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Bridalveil Fall is one of the most prominent
waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...
s in the
Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California, United States. The valley is about long a ...
in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. The waterfall is in height and flows year round.


Geology

The glaciers that carved Yosemite Valley left many
hanging valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over a ve ...
s that spawned the waterfalls that pour into the valley. Most of the waterways that fed these falls carved the hanging valleys into steep cascades, but Bridalveil Creek still leaps into the valley from the edge of the precipice, although that edge has moved back into an alcove from the original edge of the valley. While
Yosemite Falls Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park, dropping a total of from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall. Located in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in t ...
seem to also fall into this category, the original course took the Yosemite Creek down a gorge to the west of its current location. The primary source of Bridalveil Fall is Ostrander Lake, some to the south. In a brisk wind, the falling water is often blown sideways, and when the flow is light, it may not reach the ground directly below. Because of this, the Ahwahneechee Native Americans called this waterfall "''Pohono''", which means "Spirit of the Puffing Wind". On August 5, 1856, newspaper editor Warren Baer suggested the name Bridalveil Fall, inspired by its delicate, lacy appearance in late summer.


See also

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Yosemite Firefall The Yosemite Firefall was a summertime event in which burning embers were pushed from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park to the valley 3,000 feet (900 m) below. This event has been replaced by viewing Horsetail Fall on El Capitan in Febru ...
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List of waterfalls This list of notable waterfalls of the world is sorted by continent, then country, then province, state or territory. A waterfall is included if it is at least tall and has an existing Wikipedia article, or it is considered historically sig ...
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List of waterfalls in California This is a list of waterfalls in California, ordered by county. Northern California Alameda County * Murrietta Falls – Alpine County * Llewellyn Falls – * Wolf Creek Falls – Amador County * Moore Creek Falls Calaveras County * ...


References


External links

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Story of Bridalveil Fall, Pohono Indian legend.
{{Authority control Geology of Yosemite National Park Waterfalls of Yosemite National Park Waterfalls of Mariposa County, California Tourist attractions in Mariposa County, California Plunge waterfalls