Royal Arch Cascade
California · 1,247-foot drop · Yosemite National Park · Last verified 2026-05-15
Today at Royal Arch Cascade: clear, 57°F.
Right now
Overnight
57°F
Clear
Friday
88°F
Sunny
Today's daylight
Sunrise 5:44 AM · Sunset 8:22 PM · 14h 37m
Other park alerts
- Yosemite Traffic Updates(Information)
Snapshot built 6m ago. Sources: NWS HNX.
Royal Arch Cascade is a waterfall in Mariposa County, California. It drops roughly 1,247 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.
Royal Arch Cascade sits in Mariposa County, California. The falls are inside Yosemite National Park, a US National Park. The base sits at roughly 4,520 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 1 minutes from Yosemite Valley. A trail — Royal Arches Climber's Descent — runs within 50 meters of the marked location. No public parking is recorded within 2 km, so a longer approach is likely. This is one of the more frequently visited falls in the state by our popularity model. Source records come from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Royal Arch Cascade is a waterfall located on the north wall of Yosemite Valley and the Yosemite National Park, United States, within walking distance from the Ahwahnee Hotel. The falls are 1,250 feet (380 m) high and are usually dry by June. The waterfall gets its name from its location immediately adjacent to the Royal Arches, which are a series of concentric semicircular setbacks in the cliff face directly opposite Glacier Point. The waterfall lacks a plunge pool and its flow is relatively gentle, making the base of the falls a popular photo spot.
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Arch Cascade (this page) | — | 1,247 ft | — | N | — |
| Lehamite Falls | 1 mi | 1,181 ft | — | N | — |
| Staircase Falls | 1 mi | 1,017 ft | — | N | — |
| Lower Yosemite Fall | 1 mi | 320 ft | — | N | — |
| Yosemite Falls | 1 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Middle Cascades | 1 mi | 675 ft | — | N | — |
Side-by-side comparisons
Royal Arch Cascade compared head-to-head with other documented falls — height, access, fees, dogs, swimmability in one row each.
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~1247 ft)
- Big Heart Falls1,262 ft
- Drury Falls1,267 ft
- Silver Cord Cascade1,214 ft
- Wapama Falls1,286 ft
- Bridal Veil Falls-Mine Cascade1,291 ft
Questions visitors ask about Royal Arch Cascade
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How tall is Royal Arch Cascade?
Royal Arch Cascade is 1,247 feet (380 m) tall. Height is sourced from OSM.
Is Royal Arch Cascade in a national or state park?
Yes — Royal Arch Cascade is inside Yosemite National Park. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Royal Arch Cascade?
No — dogs are not allowed on trails here. Most National Park trails prohibit pets to protect wildlife. Service animals are an exception per ADA.
How far is Royal Arch Cascade from a major city?
Royal Arch Cascade is 1 miles from Yosemite Valley (about 1 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in California
Where it is
37.7496, -119.5710
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Arch_Cascade
Wikidata (Q37586)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37586
GeoNames (5389143)
https://www.geonames.org/5389143/
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
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