Cascade Falls Photos

Although these falls are quite large (especially in April-June), they’re easy to miss when driving on Highway 120. The great thing about this waterfall is that it’s so close to the road – you can even feel the mist as you drive by with your windows down. Here are some Cascade Falls photos to check out…

Cascade Falls Photos - May, Taken from Cascade bridge
Cascade Falls in May, Taken from Cascade bridge

Also known as “The Cascades”, this waterfall is actually a confluence of Cascade Creek and Tamarack Creek. They come together on a steep mountainside. In spring this is a raging torrent, in winter, a great place for lighter flow long exposure photography.

Cascade Falls Photos – Long Exposure

Lower Cascade Falls (Long Exposure under the bridge)
Lower Cascade Falls (Long Exposure)

I took the flowy long exposure shot above in December. In spring, the flow would be too heavy – the detail would be washed out (not to mention it’s dangerous here).

Stringy long exposure waterfall over boulder (August)
Stringy long exposure waterfall over boulder (August)

I enjoyed the emerald pool and smooth stones at this waterfall location. Not bad for a quick Yosemite roadside attraction! Again, if you’re not doing long exposure here, these falls are much better in April-June.

Emerald Pool and Graceful Waterfall

Here’s another good example. The long exposure falls above were taken in August, when the creek has dried and slowed to a trickle. While it doesn’t look like much to the naked eye, it makes for great scenes with a long shutter effect.

Tamarack Creek Falls Under Cascade Bridge - Long Exposure
Tamarack Creek Falls Under Cascade Bridge

These are the small falls before Tamarack Creek passes under the bridge and meets with Cascade Creek. Then, thousands of gallons of water careen over the edge, creating a new set of falls. These falls plummet all the way down to Highway 140 below.

Lower Cascade Falls, Near Highway 140 (El Portal)
Lower Cascade Falls, Near Highway 140 (El Portal)

As a matter of fact, essentially Cascade bridge was built right over the middle of one long mountainside waterfall. It stretches all the way from above Highway 120 down to El Portal Rd (140) below!

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About My Photos

The images on this website are available for licensing and/or sale as framed prints. If you’d like to purchase them for a blog, news article, or gift, feel free to contact me with the specifics. This way you’re supporting photographers such as me directly (as opposed to buying from a faceless stock photo corporation).

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– Nathan Allen

About Me

Photographer Nathan Allen

I’m Nathan Allen, photographer / creator of YosemiteParkPhotos.com (Yosemite Photos) and international travel site I Dreamed Of This. In truth, I lived in San Francisco, New York, & Singapore…but nothing compares to life in the mountains. I share my experiences HERE.