Upper Yosemite Fall Trail

After more exciting days of work, I had today (Thursday) off. I decided to knock out another hike from my to-do list and I headed over to the Upper Yosemite Fall trailhead this morning. The sign said that it was 3.8 miles to the Fall lookout point and then 4.6 miles to Yosemite Point. More on that later.

This is classified as a strenuous hike, class 4 I believe—same as Four Mile Trail. This is for good reason! This hike had over 60 switchbacks with rock underfoot, and it was by no means easy. When I say it was breathtaking—that’s for more reason than one! I stayed up later than usual last night so I wasn’t feeling in tip-top shape this morning. I also stupidly forgot to fill both my water bottles before I went, so I stopped by a water fountain. You could only get it half full before it dribbled out, so I half-filled them both, dumped the water from one to the other, and ended up with 1.5 bottles of water. (Not enough—bring more!)

Although I wouldn’t say it was crowded, I would definitely say there was an ample amount of people on this trail. After ~one mile, you get to Columbia Rock and there’s a lookout point there. After that it gets steeper, and some people choose to turn around. From there you have another “2.8” miles until you get to the overlook, which is actually down a pretty narrow staircase and onto a ledge surrounded by a railing. The climb to that point took me about an hour and forty-five minutes, a little depressing for 3.8 miles.

View from Columbia Rock

Upper Yosemite Fall from the slightly scary overlook

I ate my pb&j on a rock for lunch. There’s a big flat spot before you go down the staircase to the overlook, and there were many, many people eating their lunches and taking breaks on the rocks. I attempted to take a short little nap, but it didn’t work out, so I continued on.

Having nothing better to do with my time, I decided to see what Yosemite Point was like. It only took roughly fifteen minutes to get over there (it’s on the other side of the falls). It was definitely 100% worth it! I would venture to say that anyone who makes it all the way to the top of that crummy hike has really missed out by not continuing to Yosemite Point. The trail over is not difficult, and the view is fantastic!

 

Spectacular view from Yosemite Point!

Just for fun, I decided to jog down the trail. Why? Because I could. The people on the way up looked at me incredulously, but I told them I didn’t run up too. ;) That would’ve been way too difficult. I wouldn’t call it a run since with all the switchbacks, rocks, and wet, smooth stones; I was never able to actually hit a decent stride. Quite unfortunate. I shaved off 25 minutes though and got back down in 1:35 from Yosemite Point.

I met a lot of really nice people, especially at Yosemite Point. It was there that I learned that mileages around here are measured as the crow flies. So the trailhead to the lookout point being 3.8 miles doesn’t account for the actual trail itself. From the trailhead to Yosemite Point, the woman said her device measured in at just over 7.5 miles. So round trip from my cabin was a little over 18 miles. All in all, I give this trail a 4.5 out of 5 star rating for scenery and believe it’s categorized right where it belongs as strenuous.

Hikes by yourself are like a good run in the rain, minus the steeplechase part if you’re in Cedar Rapids. It’s such a great way to clear your head and just really reflect on things. So today, I’m thankful for alone time.

I’m also thankful for sunshine, which turned my shoulders a nice shade of lobster.

P.S. I actually ate ice cream tonight. :) I went to the cafeteria at Yosemite Lodge for supper—I had Peanut Butter Cup. It was delightful.

P.P.S I had read on our bulletin board that church services at the chapel were on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Thursday evening, so tonight I wandered my way around until I got to the chapel only to see that the sign said Sunday morning, evening, and Wednesday evening. So that was a bummer, but I’ll try again next week.