# Ribbon Fall

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{{Use American English|date=February 2026}}
{{Infobox waterfall
| name = Ribbon Fall
| photo = Ribbon Fall (5829970555).jpg
| photo_caption = 
| location = [Yosemite National Park](/source/Yosemite_National_Park), [Mariposa County, California](/source/Mariposa_County%2C_California), United States
| type = Plunge
| height = 1,612 ft (491 m)
| height_longest = 
| number_drops = 1
| average_flow = 
| world_rank = 99
| coords={{coord|37|44|09|N|119|38|54|W|region:US-CA_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref=<ref name=gnis/>
}}

'''Ribbon Fall''',<ref name=gnis>{{cite web |title=USGS National Mapping Information: Ribbon Fall |url={{Gnis3|265392}} }}</ref> located in [Yosemite National Park](/source/Yosemite_National_Park) in [California](/source/California), flows off a cliff on the west side of [El Capitan](/source/El_Capitan) and is the longest single-drop [waterfall](/source/waterfall) in North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/tallest-waterfalls/single-drop|publisher=Yosemite National Park Travel Guide|title=World's Tallest Waterfalls: By Tallest Individual Drop|accessdate=2020-10-09|work=World Waterfall Database}}</ref> The fall is fed by melting winter snow and the peak amount of water flow is during the months of May to June<ref>{{Cite news |title=Ribbon Fall {{!}} California, Yosemite, Hetch Hetchy {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ribbon-Fall |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250530225124/https://www.britannica.com/place/Ribbon-Fall |archive-date=2025-05-30 |access-date=2026-01-16 |work=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}</ref>; while therefore dry for much of the year, the fall is a spectacular 1,612 feet (491 m) in the spring. In exceptional years, an ice cone develops at its base during the winter months similar to that which usually forms beneath Upper [Yosemite Fall](/source/Yosemite_Falls). This deposit can reach a depth of 200 feet, versus 322 feet for the greatest depth of the ice cone beneath the Upper Fall and Lower Fall.

==Etymology==
The Native American name for the waterfall was “Lung-yo to-co-ya,” which translates to “pigeon basket or nest,” likely referring to the band-tailed pigeons that inhabited the area. [James Hutchings](/source/James_Mason_Hutchings), however, translated the name as “long and slender” and renamed it “Ribbon Fall.” [Lafayette Bunnell](/source/Lafayette_Bunnell) disagreed with Hutchings' interpretation and instead referred to it as “Pigeon Creek Fall.”<ref name="Hartesveldt1955">{{Cite journal|last=Hartesveldt|first=Richard J.|date=1955|title=Yosemite Valley Place Names|journal=Yosemite Nature Notes|url=https://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/yosemite_valley_place_names/|access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref><ref name="Bunnell1892">{{Cite book|last=Bunnell|first=Lafayette H.|date=1892|title=Discovery of the Yosemite|chapter=Chapter XIII|url=https://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/discovery_of_the_yosemite/13.html|access-date=28 December 2024|page=209}}</ref>

The waterfall has also been called “Virgin’s Tears,” a name reportedly coined by a sentimental woman in the 1860s, inspired by its brief seasonal flow, which she likened to the fleeting tears of a maiden.<ref name="Hartesveldt1955" />
thumb|155x155px|Ribbon Falls in Yosemite National Park
<gallery>
Image:Ribbon_fall_top.jpg|The top of Ribbon Fall.
Image:Ribbon_fall_with_ice_cone.jpg|Ribbon Fall as seen from its base. Note the ice cone.
File:Ribbon Falls in Spring - 2016.jpg
</gallery>
==See also== 
*[List of waterfalls](/source/List_of_waterfalls) 
*[List of waterfalls in California](/source/List_of_waterfalls_in_California)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{YosemiteWaterfalls}}
{{Authority control}}

Category:Waterfalls of Yosemite National Park
Category:Waterfalls of Mariposa County, California
Category:Plunge waterfalls

{{Yosemite-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ribbon Fall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_Fall) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_Fall?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.