Quaking Aspen Falls

Quaking Aspen Falls can be found alongside of the Tioga Pass Road (Highway 120) in Yosemite National Park. From the gas station and the junction with the Big Oak Flat Road at Crane Flat, follow the Tioga Pass Road (Highway 120) east for 19 1/2 miles to the Yosemite Creek Picnic Area, and then continue another quarter of a mile to pullouts on either side of the highway where the stream can be seen dashing down the hillside to the left.Near the Yosemite Creek picnic area along the Tioga Pass Road a seasonal stream descends down this 35-foot tall waterfall, nearly splashing onto the road itself in the process. Because the falls are located immediately adjacent to the highway, it sees a fair amount of traffic, but in comparison to pretty much any other waterfall in Yosemite National Park this is absolutely a minor and basically forgettable waterfall. The falls drain from a small, narrow basin which harbors a tiny lake, so while the stream is entirely reliant on snow melt to remain running, the small lake at its head will probably extend it's effective flow season for a good 2-3 weeks after the snow is entirely gone. Expect the falls to run dry by mid June or early July in most years.Despite the prominence of this waterfall along the Tioga Pass Road it does not appear to have ever been officially named. The most commonly used colloquial titles center around the Aspen trees which grow immediately to the left of the falls, and are often seen shimmying in the wind generated by the falls. Chris Shaffer's Definitive Guide to the Waterfalls of Southern and Central California refers to this entry as Tioga Pass Falls - after the road, not as a statement to its proximity to the actual pass. The less appropriate title of Yosemite Creek Falls has been used at times for the proximity of the falls to Yosemite Creek (or the fact that the stream is a direct tributary to Yosemite Creek), which this stream enters into a short distance downstream.