Bridalveil Fall is a 620-foot plunge waterfall on Bridalveil Creek at the entrance to Yosemite Valley, California, beside the road into the valley. It drops from a hanging valley between Leaning Tower and Cathedral Rocks, and unlike most of the valley's falls it flows all year.
The falls
Bridalveil Creek drains a large basin of lakes, meadows and marshes that stretches about 10 miles south toward Ostrander Lake, which keeps it running even in late summer. The water leaps from an undercut ledge in a single 620-foot drop, confirmed by both the Park Service and a 2025 resurvey. Strong winds often blow the fall sideways, and at low flow the water may never reach the ground directly below.
Getting there
The signed Bridalveil Fall parking area is on the road into the valley, near the junction with Wawona Road; Tunnel View is about a mile to the west. The valley shuttle does not stop here. The lot fills quickly in summer, with overflow parking along Southside Drive.
From the lot, a paved path of about half a mile round trip, with about 80 feet of elevation gain, reaches the viewing platform in roughly 20 minutes. A renovation finished in 2023 added a boardwalk over the wetlands, a wheelchair-accessible loop, a viewing area nearly four times larger than before and a new restroom with a bottle-filling station, though there is no drinking fountain.
Yosemite admission is $35 per vehicle for seven days, plus $100 per person for non-US residents aged 16 and older unless they hold an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass. No timed-entry reservation is required in 2026.
When to go
The falls are fullest from spring into early summer, peaking in May, when the platform is drenched in spray. Rainbows form in the mist in the afternoon. In winter the path can be icy and very slick. Tour buses stop here, so crowds come in waves.
On site
The boulders above the viewing platform are slippery even when they look dry, and scrambling on them has caused serious injuries; in August 2019 a young visitor died after climbing past warning signs and falling on the wet rocks. Stay on the paved path and platform. Leashed pets are allowed on this trail.
History and name
The Ahwahneechee called the fall Pohono, usually translated as "spirit of the puffing wind," though early writers disagreed on the meaning. The Mariposa Battalion camped near its foot in March 1851, and the name Bridalveil Fall was proposed by newspaper editor Warren Baer in August 1856.
Nearby
Ribbon Fall and Widow's Tears are each about 1.3 miles away, and Silver Strand Falls about 1.5 miles.
Distances are straight-line.