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Diagram

Yosemite Bowline

Bowline with Yosemite finish · Yosemite tie-off

A fixed loop in the end of a line with the tail wrapped around a leg of the eye and tucked up beside the standing part, so the tail sits inside the knot where it is easy to check.

Loop · Intermediate · Polyester / Nylon rope / Polypropylene / Natural fibre · 4 steps

ApplicationsHow to tie it
Yosemite Bowline, finishedYosemite Bowline, finished

Finished structure

Drawn from a rope model of this knot: which strand passes over which comes from where the rope actually lies.

  1. Make a small loop in the standing part, with the rope toward the end on topA small loop is made below the standing part, with the rope that runs on toward the end crossing on top of it.
    1Small loop
    2Standing part
    Move 1 of 4Make a small loop in the standing part, with the rope toward the end on top
    Bring the working end up through the small loop from underneathThe working end comes up from below and passes up through the small loop from behind, so the rope below it forms the big loop, the eye.
    1Working end, up through the small loop
    2Eye
    Move 2 of 4Bring the working end up through the small loop from underneath
    Take the end round behind the standing part and back to the frontAbove the small loop the working end passes behind the standing part and comes back round to the front, forming the collar.
    1Collar round the standing part
    Move 3 of 4Take the end round behind the standing part and back to the front
    Put the end back down through the small loop, leaving a long tailThe working end goes back down through the small loop next to where it came up and hangs as a long tail inside the eye.
    1Collar
    2Tail, inside the eye
    Move 4 of 4Put the end back down through the small loop, leaving a long tailYou should now see: A loose bowline: the collar round the standing part, and a long tail lying inside the eye beside its right leg.

    Step 01

    Tie a bowline and leave a longer tail than usual. Make a small loop in the standing part, bring the working end up through it, around behind the standing part and back down through the small loop.

    You should now see

    A bowline with a collar of the tail hugging the standing part, the tail lying inside the eye, and plenty of tail left over for another wrap and tuck.

    If it goes wrong

    Coming up through the small loop from the top, or skipping the trip behind the standing part. There is then no collar around the standing part, and what you have is not a bowline.

    Fix: Pull the tail back out of the small loop and redo it: up through the loop from underneath, behind the standing part, then back down beside the part that came up.

    Why: The Yosemite finish only adds a wrap and a tuck to a finished bowline, so the collar around the standing part has to be there before the finish starts.

  2. Wrap the tail round the front of the eye leg on its own side, and back behind itThe tail crosses in front of the eye leg beside it, goes round the outside of that leg and comes back behind it into the eye.
    1Wrap round the front of the eye leg
    Move 1 of 2Wrap the tail round the front of the eye leg on its own side, and back behind it
    Tuck the tail up through the knot beside the standing partFrom behind the eye the tail goes up through the small loop and up inside the collar, and comes out at the top alongside the standing part.
    1Tail, up beside the standing part
    2Wrap
    Move 2 of 2Tuck the tail up through the knot beside the standing partYou should now see: The tail leaves the top of the knot through the collar, on the right of the standing part and pointing the same way.

    Step 02

    Wrap the tail around the front of the eye leg on its own side, then tuck it back up through the knot along the path of the standing part so it comes out beside the standing part.

    You should now see

    The tail leaves the top of the knot lying against the standing part and pointing the same way. Seen from the front, the tail's path traces a figure eight.

    If it goes wrong

    Stopping after the wrap, or tucking the tail down instead of up. The tail then hangs below the knot or sticks out sideways instead of lying along the standing part.

    Fix: Take the tail back out to the wrap and tuck it again, upward through the knot beside the standing part, until it exits at the top next to the standing part.

    Why: With the finish in place, the tail is trapped inside the knot alongside the standing part rather than lying loose in the eye, and that is easy to check by eye before loading.

  3. Hold the eye and pull the standing part to set the bowline firstWith the eye held, the standing part is pulled so the small loop closes on the collar, while the wrap and tail are still loose.
    1Collar, set first
    Move 1 of 2Hold the eye and pull the standing part to set the bowline first
    Only then pull the tail to snug down the wrap and tuckThe tail is pulled up alongside the standing part, drawing the wrap snug round the eye leg while the set bowline keeps its shape.
    1Wrap, snug
    Move 2 of 2Only then pull the tail to snug down the wrap and tuckYou should now see: The collar still tight round the standing part, and the wrap bedded against the eye leg without changing the bowline.

    Step 03

    Hold the eye and pull the standing part against it to set the bowline first. Only after that, pull the tail to snug down the wrap and tuck.

    You should now see

    The collar sits tight around the standing part with the small loop closed on it, and the wrap then beds down without changing the shape of the bowline.

    If it goes wrong

    Pulling the tail first. The bowline underneath is lost and the rope forms a different, insecure knot that can slip or collapse into a noose, with the collar no longer around the standing part.

    Fix: Untie it completely, tie the bowline again from step 1, and set it with the standing part before you touch the tail.

    Why: Wikipedia warns that drawing the tail up before the nipping loop is set can displace the loop and compromise the knot, which is why the order of the two pulls matters.

  4. Check it: pull the standing part against the eye, then the tail, once moreThe finished Yosemite bowline: collar round the standing part, the tail wrapped round the eye leg and leaving the top beside the standing part.
    1Tail beside the standing part
    2Collar
    Move 1 of 1Check it: pull the standing part against the eye, then the tail, once moreYou should now see: The tail leaves the knot beside the standing part with length to spare, the collar is tight, and nothing moves under a pull.

    Step 04

    Before loading it, look the knot over and pull each part once more: the standing part against the eye, then the tail.

    You should now see

    The tail leaves the knot beside the standing part with good length to spare, the collar is tight, and nothing moves when you pull the eye against the standing part.

    If it goes wrong

    A short tail, or a collar that has worked loose while you tied the finish. Wikipedia warns that a Yosemite bowline that is not dressed correctly can collapse into a noose.

    Fix: Retie it with more tail. Where a failed loop would be serious, Wikipedia suggests a standard or double bowline with a stopper knot on the tail instead.

    Why: Swift Silent Deadly advises against using the Yosemite bowline for life support and suggests a figure-eight loop for that job.

Failure modes

When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.

Bowline family

Fixed eye whose lock is a collar seated on the standing part.

  • !Open collar — the eye capsizes under cyclic load
  • !Cowboy / wrong-direction loop
  • !Tail too short to backup, or a Yosemite finish on an unfinished bowline
Fails when
  • !The tail was pulled before the bowline was set, so the bowline is lost and the knot can slip or collapse into a noose
  • !The collar works loose while the finish is tied. Wikipedia warns a Yosemite bowline that is not dressed correctly can collapse into a noose.
  • !The base knot has no collar around the standing part, so the finish is added to a knot that is not a bowline
Geometry

  • Yosemite tuck dressed before the collar

    Eye inverts or the collar walks after the finish

    Dress the collar first — the tuck is a backup, not the lock · step 03

  • Tail not tucked back up along the standing part

    This is just a bowline with a wandering tail

    The Yosemite finish wraps the tail around the eye and tucks it back up through the knot along the standing part · step 02

  • Collar never seated

    Finish cannot save an open-collar bowline

    An unfinished bowline cannot take a Yosemite finish · step 01

If you saw this

  • Eye distorts or the collar walks after the finish

    Check

    • ?Collar seated first
    • ?Tail parallel inside the nipping loop
    • ?Eye still a bowline

    Then

    • →Untie and dress collar then tuck
    • →Use a figure-8 loop if the finish keeps inverting

  • Yosemite tuck dressed before the collar

    Check

    • ?Eye inverts or the collar walks after the finish
    • ?Inspect step 03

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Tail not tucked back up along the standing part

    Check

    • ?This is just a bowline with a wandering tail
    • ?Inspect step 02

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Collar never seated

    Check

    • ?Finish cannot save an open-collar bowline
    • ?Inspect step 01

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Same family

Same failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.

This failed — start Diagnose

Why this knot

What it earns its place with, what it costs, and what to reach for instead.

Best for
Fixed eye
Not ideal for
  • A thirty-second dock eye (plain bowline is enough)
  • Wrong dress order — that inverts the bowline
  • HMPE
Common mistakes
  • Pulling the tail tight before setting the bowline with the standing part, which loses the bowline
  • Skipping the trip behind the standing part, so the base knot has no collar and is not a bowline
  • Stopping after the wrap, or tucking the tail down instead of up beside the standing part
  • Leaving too little tail, or letting the collar work loose while tying the finish
Alternatives
  • BowlineBeginner

    A fixed loop in the end of a rope, such as a mooring line to a ring or post

  • Water BowlineIntermediate

    A fixed loop in the end of a rope, with a clove hitch in place of the small loop to grip the tail

  • Figure-8 LoopBeginner

    A fixed loop tied in a bight of rope, for a loop that can be dropped over a post and checked by tracing the two strands through the knot

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