Three Chute Falls

Last updated
Three Chute Falls, in lower Tenaya Canyon. Three Chute Falls 08432.JPG
Three Chute Falls, in lower Tenaya Canyon.

Three Chute Falls (also known as Hidden Falls or Tenaya Creek Falls [1] ) is a waterfall on Tenaya Creek in Yosemite National Park, in the U.S. state of California.

The waterfall is located in lower Tenaya Canyon, around a half mile upstream from Mirror Lake. [2] The name is from the three distinct "chutes" that the creek splits into upon flowing onto a slab of granite atop the falls, after which it plunges about 80 feet (24 m) into a congregation of boulders.

Access

The falls are easily reached by proceeding upstream along the Mirror Lake Trail. They are relatively obscure, and the trail requires some scrambling.

Further upstream is the much larger, 600-foot (180 m) Pywiack Cascade of Tenaya Creek.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yosemite Valley</span> Glacial valley in California, United States

Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California, United States. The valley is about 7.5 mi (12.1 km) long and 3,000–3,500 ft (910–1,070 m) deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines. The valley is drained by the Merced River, and a multitude of streams and waterfalls flow into it, including Tenaya, Illilouette, Yosemite and Bridalveil Creeks. Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America and is a big attraction, especially in the spring, when the water flow is at its peak. The valley is renowned for its natural environment and is regarded as the centerpiece of Yosemite National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuolumne Meadows</span> Meadow in Yosemite National Park, US

Tuolumne Meadows is a gentle, dome-studded, sub-alpine meadow area along the Tuolumne River in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park in the United States. Its approximate location is 37°52.5′N119°21′W. Its approximate elevation is 8,619 feet (2,627 m). The term Tuolumne Meadows is also often used to describe a large portion of the Yosemite high country around the meadows, especially in context of rock climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deschutes River</span> River in Oregon, United States

The Deschutes River in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many of the tributaries that descend from the drier, eastern flank of the mountains. The Deschutes provided an important route to and from the Columbia for Native Americans for thousands of years, and then in the 19th century for pioneers on the Oregon Trail. The river flows mostly through rugged and arid country, and its valley provides a cultural heart for central Oregon. Today the river supplies water for irrigation and is popular in the summer for whitewater rafting and fishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park</span> State park in California, United States

McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park is the second oldest state park in the California State Parks system, located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Burney, California. The park offers camping, fishing, watersports, hiking and horseback riding facilities. The park is mainly known for the waterfall, Burney Falls, at the entrance of the park. Wildlife in the park includes bass, trout, Steller's jay, squirrels, woodpeckers, deer, and on rare occasion, black bear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oneonta Gorge</span> Waterfall in Oregon, United States

Oneonta Gorge is a scenic gorge located in the Columbia River Gorge area of the American state of Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service has designated it as a botanical area because of the unique aquatic and woodland plants that grow there. Exposed walls of 25-million-year-old basalt are home to a wide variety of ferns, mosses, hepatics, and lichens, many of which grow only in the Columbia River Gorge. Oneonta Gorge with its 50 species of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and trees has been described as "one of the true dramatic chasms in the state." The Oneonta Gorge Creek Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenaya Canyon</span> A dramatic and dangerous canyon in Yosemite National Park, California, United States

Tenaya Canyon is a dramatic and dangerous canyon in Yosemite National Park, California, USA, that runs from the outlet of Tenaya Lake 10 miles down to Yosemite Valley, carrying water in Tenaya Creek through a series of spectacular cascades and pools and thence into a deep canyon below Cloud's Rest, a giant granite mountain adjacent to Half Dome. Waterfalls on the creek inside the canyon include Pywiack Cascade and Three Chute Falls, near Mirror Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Yosemite Valley</span> Valley in Mariposa County, California

Little Yosemite Valley is a smaller glacial valley upstream in the Merced River drainage from the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park. The Merced River meanders through the 3.5 mi (5.6 km) long flat valley, draining out over Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall before emptying into the main Yosemite Valley. It can be reached by a day hike from the main valley, and is the most popular area in the Yosemite Wilderness. The Valley provides access to nearby destinations such as the back side of Half Dome, Clouds Rest and the High Sierra Camp at Merced Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonita Falls</span> Waterfall in California, United States

Bonita Falls are a set of waterfalls in the San Bernardino National Forest, formed by Bonita Creek, that is said to be 370 or 400 feet in height, but possibly up to 495 feet high because of two undocumented drops in the canyon above. It is the second tallest in the national forest, being surpassed only by 500-foot (150 m) Big Falls. These two waterfalls are reputably the tallest in southern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metlako Falls</span> Waterfall in Oregon, United States

Metlako Falls is a waterfall on Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Hood River County, Oregon, United States. It is the furthest downstream of the major waterfalls on Eagle Creek. Like upstream Punch Bowl Falls, Metlako is also in the form of a punchbowl. The falls is 31 meters (101 ft) tall, though people have measured it anywhere from 30 to 46 m tall. It is the upstream limit for salmon spawning in Eagle Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yosemite Creek</span> River

Yosemite Creek is a 15-mile-long (24 km) creek of the Sierra Nevada, located in Yosemite National Park, Mariposa County, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Similkameen Falls</span> Waterfall in British Columbia, Canada

Similkameen Falls is a waterfall in British Columbia, Canada, on the Similkameen River located just below the mouth of the Pasayten River and just above the mouth of Copper Creek about 25 km upstream (south) from Princeton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagle Creek waterfalls</span>

Eagle Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River in Multnomah and Hood River counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It cuts through a narrow canyon in its 3,200 feet (980 m) descent to the Columbia River Gorge and is known for its concentration of 13 waterfalls in about 5 miles (8.0 km) distance. Eight major falls are on Eagle Creek and the East Fork Eagle Creek itself, while five are on its tributaries.

The Paradise River in Washington state, United States, is known for having a total of eight major waterfalls.

The valley of the West Fork Foss River contains a fair amount of waterfalls. The river heads in a series of large lakes: Big Heart Lake, Angeline Lake, and Otter Lake- which form spectacular waterfalls as they plunge down to Delta Lake. On the valley walls downstream of Delta Lake, are found even more waterfalls.

The Pywiack Cascade is a waterfall in Yosemite National Park within the U.S. state of California. It is located a few miles downstream from the outlet of Tenaya Lake on Tenaya Creek at the head of the steep and rugged granite gorge, Tenaya Canyon. The waterfall can be viewed from Glacier Point, or by a 6-mile (9.7 km) hike from Olmsted Point, but the canyon is dangerous and the waterfall is unsafe to be reached on foot. The waterfall is highly seasonal. It typically rages in the spring and early summer while shrinking to a trickle by late summer to mid-autumn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havasu Creek</span> Stream in Arizona, United States of America

Havasu Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Arizona associated with the Havasupai people. It is a tributary to the Colorado River, which it enters in the Grand Canyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alamere Falls</span> Tidefall in Point Reyes National Seashore, California, United States

Alamere Falls is a waterfall in Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California. Alamere Falls is a rare "tidefall", a waterfall that flows directly into the ocean. It is one of only two known tidefalls in California, the other being McWay Falls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wells Gray Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada

Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,415 square kilometres. It is British Columbia's fifth largest provincial park, after Tweedsmuir, Tatshenshini, Spatsizi and Northern Rocky Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Sierra Camps</span>

The High Sierra Camps are nine rustic lodging facilities located in two national parks and a national monument in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. Open most years from June or July to September, they are staffed camps with tent cabins and food service facilities. The backcountry camps receive their supplies by pack mules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Jams</span> Waterfall in Lake County, California, US

The Jams is a 30-foot (9.1 m) waterfall along Cache Creek in Lake County, California. The Jams is a three tiered waterfall located approximately three miles (4.8 km) upstream of the confluence with the North Fork Cache Creek. Each of the tiers are approximately ten feet (3.0 m) tall. The lowest tier is an above ground waterfall while the upper two tiers cascade underground through talus caves caused by boulders falling off the surrounding cliffs and into the creek channel. The Jams is a class VI rapid during high flows and is completely impassable since the river flows into the boulders and through the talus caves.

References

  1. "Hike to Hidden Falls (aka Tenaya Creek Falls)". www.theoutbound.com. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  2. "Three Chutes Falls". World of Waterfalls. Retrieved 2022-04-15.

37°45′32″N119°32′12″W / 37.75886°N 119.53666°W / 37.75886; -119.53666