What makes Tueeulala Falls special
In Yosemite National Park, Tueeulala Falls drops on Hetch Hetchy Valley’s northern side. Roughly 880 feet tall, it is the smaller of the pair of big falls that spill into Hetch Hetchy Reservoir; Wapama Falls is the other. But it is the larger of the two in greatest free-fall distance, because Wapama is split into two falls. The water falls free for 600 feet, meets a ledge, and then runs steeply down another 280 feet. Those heights are the description’s figures: they have not passed our source check, so we print them as the description counts them, not as verified heights.
The shape is the story. The water falls free for 600 feet, meets a ledge, and then runs steeply down another 280 feet: the fall is two movements, a drop and a slide, on the same wall. Wapama Falls, its partner on the valley wall, is bigger overall but never falls free for as far in one go.
The record notes that reaching the top means leaving the trail, though the ground there is fairly brush free and straightforward. That is a fact about the ground, not a recommendation: the valley floor and the reservoir are the usual viewpoint, and the top is not a marked route.
Source: Wikipedia
Geology and background
The fall’s form comes from the wall it drops down. The water leaves the top in free fall for 600 feet, meets a ledge, then slides steeply for another 280 feet. The ledge breaks the fall into two parts, which is why the greatest free-fall distance is longer here than at Wapama Falls, even though Wapama carries more water overall.
Plan your visit
Getting there and parking
- GPS: 37.964006, -119.7727615 — Get directions
Use the coordinates, not the name, to navigate. Map apps often send waterfall searches to the wrong parking lot or the far side of the stream. Download an offline map before you lose signal: Hetch Hetchy is a quiet corner of the park, and signal is not guaranteed.
Prices and passes
- Entry fee: $35.
Best time and crowds
A stream gauge is linked on this page: check the live flow before you go. The fall runs on snowmelt, so expect the most water in spring and early summer, and the least late in the year.
Hetch Hetchy is quieter than Yosemite Valley, and the trailhead is unlikely to be crowded. Even so, an early start is the best way to have the viewpoint to yourself.
Safety
Stay on marked trails and behind railings. Wet, mossy rock near the brink is the most common cause of serious injury. Never climb the cascade or stand at the top edge, even when the flow looks gentle. In canyons, rain upstream can raise the water in minutes: leave if the water turns muddy or starts to rise.
What to bring
- Shoes with real grip
- A rain shell for the spray
- Water and a snack
- An offline map or screenshot
- A dry bag for your phone
- A bag to pack out trash
Practical tips
- Check the live gauge before you go: snowmelt flow is what makes this fall.
- Pair it with Rancheria Falls, 3.5 miles away.
- Screenshot the directions and these coordinates before you leave town: signal is thin out here.
- Look for the ledge halfway down: it is what splits the fall into a free drop and a slide.
Keep exploring
- More waterfalls in California
- Explore California waterfalls
- Rancheria Falls (3.5 mi away)
- Carlon Falls (11.8 mi away)
- Lower Cathedral Creek Falls (15.0 mi away)
- Explore the map
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