Ribbon Falls (Yosemite National Park, California, USA)

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Ribbon Falls

Ribbon Fall from Southside Drive in Yosemite Valley

Towering at 1612ft, the slender Ribbon Falls (or Ribbon Fall as some people call it) is said to be amongst the highest free-leaping waterfalls in the United States.

Despite sitting across from the lovely Bridalveil Fall at the foot of Yosemite Valley, many visitors miss this gem as their attention is usually directed towards Bridalveil Fall. Such oversight of this waterfall is typical of many of the waterfalls in Yosemite Valley, which testifies to the incredible beauty of the area.

As a matter of fact, in my naive young days of waterfalling, when Julie and I first went to Yosemite together with a group of friends, I mistakenly thought this waterfall was Yosemite Falls! Hey, you gotta learn from your mistakes in order to grow, right? :)

Like almost all waterfalls in Yosemite Valley, this waterfall is a seasonal waterfall as its snow-fed watershed depletes by mid summer. Although I've seen a photo of the waterfall from its base in a once out of print Yosemite book, there is no official trail to get there.

Directions: Although you can easily see this waterfall from the base of Bridalveil Fall (at the end of the walk leaving the car park at signpost W1), you can also see this falls right off the road on the Southside Drive near signpost V14 (there are real long pullouts on both sides of the road here). From this vantage point, you can take photos juxtaposing Ribbon Falls with the mighty El Capitan. Moreover, if you're real attentive, you might be able to notice the falls from Valley View Lookout (signpost V11).

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Ribbon Fall seen together with El Capitan

Ribbon Fall seen together with El Capitan

The waterfall seen together with El Capitan

Valley View Lookout in wide angle; notice Ribbon Falls?

More recent Valley View Lookout photo in wide angle

More recent (June 2011) Valley View Lookout photo in wide angle, except this wasn't quite as wide-angle as the lens I used back in 2004

More recent photo of the one at the top of this page

More recent photo of the one at the top of this page

More recent (June 2011) photo of the one at the top of this page

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Bottom up sweep of the falls then zooming out to show its context with El Cap

Left to right sweep starting with Ribbon Falls then sweeping up from the bottom to the top of Bridalveil Fall

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TRIP REPORTS

For more information about our experiences with this waterfall, check out the following travel stories.

June 3, 2011

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