Tuolumne Falls
Tuolumne Falls is the first major waterfall you'll encounter as you make your way from Tuolumne Meadows towards the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. It probably has the most vertical drop of the Tuolumne River waterfalls. Therefore, it's one of the river's more photogenic ones as well. You'll see this falls roughly 5.4 miles from and 500ft below Tuolumne Meadows. Thus, it's about 10.8 miles round trip, which makes for a pretty long day hike. Chances are, if you're doing this waterfall, you're probably going to do some of the other waterfalls nearby as well. And since that involves extending this hike, it's more popularly done as an overnight backpack.
The trail then enters a forested area where the trail moves closer to the Tuolumne River. Eventually, the trail reaches a footbridge where you cross the river and granite terrain starts to dominate. The trail descends steeply down granite steps alongside Tuolumne Falls offering various angles to see the waterfall. If this waterfall is your destination, then this is the turnaround point. Otherwise, you can continue descending the steps towards Glen Aulin Falls. [Back to top]  Looking back at Lembert Dome Backpacking across the Tuolumne Meadows The falls as seen looking up from the banks of the Tuolumne River.View World of Waterfalls in a larger map TRIP REPORTSFor more information about our experiences with this waterfall, check out the following travel stories.GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCESNEARBY WATERFALLSHave You Been To This Waterfall?
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The way we did the hike, we left the Lembert Dome vicinity and hiked on the obvious trail that leads through the extensive alpine meadow towards Parson's Lodge via Soda Springs. Throughout this stretch of the hike, you can also see impressive peaks in the distance such as Unicorn Peak, Cathedral Peak, and Fairview Dome.
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| My most successful backpacking trip was from Tuolumne Meadows to Glen Aulin with my two sons, my nephew, my oldest son's friend, and two of my best...[more] |
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