Wapama Falls, Hetch Hetchy

The walk starts at the parking area above O'Shaughnessy Dam, at the end of Hetch Hetchy Road. Walk down the road and across the dam, with the reservoir on your right, and through the rock tunnel at its far end. The trail then follows the north shore, rising and falling over granite ledges. It passes below Tueeulala Falls, a thin fall that is often dry by late summer, and reaches the footbridges at the foot of Wapama Falls. This route ends where the bridges begin. Return the same way.

It is 5.1 miles (8.2 km) round trip with 630 feet (193 m) of climbing; allow about 2½ hours. The grade is Easy: a short walk with small ups and downs, rocky in places.

In spring Wapama Falls can pour over the footbridges, and people have been swept off them and killed. If water is running over a bridge, do not cross. By late summer the falls shrink or dry up. The trail is hot, with rattlesnakes and poison oak: carry water. Swimming in the reservoir is not allowed.

Hetch Hetchy Road is open only from sunrise to sunset, and closes when snow is falling or forecast. Vehicles more than 25 feet long or 8 feet wide may not use it. The entrance station may hold cars back when the parking fills. No permit is needed for a day hike.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.