California · Yosemite National Park
Vernal Fall
70 mi from Fresno · ~2.0 hr drive
318ft tall
≈ 97 m
≈ 97 m
Vernal Fall is a named waterfall in California — a substantial cascade dropping 318 feet, about 70 miles from Fresno, CA. Full visit details below.
- State
- California
- Nearest city
- Fresno, CA · 70 mi · ~2.0 hr drive
- Height
- 318 ft (97 m)
- Elevation
- 5,046 ft (1538 m)
- Coordinates
- 37.7276°, -119.5437°
- Park
- Yosemite National Park (NP)
- Listed as
- Tourist attraction (OpenStreetMap)
- County
- Mariposa
From Wikipedia: Vernal Fall is a 317-foot (96.6 m) waterfall on the Merced River just downstream of Nevada Fall in Yosemite National Park, California. Like its upstream neighbor, Vernal Fall is clearly visible at a distance, from Glacier Point, as well as close up, along the Mist Trail. The waterfall flows all year long, although by the end of summer it is substantially reduced in volume and can split into multiple strands, rather than a single curtain of water. Excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Vernal Fall, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
About Yosemite National Park
Vernal Fall is inside Yosemite National Park, a U.S. National Park managed by the National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published directly on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $35 per vehicle. Per vehicle, valid 7 days. America the Beautiful annual pass accepted. An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units and is worth it after ~3 park visits per year.
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/yose/
Visiting Vernal Fall
The exact location is at 37.7276°, -119.5437° — open in Google Maps for driving directions from your location.
Before you go: check current conditions with the appropriate land manager — state parks department, U.S. Forest Service ranger district, or National Park Service unit. Trail access, parking, water levels, and seasonal closures all vary. Several waterfalls in our database are seasonal and may run dry between mid-summer and the next rainy season.
If you've visited Vernal Fall and have current notes (parking situation, dog policy, seasonality, kid-friendliness), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn more.
Stay nearby
Driving in? The nearest documented metro is Fresno, CA — 70 miles away (~2.0 hr drive).
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Other waterfalls within 30 miles
Sources
Location and tag data for Vernal Fall comes from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL license) ; the Wikipedia article linked above provides additional history. We do not modify the underlying data — this page presents what's already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page or contact us.