There are so many good hiking trails at Yosemite National Park. The trail to Yosemite Falls is just one of those trails and if you complete the trail, you’ll reach the top of a waterfall and have some spectacular views. However, the waterfall dries up as summer goes on and by fall, it can be completely dry. So, with that knowledge, you might start rethinking your plans for the Yosemite Falls Trail.
Before you completely give up on this trail, you should know that there are a handful of lookout points on the way to Yosemite Falls. So instead of hiking all of the way to the falls, consider a hike to Columbia Rock and Oh My Gosh Point for amazing views overlooking Yosemite Valley.
About the Trail to Columbia Rock
The trail to Columbia Rock is the same as the trail to the top of Yosemite Falls. Even if you are only hiking to Columbia Rock, don’t be surprised if many of the other hikers are going all the way to the top of Yosemite Falls. Yes, even when the falls are dry. When my mom and I hiked to Columbia Rock, we were the only people who turned around at Columbia Rock. The falls were completely dry, but it seemed like we were the only people who knew that. We passed so many people asking us for waterfall advice as we were descending. Obviously we couldn’t give them any.
And if I’m being honest, I started questioning my own sanity. I knew the waterfall was dry (I had checked the conditions on the NPS website), but apparently I was the only hiker who did that. So my advice is to look up the conditions, before you set out to hike. I have to imagine there were a lot of disappointed people that day because they didn’t do their research.
How Far Should You Hike?
The choice is yours for how far you want to hike. For those hiking the entire trail, you’ll go all the way to Yosemite Falls. For those who are visiting when the waterfall is dry, I’d suggest only hiking as far as Columbia Rock or Oh My Gosh Point. By doing this, you’ll save several miles and loads of energy that can be channeled into other hikes and activities at Yosemite National Park.
How to Get to the Trailhead
If you’re driving yourself, you’ll want to look for the parking lot across from Campground #4. On Google Maps, this is “Yosemite Falls Parking”. Note that unless you are camping at Campground #4, you’ll need to park across the street in the day use lot.
If you’re taking the shuttle, you can get off at stop #7 of the Green Line for Camp 4, Yosemite Valley Lodge, and Yosemite Falls Parking.
What’s the Hike to Columbia Rock Like?
So you’ve decided that Yosemite Falls is dry but you still want to hike to the Columbia Rock and Oh My Gosh Point overlooks. What is the hike actually like?
Well, I’m not going to lie to you because it’s still a tough hike, even if you don’t go all the way to Yosemite Falls. Obviously everyone has different definitions for a tough hike, but the gist of it is that you’ll be climbing 1000 feet in one mile. I would consider that a challenging hike, but maybe you’re fitter than me and disagree. Which is fine, you’re allowed to have that opinion, but it doesn’t change reality. This is a steep trail and there’s no way to get around that.
Once you start the trail, you’ll immediately start hiking up what feels like never-ending switchbacks. These switchbacks cut back and forth across the trail for the first 0.7 miles. This will get you about 700 feet of elevation. For better or worse, the switchbacks are short so you only have a handful of steps before you do a hairpin turn and start the next switchback. I found the short switchbacks easier to work with because it was so much easier to motivate myself to say “two more switchbacks and then I can stop and catch my breath”.
After these “never-ending” switchbacks, you still have another 0.4 miles and 400 feet of elevation until you reach Columbia Rock. The switchbacks stop but you’ll still be gradually climbing. This lasts for about 0.2 miles. The last 0.2 miles are switchbacks and these felt harder than the first set of switchbacks. That’s not to scare you but that’s reality.
Finally, you reach Columbia Rock and take in some epic views of Yosemite Valley.
Columbia Rock to Oh My Gosh Point
If you still have some energy, you can keep hiking along the trail to reach Oh My Gosh Point. From Columbia Rock, it’s 0.4 miles one way and unfortunately it starts with a climb of about another 175 feet. This part sucks but once you’re through this climb, it’s mostly downhill the rest of the way to Oh My Gosh Point, which your legs will definitely be thankful for.
Oh My Gosh Point isn’t a designated point, per se. It’s listed on the NPS website and AllTrails has it marked, but you won’t find it on Google Maps, so I recommend having some coordinates or something to let you know you’ve arrived. Otherwise, you’ll likely walk right passed it without even knowing that that is your viewpoint.
Now all that said, I’ve read reports online that there is a railing at Oh My Gosh Point (aka some way to indicate that you’ve arrived), but I definitely didn’t see one. Maybe I needed to hike further, but I hiked until AllTrails told me I was at Oh My Gosh Point. The trail kept going (toward Yosemite Falls), but I definitely did not see any railing or anything else to indicate that I had arrived.
Back to the Trail Head
Once you’ve finished, it’s just a matter of retracing your steps back to Columbia Rock and down the switchbacks all the way back to the parking lot.
Trail Stats
On my hike to Columbia Rock and Oh My Gosh Point, I logged 2.9 miles and 1312 feet of elevation gain. It took me about two and a half hours which includes plenty of time to stop and breathe as well as time to take a break and enjoy a slice of banana bread at Columbia Rock before descending.
Should You Hike to Columbia Rock?
In my opinion, yes, you should hike to Columbia Rock if you are able to.
Do You Need Hiking Poles?
Ultimately the choice to bring hiking poles is up to you. I chose not to bring hiking poles and while the hike was steep, I didn’t feel like I needed them as much as I did on other hikes (Guadalupe Peak in Texas comes to mind).
On the other hand, my mom hiked with me and was so glad she brought her hiking poles. She felt that they gave her just a bit more stability. On a difficult trail, it’s best to do what you think will help.
When Should You Hike to Columbia Rock?
If you’re visiting in late spring or early summer, Yosemite Falls should be raging and at these times, it’s worth not only hiking to Columbia Rock, but even further up the trail to the top of Yosemite Falls.
If Yosemite Falls is dry, such as late summer or into fall, it’s still worth hiking to Columbia Rock.
Just as a note, if you hike early in the day, do not be surprised if your photos don’t quite turn out. The sun may be directly in your face making it difficult to capture Yosemite Valley from above. The good news is that it’s cooler in the day, the bad news is that some of the camera angles just aren’t great.
How Long Do You Need at Yosemite National Park
How long you need at Yosemite National Park depends on how much you want to do. While you could tackle the highlights with one very busy day, I recommend giving yourself a minimum of two days at the park. Still, I think three days is better as it allows you to get off the beaten path and explore some of the less visited areas of the park.
For those who love hiking, you could spend even more time here and not run out of fun and interesting hikes to do.
When to Visit Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park can be visited all year round but some months are better than others.
Summer is peak travel time, but it’s also when you’ll have great weather. Winter is low season where you’ll find fewer people, but you’ll also have less to do as some of the roads close during this time.
Spring and fall are shoulder season and tend to offer a balance between good weather (although this isn’t guaranteed) and manageable crowds.
One thing to consider is the waterfalls. If seeing some of the powerful waterfalls is high on your list, I recommend aiming for late spring or very early summer. As summer moves into fall, the water dries up and the falls decrease in power.
I visited in mid September and while I had excellent weather, every waterfall was either completely dry or very low. Crowds were mostly manageable and the only thing we had to skip was Mariposa Grove as we couldn’t get into the parking lot (more on this later in my tips about managing crowds).
Where to Stay on Your Visit to Yosemite National Park
You have many options when it comes to lodging in and around Yosemite National Park and much of it is determined by how much you are willing to spend.
There are lodges and hotels within the park, but these book up well in advance and can come with heavier price tags. If you’re on a budget, consider looking a bit further afield for your hotels.
Our visit to Yosemite National Park lasted for two days. We spent the night in Fresno before getting up very early to drive and reach the entrance to Yosemite National Park at 7:00 am. Then we spent the night in Mariposa. After our second day, we returned to Fresno. While our hotels in Fresno were strategically planned with the rest of our itinerary and flight times, our hotel in Fresno was half the cost of our hotel in Mariposa.
Entrance Fees for Yosemite National Park
Entrance to Yosemite National Park is $35 for a 7 day pass.
Reservations for Yosemite National Park
Most visitors will need a reservation to visit Yosemite National Park. This is a new measure that was introduced to try to control crowds at the park. So when you have your plans and dates set, pick up a reservation online from the official website.
Reservations are needed from late spring through early fall. During the summer, reservations are required everyday. In late spring and early fall, reservations are only required for Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays (such as Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc.). These reservations are required for entry between 5:00 am and 4:00 pm. If you plan to enter the park outside of these hours, you do not need a reservation (although you will not be allowed to re-enter the park between 5:00 am and 4:00 pm without a reservation).
Reservations cost $2 and are valid for three days. So if you purchase a reservation for Wednesday, you can use that same reservation for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Reservations go on sale on January 1.
If you do not have a reservation, you’ll be turned around at the entrance.
A limited number of the reservations are held until the night before, so if you didn’t manage to get a reservation weeks or months in advance, try the night before. If you still don’t have a reservation, you’ll need to get up very early and enter the park before 5:00 am.
Managing the Crowds at Yosemite National Park
The crowds at Yosemite National Park can be crazy and because of that, I recommend getting an early start. We arrived at our trailheads by 8:00 on both days of our visit. We shared the trails with other hikers, but we noticed a lot more hikers as we worked our way back from the various viewpoints.
More importantly, the entrances to the park can be a huge bottleneck. It gets so bad that there are signs posted along the road to tell visitors how long of a wait it will be (30 minutes from this point, 60 minutes from this point, etc.). Additionally, the traffic can get backed up through Yosemite Valley. Thankfully, we never experienced this but we always arrived in the valley early in the morning.
On our second day, we planned to stop at Mariposa Grove, but the lot was full so we exited the park (as that was our last stop before heading back to Fresno). It was 1:00 pm on a Monday in September that had rain (and snow in some areas) predicted for the afternoon. The line of cars to enter the park at the Mariposa Grove entrance stretched beyond the “60 minutes from this point” marker.
The point of all of this is to remind you to make your reservations and arrive at the park early. However, if you enjoy waiting in long lines, by all means, take your time.
Tips for Dealing with the Weather
Weather can be difficult and don’t be surprised by big temperature swings. These parks are big and if you put “Yosemite National Park” into your phone’s weather app, its forecast may be different than your actual destination in Yosemite. So, what I recommend doing is using the forecasts provided by the NPS.
For each park, you can select where you’ll be and they’ll give a forecast for that area. This is incredibly helpful as there can be some significant temperature differences throughout the park.
Final Thoughts
While I think it’s worth hiking all the way to Yosemite Falls if the water is flowing, I also think it’s worth only hiking part way when the falls are dry. You’ll save energy but still get some unique views of Yosemite Valley. It’s not an easy hike, but it’s still a rewarding hike to Columbia Rock.
Continue Your Adventure
Yosemite National Park: Hiking to Columbia Rock is just one of the top things to do at Yosemite National Park.
California National Park Itineraries: Loop Sequoia National Park in with Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks for one awesome week long road trip. Alternatively you could fly into Las Vegas and visit Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks on a week long road trip.
US National Parks: Start planning your national park vacation with my US National Park Travel Guide. You’ll find information about each park, photos, itineraries, and everything you need to start planning your trip.