Illilouette Fall vs Upper Yosemite Fall

California

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.

California

Upper Yosemite Fall is the 1,430-foot top tier of Yosemite Falls — the most famous waterfall in Yosemite National Park and the dramatic upper plunge visible from across the valley. The full Yosemite Falls system drops 2,425 ft total: Upper (1,430 ft) + Middle Cascades (675 ft) + Lower Yosemite Fall (320 ft). Reaching the brink requires the 7.2-mile (3.4 mi each way) Upper Yosemite Fall Trail, a strenuous switchback climb gaining 2,700 ft of elevation.