One of the first places Denise and I went together was Vernal Falls in Yosemite. At the end of the trail is a climb to the top of the 318-foot waterfall. It takes almost as long to climb to the top of the fall as it does to reach the start of the switchbacks. I’m not sure how far we went before turning back. The rocks were slick, and we weren’t in great shape, smoking, etc. I remember the amazing view, though. It was something like this:
I’m posting a contour map too. You can see how the two trails diverge. The trail climbs more steeply when the contour lines are closer:
