upstream from the top of the third falls is the fourth cascade, which falls roughly 40ft tall. Given the close proximity of the 3rd and 4th falls, many hikers stop here and take a short snack break or lunch before continuing further (we did that on of our hikes here).

Next, the trail climbs up a few more switchbacks as it passes by the fourth waterfall and reaches the granite high country at nearly 6000ft in elevation. Depending on the snowpack, it’s possible to still see snow here in the late Spring (we know this because there was still snow on the trail when we first did this hike in 2003).

Roughly 1/4- to 1/2- mile from the fourth falls, you’ll start to see the fifth and final major cascade on Chilnualna Creek. The topo maps call this cascade Chilnualna Falls though it’s easy to refer to the entire ensemble of falls on Chilnualna Creek as the Chilnualna Falls (as I have done on this page). Technicalities aside, the last cascade is intriguing in that it tumbles 180ft down a succession of smaller tiers with pools between them in a granite and pine forest setting. To get a closer look at the falls, you’ll have to leave the main trail and scramble your way across parts of Chilnualna Creek towards the falls.

Julie and I have actually crossed part of the creek's overflow and made it up a granite protrusion where we got as close to the waterfall and its plunge pool at its very bottom as we could get (see photo at top of this page).

For hardy hikers and backpackers looking to extend this excursion, the main trail continues beyond the Chilnualna Falls towards Chilnualna Lakes (one of the main sources of Chilnualna Creek and its waterfalls) as well as other lakes and backpack destinations in the backcountry. It is also possible to combine this excursion with Alder Creek for a multi-day loop hike. However, for waterfall enthusiasts like us, this was the end of the line and it's all downhill to get back to the parking area.

Once you’re at Wawona, follow the Chilnualna Falls sign and take the Chilnualna Falls Road east through the village of Wawona. You’ll eventually reach the parking area at the end of the village after 1.7 miles. After parking your car, the start of the trail begins by walking back towards the Chilnualna Falls Road then heading east for a few steps.

Below are some more photos of this multi-waterfall experience.

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Wawona Dome

The parents on the trail beyond the 2nd waterfall

Looking over the brink of the 3rd waterfall

Stream leading up to the 4th waterfall from the top of the 3rd waterfall

Approaching the last Chilnualna waterfall.

Looking back at a waterfall in which I'm not sure where on the Chilnualna Creek it was at

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Looking around from the 2nd or 3rd waterfall (depends on how you look at it); it's the one that doesn't flow on Chilnualna Creek. It encompasses Wawona Dome and even a slight glimpse of the largest of the Chilnualna Waterfalls

View World of Waterfalls in a larger map

TRIP REPORTS

GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCES

NEARBY WATERFALLS

• Alder Creek Falls

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