Sentinel Fall
California · 1,936-foot drop · Yosemite National Park · Last verified 2026-05-15
Today at Sentinel Fall: mostly clear, 40°F. October averages 1.4 snow days here.
Right now
Overnight
40°F
Mostly Clear
Sunday
56°F
Sunny
Today's daylight
Sunrise 7:16 AM · Sunset 6:08 PM · 10h 53m
Other park alerts
- No overnight parking on Tioga & Glacier Point Roads(Information)
Snapshot built 7m ago. Sources: NWS HNX.
Sentinel Fall is a waterfall in Mariposa County, California. It drops roughly 1,936 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.
Sentinel Fall sits in Mariposa County, California. The falls are inside Yosemite National Park, a US National Park. The base sits at roughly 6,501 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 2 minutes from Yosemite Valley. OpenStreetMap shows a trail within 360 meters of the marked location, though the name isn't recorded. This is one of the more frequently visited falls in the state by our popularity model. Source records come from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Sentinel Falls is a long series of cascades descending into Yosemite Valley, in the U.S. state of California, alongside Sentinel Rock. It is a tiered waterfall consisting of 6 major drops totaling 1,920 feet (590 m), the longest single drop being 500 feet (150 m). It ranks on many lists as the twelfth-highest waterfall in the world, although in truth it is roughly the sixtieth-tallest, as most weaker waterfalls do not make it into such lists. Despite its immense height it has a relatively low drainage and is usually dry by July.
When to go (from the climate data, not our opinion)
Monthly averages from Open-Meteo's reanalysis dataset (2020–2024). Highlighted months are when we think the waterfall is at its best — but the numbers are the numbers regardless.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip (in) | Snow days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 21 | 6.7 | 10 |
| Feb | 44 | 21 | 4.7 | 8.6 |
| Mar | 42 | 23 | 8 | 15.6 |
| Apr | 52 | 27 | 3 | 5.4 |
| May | 62 | 34 | 1.8 | 3.2 |
| Jun | 73 | 46 | 0.9 | 0 |
| Jul | 83 | 55 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 80 | 53 | 0.6 | 0 |
| Sep | 74 | 47 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Oct | 65 | 39 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| Nov | 51 | 25 | 3 | 6 |
| Dec | 45 | 23 | 8.2 | 11.4 |
Source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API · ERA5 reanalysis 2020–2024.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentinel Fall (this page) | — | 1,936 ft | — | N | — |
| Staircase Falls | 1 mi | 1,017 ft | — | N | — |
| Horsetail Fall | 2 mi | 2,133 ft | — | N | — |
| Lower Yosemite Fall | 2 mi | 320 ft | — | N | — |
| Middle Cascades | 2 mi | 675 ft | — | N | — |
| Illilouette Fall | 2 mi | 370 ft | moderate · 4 mi | N | $35 |
Side-by-side comparisons
Sentinel Fall compared head-to-head with other documented falls — height, access, fees, dogs, swimmability in one row each.
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~1936 ft)
- Horsetail Fall2,133 ft
- Snow Creek Falls2,133 ft
- Louis Creek Falls1,720 ft
- East Snow Mountain Falls2,200 ft
- Ribbon Fall1,612 ft
Questions visitors ask about Sentinel Fall
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 Sentinel Fall?
Sentinel Fall is 1,936 feet (590 m) tall. Height is sourced from OSM.
Is Sentinel Fall in a national or state park?
Yes — Sentinel Fall is inside Yosemite National Park. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Sentinel Fall?
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 Sentinel Fall from a major city?
Sentinel Fall is 2 miles from Yosemite Valley (about 2 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in California
Where it is
37.7249, -119.5965
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinel_Fall
Wikidata (Q7451320)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7451320
GeoNames (5394398)
https://www.geonames.org/5394398/
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
Been there?
Marina and Theo verify pages one road trip at a time. If you've been to Sentinel Fall recently, your local knowledge improves the page for everyone. Pick the kind of contribution that fits — every email lands in our inbox and gets read (and credited when we publish).
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