Ribbon Fall is a 1,612-foot plunge waterfall on Ribbon Creek in Yosemite Valley, California, falling into a deep alcove just west of El Capitan. The World Waterfall Database calls it the tallest uninterrupted waterfall in the United States, but it lives on snowmelt alone and is usually gone by early summer.
The falls
Ribbon Creek slips over the rim and, after brushing the cliff for its first couple of hundred feet, falls free for more than 1,000 feet before spraying onto the rock below. Although it touches the wall, the water never pools or pauses on the way down, which is why it counts as a single drop. A 2025 resurvey and the Park Service both give 1,612 feet. In exceptional winters an ice cone up to about 200 feet tall builds at its base.
Getting there
Ribbon Fall is a roadside view. Entering the valley, look right just past the Bridalveil Fall turnoff, where pullouts give room to stop. A good viewing spot is a large pullout on Southside Drive about a fifth of a mile east of the Wawona Road junction, with Bridalveil Fall in view at the same time. There is no trail to the base.
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 run from about March to June and peak in May; the strongest flow is usually from mid-April to mid-May. Most years Ribbon Fall is completely dry by July.
On site
Views are from the road and valley floor. The alcove below the fall is reached only by a steep off-trail route over loose rock, where the base is cold, windy and soaked in spray. Rocks near Yosemite's waterfalls are slick even when they look dry.
History and name
In 1920 Ansel Hall recorded its Indian name as Lung-oo-too-koo-ya, "pigeon fall." James Hutchings read the name as "long and slender" and called it Ribbon Fall; Lafayette Bunnell called it Pigeon Creek Fall, and one 1860s visitor named it Virgin's Tears for its brief life each year.
Nearby
Bridalveil Fall is about 1.3 miles away, across the valley, Silver Strand Falls about 2.5 miles and Widow's Tears about 2.3 miles.
Distances are straight-line.