Sight · Yosemite National Park
Five granite cascades reward the climb above Wawona.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
“You're nearing Chilnualna Falls Trailhead, where a short, steep walk reaches the first cascade. For a brief outing, I'd turn back there: about half a mile round trip.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yosemite National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yosemite audio tourRecorded for this place
Chilnualna Falls“You're nearing Chilnualna Falls Trailhead, where a short, steep walk reaches the first cascade. For a brief outing, I'd turn back there: about half a mile round trip.”
Plays as you drive up to Chilnualna Falls in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“We just drove through Yosemite and it made our trip listening to this app as we drove through. Like having a tour guide in the car with you.”
Guide
Chilnualna Falls is a five-cascade waterfall system on Chilnualna Creek above Wawona, where water steps over broad granite formations. It is a hike-in sight, not a roadside pullout: reaching the top means 8.2 miles round trip and 2,400 feet of elevation gain. The lower cascades can make a shorter outing; the full hike is strenuous, but brings several views of the falls and a broad look back over Wawona.
You see cascades at several points along the uphill trail, so there is no single overlook that shows the whole system. Turn around when the lower falls are enough for your day, or set aside time and energy for the full climb to the top. From the higher part of the trail, the view opens back over Wawona. For photos, include some of the broad granite around the water; it shows how the creek breaks into separate drops.
Chilnualna Creek flows year-round, with its strongest flow in spring and early summer and a usual peak in May. That is the best bet for fuller cascades. Expect less water later in the season, even though the creek keeps running.
The five large cascades are part of the same creek as it drops over broad granite formations. Farther downstream, Chilnualna Creek joins the South Fork Merced River. Because the falls are spread along the route, the hike reveals different pieces of the system rather than one all-in-one view.
The wider Wawona area was home to Indigenous people before it became a settlement and a main late-19th-century route into Yosemite Valley. Wawona joined Yosemite National Park in 1932. Chilnualna is pronounced chil-noo-al-na.
Wildlife
732 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,747 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
332 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
276 sightingsPikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
677 sightingsYellow-bellied MarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yosemite. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingBuena Vista Range Loop26.7 mi · 18 hr · 1.4 mi awayTwo lakes and a granite crest, reached by a serious backcountry loop.ChallengingCrescent Lake Trail19.2 mi · 13.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA long climb to a high lake beyond Chilnualna's tiered falls.ChallengingChilnualna Falls Trail8.2 mi · 6 hr · 1.4 mi awayFive granite cascades reward a long, steep climb above Wawona.
EasyWawona Swinging Bridge Trail0.6 mi · 30 min · 1.6 mi awayA short, mostly flat walk to a bridge that really swings.
ChallengingAlder Creek Falls Trail12 mi · 8 hr · 2.5 mi awayA full-day pine-forest climb to a 100-foot cascade.
ChallengingWawona to Mariposa Grove Trail4.9 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.8 mi awayAn uphill forest connector from Wawona toward Mariposa Grove.
EasyWawona Meadow Loop Trail3.5 mi · 2.5 hr · 3 mi awayMostly flat meadow loop with leashed pets and bicycles allowed
ModerateWashburn Trail4 mi · 2 hr · 4.1 mi awayA wooded alternative to the shuttle, with 500 feet of climbing.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayWawona Swinging BridgeA swaying bridge over granite boulders and a popular swimming hole
Campground · 2.6 mi awayWawona Horse CampA small stock camp beside the South Fork Merced River.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayYosemite History CenterA covered bridge, old wagons and stories from the park’s working past.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayWawona HotelAn 1879 Victorian hotel with roots in an 1856 trail-side cabin.
Visitor center · 2.8 mi awayWawona Visitor Center at Hill's StudioAn artist's Yosemite studio turned into a useful park stop.
Gas station · 2.9 mi awayWawona Store and Gas StationA handy stop for fuel and camp basics.
Picnic area · 3.2 mi awayWawona Picnic AreaA practical riverside meal stop on Wawona Road.
Campground · 3.3 mi awayWawona CampgroundA riverfront base near Mariposa Grove.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
