Vernal Fall at Yosemite National Park, California
© Framepool
Vernal Fall at Yosemite National Park, California
Don’t go looking for Vernal Fall in August. By late summer, this ephemeral waterfall in Yosemite National Park is dry. May is the month to see Vernal Fall at full power, as the spring thaw melts the snowpack, turning the falls into a raging tumble of water making its way to the valley floor where the Merced River flows. A short, steep hike up Mist Trail—so named because this time of year, the spray from the falls will soak hikers—allows for safe, breathtaking views of Vernal Fall before it slips away as summer marches on.
Related Images
Aerial view of Elk Falls suspension bridge on Vancouver Island
St. Mary Falls in Glacier National Park, Montana
A cypress in the Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana
Sutherland Falls and Lake Quill in New Zealand
The Quinault Rainforest in Olympic National Park, Washington
From NASA’s Terra satellite, an image of fallstreak holes in clouds over the southern United States
Reflections on Crummock Water in the Lake District, Cumbria, England
Oak (quercus sp) trees in winter, Nova Scotia
Bing Today Images
Atlantic puffins, Wales
May 12, 2026
An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
May 12, 2025
Tulip festival Ottawa Canada
May 12, 2023
Lavender blooming in northern Thailand
May 12, 2016
