December 12, 2021 – Eagle Peak via Upper Yosemite Falls from Yosemite Valley

View Route Details: AllTrails Map of our Route

Trailhead: Starts out of Camp 4. There is day parking across the road from Camp 4. When staying at Yosemite Valley Lodge you can walk to it.

According to AllTrails, we started our hike via a quick helicopter ride from Yosemite Valley Lodge to the trailhead.

As per our legs at the end of the day we’re pretty sure we walked a good 2 miles to the trailhead and back.

If you’ve not hiked any part of the trail to Upper Yosemite falls the trail is basically a lot of what you see below. Switchback after switchback with a majority of it lined with stones. Lots of up. Toughest parts being the ones that are all stone and no dirt and it gets wet which makes coming down quiiiite slippery. Or as we suspected in winter it gets very icy, but cleats work wonders.

This is the first major lookout that you come to after hiking up. I used to think that this was a super tough part of the trail cause the grade is steep (22 degrees to be exact*) and in the summer it feels like you’re in the desert ’cause, well, heat and sand. Then just when you think you’re in the clear you have to go up 20 or so steps. So, quite a few end up turning around here.

Okay, if ever the person who made this little guy sees this pic I bet they’ll be tickled pink that their snowman got photographed and featured. It struck me as adorable and I liked that all natural ingredients were used.

First closer-up-ish view of Upper Yosemite Falls.

The closest view you’ll have of Upper Yosemite Falls from this trail at the base of the falls.

By the time the waterfall hit the bottom it was snow! We couldn’t figure out where it goes from water to snow. Tough to tell what’s mist or snow, but here are two videos with our world renowned commentary plus David’s crinkling of the wrapper on his Cliff Bar.

And video 2 zooming in at the bottom. Cause I simply can’t be bothered to splice the two videos together.

Waterfall. Half Dome. Moody skies. LOVE all of it.

Mini pee-sickle.

Giant granite faces towering above us. Gives you vertigo just looking up at them.

It’s cleats on time!

Here are several pics of us totally posing at the top of Upper Yosemite Falls. The air was unbelievably still. Normally, when I’ve gone in the summertime I have had to put on several layers of clothing to keep warm from the chill of wind.

We then met a young lad from England. Visiting Yosemite for the first time. Left his Dad down below, who doesn’t hike. So, as a welcome gift I sent him on a true adventure. Told him to go down these stone steps (left of boulder) to be able to stand above and look down at the falls. He looked at me a bit questioningly, but I showed him proof on the AllTrails map and the metal sign with arrow stating “vista lookout.” In all seriousness, the trail really does continue down these rocks and you do get cool views of the waterfall. In the summertime it’s really easy to tell there is a trail cause there are multiple people, but on this wintry day it was just the three of us and unless you know you can go that way you wouldn’t think to go down there.

I sadly was being lazy and didn’t want to take my cleats off so I didn’t go down. Sigh. Later that afternoon I regretted that silly decision. Just a bit.

Before he took off to see the legendary sights he snapped this fantastic pic of us.

Our trip didn’t end at the tippy top of Upper Yosemite Falls. Oh no. This was a BIG hike day for us. So, into the snowy woods we went.

And before making much progress in said woods we found a clearing without trees above us and had ourselves a feast. (The trees were sloughing snow, and not pleasant to be under.) Take note that I was halfway through my lunch and David was still working on his seating setup. =)

Along the way I found a hiker’s footprint so I put it on this log to safe keep it for him should he return this way. David remarked, “not creepy, at all.”

Hmph! This next part wasn’t 0.3 miles at all. It was like 0.6 miles! There is actually a cool article on why mile markers like these will/can vary when compared to maps and programs we use to track miles. (Link to WTA article.)

The view from Eagle Peak.

Us-ies and some views.

Okay. So, obviously this would’ve worked better if I had the same backdrop, but I swear both were shot at Eagle Peak. A bit hesitant to share this old photo of me from May 2015 when I was just a couple months away from filing divorce papers and wasn’t feeling all too great about myself. It was also the year that I visited Yosemite as much as time and my budget would allow me cause I knew that I’d be leaving California soon. I didn’t get to share my thoughts, my plans, and what I was going through internally with many (and at times any) friends. It was definitely a rough year, but in so many ways a happy one, too. The smiles are real. In both pics. When I hike all the sh*t that may be happening to me or around me melts away or goes on pause. Those moments are fantastic and one of many reasons I love to get out there and hike.

When I first hiked to Eagle Peak in May 2015 I did it by myself. At times I got scared in the woods. They say this is a highly trafficked trail, but I haven’t yet seen true signs of that. I ran into just a handful of people and then I wasn’t yet an experienced hiker so you get a bit unsure of yourself. But the one thing I seem to have is this insatiable appetite to hike and hike. I don’t go fast. I don’t do crazy scary things. The fear that creeps in usually gets squashed by my drive to get to my destination and to make it back to my starting point. You get a lot of thinking time to yourself. Many not profound thoughts at all, but they all work to help me relax and get me into my happy space.

Fast forward to December 2021 and I got to share this hiking destination with my second husband, David. Life is incredibly much different when you share it with someone who shares your passions. For us, it is hiking. Seconded by reading. Thirded by being extreme house-potatoes.

Another way I get spoiled now that I have a hiking buddy is he double as a photographer buddy. I tell him, “go up there and get us a shot of the icicles.” (I didn’t want to do it out of sheer laziness.)

David scrambles up as his cleats scrape and slip as they don’t grip the snow covered rock and tries to crouch into position.

Me: “Yeah, that’s a nice angle, but I was thinking get one from behind the icicles.”

Nailed it!

Sort of. We felt that the focus didn’t work out. Had he not used my phone I’d have gotten us some shots of how not easy getting this pic actually was. So yeah, in conclusion, I have it made with a photographer buddy to get the tough shots for me.

We hiked about 10 miles at this point and still had 4 more to go to the base of Upper Yosemite Falls. And the weather was definetely moving in. Did I mention we did this hike on a day that they predicted that a massive snowstorm would be hitting Yosemite in the afternoon?

One last look at Upper Yosemite Falls… so we thought… spoiler alert: we came back to do this trail a couple of days later. Post snowstorm.

Fun fact: Upper Yosemite Falls trail is actually quite sandy. This is just one boot dump.

This wall here doesn’t look all that menacing, does it now? But wait until you see it with ice and snow and golf ball sized ice falls. (But you might be waiting a while as we know I’m notorious for taking forever on these trail posts.)

You know when you think it will be a dramatic difference and you think you have this great idea. And then it’s like… hmmm… okay… not that different. Still! I’m getting better at the comparison photo thing.

Left side pic: Taken in the AM. Right side pic: Taken in the PM.

Footage of David rushing down cause his hypoglycemia was kicking in cause we didn’t bring enough food for him. Ooops. Miscommunication happened the night prior as we were deciding on our hiking destination. When I said we’re going to Eagle Peak he didn’t think I actually meant it. In my defense, I even pointed to it on the map.

You’ll be happy to know that David did make it safely back to our lodge. Normally I have a bunch of extra leftover snacks, but go figure not this time around. At times like this he is reminded of my wedding vows to him:

*About grades of slopes… I originally wrote 45 degrees. I knew that was inaccurate. I always ask David to edit these things. And then this is what he does…