Yosemite waterfalls running strong — be cautious

You can walk up to some of Yosemite’s biggest waterfalls right now and get soaked by spray, but the same mist that makes the views dramatic is also turning railings, rocks, and steps slick. Yosemite’s current conditions page says Yosemite Falls, Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, and Bridalveil Fall are all flowing high, and park staff are urging “extreme caution” along rivers and creeks because rocks are slippery even when dry. (nps.gov) This is peak spring behavior in Yosemite. The National Park Service says April is when snowmelt starts pushing water hard through Yosemite Valley, and runoff usually stays strong into May and June even when rain is still possible. (nps.gov 1)(nps.gov 2) The catch this year is that the waterfalls look bigger than the snow numbers might suggest. Yosemite says the April 1 snowpack was only 22 percent of average in the Tuolumne River basin and 27 percent of average in the Merced River basin, which means warm spells are squeezing a short, sharp burst of runoff out of a relatively lean snow year. (nps.gov) That is why the classic close-up hikes get riskier exactly when they get most tempting. The Mist Trail to Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall is designed to bring hikers right beside the water, and the park warns that the route is famous for heavy spray near Vernal Fall and for temporary closures tied to trail wo(nps.gov 1)(nps.gov 2)tm)) Even the easier waterfall stops have a spring warning attached. At Lower Yosemite Fall, the National Park Service says visitors should expect mist and wind when flow is strongest and should stay on the paved trail at the base of the 2,425-foot waterfall. (nps.gov) Getting into the park has also become less predictable than the postcard views suggest. SFGATE reported that Yosemite’s Arch Rock Entrance and Big Oak Flat Entrance have repeatedly gone unstaffed during normal daytime hours this spring, with some visitors driving in past signs telling them to pay when exiting. (sfgate.com) That staffing problem matters more in 2026 because Yosemite also dropped its timed-entry reservation system for this year. The park says there is no day-use or peak-hours reservation requirement in 2026, so more visitors can show up without a slot while fewer workers are available to answer questions at the gate. (nps.gov)(yosemite.org) So the Yosemite trip that sounds simplest right now is not actually simple: strong falls, wet trails, closed high-country roads, and uneven staffing all hit at once. As of this week, the park says Tioga Road through the high country and Glacier Point Road are still closed, which pushes more spring visitors into the valley trails where the waterfalls are r(nps.gov 1)(nps.gov 2)ns.htm)) The safest version of this visit is the boring one: check conditions the day you leave, expect fewer staff than usual, and treat every wet granite step like polished tile. Yosemite’s waterfalls are doing exactly what people drive hours to see in April, and the park is saying just as clearly that this is the month to slow down near the water. (nps.gov)