At Nevada Falls in California's Yosemite Valley, the Merced River plunges over a high ledge onto a jumble of boulders almost six hundred feet below, creating a torrent of white water and plumes of spray. Tourists were able to visit Nevada Falls by climbing a rocky trail that rose 1,840 feet in elevation from Vernal Falls, a mile and a half downstream. Bierstadt signals this possibility by portraying several sightseers, among them two women in hiking gear.