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Waterwheel Falls

Waterwheel Falls with a full rainbow in its mist



Waterwheel Falls could very well be the most unusual waterfall in Yosemite. It's one of those rare waterfalls where you care how far up water is thrown instead of how far it drops. And while
LeConte Falls may have the quantity of small- and medium-sized waterwheels, this one has a massive one! If I had to guess I'd say its waterwheel easily tops 30ft. Anyhow, there was no doubting that this was indeed the real deal.

From what I can recall, signs near Glen Aulin say it's about 3.3 miles from there. The distances are a bit sketchy at this point but I'm guessing it's around 20 miles round trip from Tuolumne Meadows. See the page on Tuolumne Falls for directions on getting to the trailhead for this epic hike or more relaxed backpack.

Below are a bunch of photos I took of this interesting and unique waterfall.

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Profile view of Waterwheel FallsProfile view of the main portion of the falls as the trail steepened and went right into the rugged Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River

Looking down at the big waterwheel from a different positionLooking down at the big waterwheel from a different position than above

Looking up at the mist thrown up by Waterwheel Falls from the bridge at Return CreekLooking up the Tuolumne River towards the mist thrown up by the wheeling waterfall as seen from the bridge at Return Creek



Tell us about your experience with this waterfall.



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