Wapama Falls
   Tuolumne County, California, United States

Wapama Falls is the second most powerful waterfall in California after Yosemite Falls and have been rightly dubbed "the Yosemite Falls of Hetch Hetchy". The falls occur along Falls Creek as it chutes and plunges towards Hetch Hetchy Lake, dropping about 1,340 feet. From below and even from the O'Shaughnessey Dam, it appears that Wapama Falls consists of two distinct steps, however the falls are actually one continuous fall which begins as a long horsetail pitched at about 60 degrees, which then becomes slightly less steep before terminating with a sheer leap of about 300 feet into a mound of house sized boulders.

Falls Creek possesses one of the largest drainage basins in the Tuolumne River watershed and as a result it flows throughout the year, though like all waterfalls in Yosemite National Park will exhibit seasonal fluctuations in volume. Visitors who attempt to hike to the falls too early in the season will find the trail closed because Falls Creek will actually spill over the bridges which cross below the base of the falls. Even when the trail is open, the deluge of spray ejected by the falls can literally be blinding at times.

When Falls Creek runs high with snow melt, a portion of its volume spills into another channel about a quarter mile above the top of Wapama Falls and forms the neighboring Tueeulala Falls. Both Tueeulala Falls and Wapama Falls have been said to have been truncated by the construction of the O'Shaughnessey Dam and Hetch Hetchy Lake. While it is certainly true that the lake flooded portions of Falls Creek below each of these waterfalls, neither Tueeulala Falls nor Wapama Falls were altered or shortened in any way by the construction of the dam. Estimates of the height of Wapama Falls have often stretched as high as 1,700 feet but this is a gross exaggeration as the difference between the top of the falls and the lake is only about 1,500 feet, and the final 160 feet (at least) of that elevation change represents talus cascades which do not qualify as part of the waterfall.

HISTORY AND NAMES

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• Also Known as: Hetch Hetchy Falls
• Wapama Falls is the Official name of this waterfall

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Wapama Falls is shown in the center. The 10 closest waterfalls within a 8km radius are shown as well (if any). Click any icon or see the list below for more information.

Additional Nearby Waterfalls

Name of Waterfall	Distance
Tueeulala Falls	0.46 mi / 0.73 km
Hetch Hetchy Falls	0.69 mi / 1.1 km
Falls Creek Cascades	1.4 mi / 2.24 km
Tiltill Falls	2.29 mi / 3.67 km
Lower Rancheria Falls	2.59 mi / 4.15 km
Middle Rancheria Falls	2.73 mi / 4.37 km
Rancheria Falls	3.12 mi / 5 km
Upper Frog Creek Cascades	3.22 mi / 5.14 km
Lower Frog Creek Cascades	3.77 mi / 6.04 km
Eleanor Creek Falls	4.17 mi / 6.68 km
Or Find More Nearby Waterfalls within:
Select One 1 Mile (1.6 km) 5 Miles (8 km) 10 Miles (16 km) 20 Miles (32 km) 50 Miles (80km)

Photography tips

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First and foremost, when you reach the base of the falls, spray will most likely be a huge issue. Falls Creek coughs up a tremendous amount of spray and the shot from the base must be a fast exposure or you'll have mist all over your gear. The bottom few hundred feet of Wapama Falls are clearly visible from the O'Shaughnessey dam. Clear top to bottom views of the falls may be enjoyed only after an arduous hike to the base (or top) of Kolana Rock.

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User comments

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