Wapama Falls

Hike Review

• The hike to Wapama Falls is along a double-track trail that is mostly nicely graded. The trail is hard-packed dirt with small sections of granite.

• There were a few shallow creek crossings. In higher water conditions it may have been very difficult.

• We started hiking at 7:15 AM and there was only one other hiker. On the way back, there were dozens of people.

• There was no trash and the views were serene.

• It gets quite hot on the trail and there is not much shade.

• The wooden bridges and granite steps at Wapama Falls can be slippery with water, but again with the water flow we saw, it was manageable.

• At the falls, if one was daring, one could get much closer to the falls for a unique view by bouldering up a bit. When Cassie and I did this, we had to overcome one sketchy spot, but other than that, it was just class 3 hiking.

What Happened?

5.3 miles, 4 hrs 36 mins, 1801 ft of ascent

Cassie and I woke up with the birds urging us to seize the day and so we drove straight to Hetch Hetchy Dam to start our hike. We parked, ate some breakfast, and we were off!

The trail was exposed and the hiking was a hot affair with mosquitos attacking us at every shady stretch. It wasn’t just mosquitos as I found out the hard way—I managed to accidentally swallow two bugs. Unfortunately, it did not scare off the other insects.

At the waterfall, we took tons of pictures and videos to try and capture just a small part of the majesty of the falls. After painting and writing, we headed back along the hot, dusty trail dreaming of ice-cold cokes and accidental lemonade.