Waterwheel Falls

{{Short description|Waterfall in California, United States}}

{{one source |date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox waterfall

| name = Waterwheel Falls

| photo = Waterwheel Falls in Yosemite.jpg

| photo_caption = Waterwheel Falls

| photo_width = 224

| location = Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, Yosemite National Park, California, U.S.

| coords = {{coord|37|55|38|N|119|27|32|W|type:landmark_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}

| type = Slide

}}

Waterwheel Falls is a waterfall in the Sierra Nevada of California, located in Yosemite National Park. It is the largest of the many waterfalls of the Tuolumne River. Its upper part contains a series of small ledges, each of which creates a small plume as the water is deflected away from the rock face. A regular phenomenon appears at the first and largest of these ledges during the high-water season of early summer. Strong gusts of wind can lift part of the spray and blow it back upward, causing it to reenter the falls above the ledge.{{cite web|url=http://travel.latimes.com/destinations/high-sierra/yosemite-national-park/attractions/glen-aulin-high-sierra-camp-to-waterwheel-falls/review|title= Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp to Waterwheel Falls|work=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=2008-07-27}} This cyclic "waterwheel" gives the falls their name.