Pywiack Cascade

Even though this waterfall is sourced by Tenaya Lake, I believe Tenaya Creek still only has seasonal flow. Therefore, this waterfall only has seasonal flow and probably struggles to put on a show by mid- to late Summer.

There is no official trail to get to the base of this waterfall for Tenaya Canyon is too rugged and requires technical gear to navigate through the terrain. The following is how we managed to experience this cascade from afar.

Olmstead Point is a pretty popular spot for photographs as there are glacial erratics along with Jeffrey Pine Trees settling on exposed granite as if they were pieces of some kind of art piece. In the distance is an unusual view of Half Dome and its saddle, which is the side of the iconic rock formation where you would ascend to its summit if you did the hike.

Then, the trail (it's not very well signposted) descends from the granite outcrop, follows some well-placed line of rocks, and goes into a somewhat shaded pine forest passing by some reflective ponds en route. The trail then meanders amongst the trees while undulating in elevation. Eventually, the trail loses a total of 500ft after nearly two miles before it starts to climb again.

From here the trail starts to present views of Tenaya Canyon, an unnamed ephemeral cascade, and ultimately a partial view of Pywiack Cascade. Unfortunately, the official trail only affords you views of about a half to two-thirds of the waterfall as a granite hill sits in the way between your vantage point and the cascade itself.

In order to overcome this visual obstacle, you can do what we did and continue further west to a short scramble for better views between trees. I think you can also climb up the nearby Mt Watkins for an unobstructed view straight down at the impressive cascade (but we didn't actually do that so we're not sure if this truly the case or not).

This was the turnaround point for us. However, if you've arranged for a shuttle, you can continue hiking further along the trail towards the Snow Creek Trail, which descends into Tenaya Canyon losing another 4000ft (I believe it's 11 miles one-way from Olmstead Point to Tenaya Canyon).

Distant Vantage Points of Pywiack Cascade: If you're not up for a 6-mile return hike to see this cascade, there are a handful of vantage points where the observant people might spot a part of this waterfall.

Perhaps the most obvious lookout spot would be at Glacier Point (signpost G11), where you can look deep into Tenaya Canyon beyond Half Dome and spot this guy. You might also be able to notice it on the summit of Sentinel Dome (trailhead at signpost G8).

You get similar (albeit much closer) views of you do the Half Dome hike, where you might start to see Pywiack Cascade about 6 or 7 miles into the gruelling hike (you can start to see it just before you climb up the Half Dome saddle).

[Back to top]

Distant view of Tenaya Lake and surrounding granite formations from Olmstead Point

[Back to top]

A marmot basks in the sun with Half Dome in the background from Olmstead Point

Rocks lined up to define the trail on the granite as you leave Olmstead Point

Reflective pond en route

Mom on the trail overlook Tenaya Canyon somewhere near the ephemeral cascade

Partial view of Pywiack Cascade before we scrambled for a better look

Mom headed back to the trailhead amidst the granite wilderness


View World of Waterfalls in a larger map

TRIP REPORTS

GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCES

NEARBY WATERFALLS

• Snow Creek Falls

Have You Been To This Waterfall?

Share your experience!

Click here to see visitor comments for this waterfall

Click here to see visitor comments for other waterfalls that we've visited in this region

Click here to go to the Comments Main Page

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...