Bridalveil Fall

The parking are for Bridalveil Fall is located 6.4 miles from the Arch Rock entrance station along Highway 140, or about 300 feet east of the junction of the Southside Drive and Wawona Road (Highway 41) in Yosemite National Park. The trail to the base of the falls takes about 5 minutes to walk. Additional views can be had from various locations through the lower valley.Bridalveil Fall is perhaps the most famous waterfall in North America that isn't named Niagara. Punctuating the first sprawling views of Yosemite Valley regardless of the point of entrance to Yosemite Park, Bridalveil Fall lunges 620 feet over an undercut ledge, free-falling to the valley floor in a swirling column of mist and droplets which often produce rainbows (in the afternoon). Looming directly above the falls is Cathedral Rock, and across the valley the massive face of El Capitan, along with the instantly recognizable Half Dome looming at the end of the valley in between. Viewing the scene from the famous Tunnel View viewpoint, one instantly recognizes why Yosemite National Park is revered as one of the most spectacular locations on the planet.
Bridalveil Fall is not only one of the most famous of Yosemite's waterfalls, but it is also among the most consistent. Unlike the much taller waterfalls on the north side of the valley, Bridalveil Fall flows all year long (with extreme drought years perhaps as the exception) thanks to a large basin with lakes, marshes and meadows to help retain groundwater late into the summer. This prevalence of soil is not seen in the basins of Yosemite, Snow or Tenaya Creeks to the north, despite their similar sizes, and as a result all three streams can effectively run dry late in the summer, while Bridalveil Creek will retain at least some flow throughout the year - usually enough to send a light mist down on visitors hiking to the viewpoint at the base of the falls.Considering its prominence in the valley, Bridalveil Fall was almost certainly discovered by non-natives during the March 1851 expedition of the Mariposa Battalion into Yosemite Valley, an effort which was credited with making known the wonders of Yosemite. The Indian name of the fall was Po-ho-no, which was thought to be that of a plant which grew (or grows) in the Bridalveil Creek drainage. Who was responsible for the current name of the falls seems to be in question, as James Hutchings and Thomas Ayres were have said to coined the name together, while Lafayette Bunnell suggested the name was proposed by Warren Baer, the then editor of the Mariposa Democrat newspaper. We should specifically note that the proper name is indeed spelled Bridalveil Fall, without a space between bridal and veil, and without the trailing "s" in Fall.