Yosemite National Park is home to many waterfalls, but the best known is the Yosemite Falls. This waterfall is actually made up of three separate falls, and when added together would reach 2,425 feet in height, making it the tallest waterfall in the US, as well as the 5th tallest waterfall in the whole world. However since it is composed of three falls, the tallest of them is the Upper Yosemite which reaches 1,430 feet tall.
There are hundreds of thousands of tourists that come to visit the inspiring falls each year. It is a short shuttle bus trip to reach the lower falls, where as it can be an entire day trip to reach the upper falls. Hikers often will take the extra half mile beyond the upper falls to reach Yosemite Point. The view from this site is breathtaking, overlooking the entire landscape of the park. This spot is a point that juts out from the cliff to the east of the falls.
The Native American Tribe that lived in the area was called the Uzumati, meaning Grizzly Bear. Yosemite comes from their name, although it is horribly corrupted. The name is a tribute to a time when Grizzlies roamed the entire area.
The landscaped was molded through Glacier movement, erosion, and slope wasting. All of these factors created the shape of the land that is viewed today. Small streams created the rivers of today through working their way into small fissures and widening and deepening them through erosion. The glaciers of the Pleistocene era carved out the sides, creating the sharp drops that create the free falling waterfalls on the cliffs.
The cliffs appear as a gray rock in the winter time, and seem to lighten to a pale tan during the summer months. Conifers, like spruce and pine, inhabit the area. These trees dot the landscape from where the falls seems to be cut at odd angles creating an abstract and stunning landscape. Magnificent Sequoia Trees also grow in the park, and are another reason for the tourism.
The falls reaches its peak volume during the spring months, as the snow melt falls down the mountains filling the creek causing it to almost burst from the heavy water flow. By summer, the water is barely more than a trickle, and can even dry up in the fall. Often during the winter months loud booms can be heard, this is actually the mists from the fountain that have frozen and break off falling to the ground.
