Hiker dies at Nevada Fall

 

 

By TOM LYDEN

Staff Writer

A man in his early 20s died Saturday after falling from Nevada Fall in Yosemite National Park.

The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man as 22-year-old Josue Baires Alfar.

On Monday, a Yosemite National Park spokesperson provided a three-sentence statement that did not even confirm the man’s death, nor would the spokesperson. That statement also said he was 23.

“The National Park Service is investigating an incident involving a 23-year-old male at Nevada Fall in Yosemite National Park on June 20, 2026. Emergency personnel responded to the incident, which remains under investigation. No additional information is available at this time,” the statement said.

But the social media site Reddit had a post from someone who said they witnessed the horrifying incident, as the man plummeted down the 600-foot waterfall.

“There were a bunch of friends that were dragged by the current in the top of Nevada’s fall today. The girl was saved, but another person with her went with the current to the fall,” the post read.

The witness said a helicopter and rescue crew arrived an hour later.

In July 2011, three people were killed when they fell from the waterfall below Vernal Fall, with two of the victims holding on to each other in a bear-like hug as they went over.

Both waterfalls are along the Mist Trail, one of the most popular trails in Yosemite with 85,000 hikers every year.

It can also be one of the most dangerous. Guardrails, signs and warnings are in place, but people routinely ignore those warnings and get swept up in quickly moving currents.

The Mist Trail will be getting a major upgrade in the coming years as the National Park Service is soliciting feedback on three proposals to remodel the hiking route. Those plans also included making the trail safer.