Fallspots

Both in Yosemite National Park, 5 mi apart · 5 mi apart

Illilouette Fall vs Ribbon Fall

Two waterfalls in our directory, side by side. Same data we use on the individual pages — height, access, what we know, what we don't.

Illilouette Fall — a 370-foot single plunge on Illilouette Creek in Yosemite National Park, viewable from the Panorama Trail descending from Glacier Point

California

Illilouette Fall

Illilouette Fall is a 370-foot single plunge on Illilouette Creek, a tributary of the Merced River, in Yosemite National Park. The fall sits in a small canyon cutting into the south wall of Yosemite Valley directly across from Vernal Fall — but it's hidden from valley view, accessible only via a 4-mile round-trip from Glacier Point on the Panorama Trail. Descent loses 1,400 ft; the return climb is the hard part. Glacier Point Road closes November through May.

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Ribbon Fall, a waterfall in California

California

Ribbon Fall

Ribbon Fall is a waterfall in Mariposa County, California. It drops roughly 1,612 feet. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.

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SpecIllilouette FallRibbon Fall
StateCaliforniaCalifornia
Height370 ft1,612 ft
Typeplunge—
WatercourseIllilouette Creek—
ParkYosemite National ParkYosemite National Park
CountyMariposaMariposa
Elevation1783 m2157 m
Nearest cityYosemite Village (3 mi)Yosemite Valley (4 mi)
Dogs allowedNoNo

About Illilouette Fall

Illilouette Fall is a 381-foot (116 m) waterfall on the Illilouette Creek tributary of the Merced River in Yosemite National Park. It is located in a small canyon that cuts into the south wall of Yosemite Valley directly across from Vernal Fall. The origin and meaning of the waterfall's name has been lost to time.

About Ribbon Fall

Ribbon Fall, located in Yosemite National Park in California, flows off a cliff on the west side of El Capitan and is the longest single-drop waterfall in North America. The fall is fed by melting winter snow and the peak amount of water flow is during the months of May to June; while therefore dry for much of the year, the fall is a spectacular 1,612 feet in the spring. In exceptional years, an ice cone develops at its base during the winter months similar to that which usually forms beneath Upper Yosemite Fall. This deposit can reach a depth of 200 feet, versus 322 feet for the greatest depth of the ice cone beneath the Upper Fall and Lower Fall.

Where they are

Dashed line shows the straight-line distance (5 mi). Actual drive time depends on the route — neither pin is the parking lot, so use a map app for turn-by-turn.

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Related comparisons

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