Natural History Wanderings

Updated April 2012

Spring is waterfall season

As the rainy season ends and snow melt starts, waterfalls run at their fullest. Today’s posting has lists of web and book resources for visiting, hiking, photographing and enjoying California Waterfalls.

This is an updated and expanded posting of an article I originally posted on May 7, 2010 (Best N. California Waterfalls for Hiking and Photography) The original article only included Northern California.  Today’s posting has added southern California, state-wide information and tips for photographing waterfalls.

Northern California Waterfalls

Bay Area Hiker’s list of Best Waterfall Hikes in the Bay Area (http://www.bahiker.com/extras/best.html)

North Bay:

• Dawn Falls: Baltimore Canyon Open Space Preserve
• Cascade Falls: Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserve
• Carson Falls: Pine Mountain
• Cataract Falls: Mount Tamalpais
• Indian Valley Open Space Preserve
• Loma Alta Open Space Preserve
• Stairstep Falls: Samuel P. Taylor State Park

East Bay:

• Mount Diablo State Park: Donner Canyon Waterfall Loop

Peninsula and South Bay:

• Big Basin Redwoods State Park
• Castle Rock State Park
• San Pedro Valley State Park
• Tiptoe Falls: Portola Redwoods State Park
• Uvas Canyon County Park

Trails.com list of Best Waterfalls in Northern California http://www.trails.com/stateactivity.aspx?area=14509

• Auburn Waterfalls
• Yosemite Valley Waterfalls
• Sequoia National Park Waterfalls
• Colfax Waterfalls
• Oakhurst Waterfalls
• Big Basin Redwoods State Park Waterfalls
• Mammoth Lakes Waterfalls
• Humboldt Redwoods State Park Waterfalls
• Pollock Pines Waterfalls
• Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River Waterfalls
• Castle Crags State Park Waterfalls
• Nevada City Waterfalls
• Spenceville Wildlife and Recreation Area Waterfalls
• South Lake Tahoe Waterfalls
• Sonora Pass Waterfalls
• Whiskeytown Lake Waterfalls
• Emigrant Gap Waterfalls
• Forest of Nisene Marks Waterfalls
• Markleeville Waterfalls

One more. Falls at North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve, Butte County added courtesy of BR Thomas of BRT Insights – WW Kayaking & Hiking

Click Read More for Southern California, state-wide information, articles, guidebook sections, and tips photographing waterfalls .

Yosemite waterfalls see article in S.F. Chronicle  by Tom Stienstra: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/15/SPL51CU3UM.DTL&feed=rss.out

10 Favorite Waterfalls Outside Yosemite in the S. F. Chronicle:  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/13/SPGC1DTHJL.DTL&feed=rss.outdoors

Waterfall Lover’s Guide (Northern California), by Matt & Krissi Danielsson guidebook to 300 waterfalls in Northern California

Southern California Waterfalls

Top 10 Best Southern California Waterfalls list: http://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/top-10-southern-california-waterfalls.html

• HEART ROCK FALLS (SEELEY CREEK FALLS)
• PARADISE FALLS (WILDWOOD FALLS)
• TRAIL CANYON FALLS
• SAN ANTONIO FALLS
• TANGERINE FALLS (WEST FORK COLD SPRINGS FALLS)
• EATON CANYON FALLS
• STURTEVANT FALLS
• CEDAR CREEK FALLS
• BIG FALLS
• FISH CANYON FALLS

World of Waterfalls Southern California Waterfalls 27 waterfalls in Southern California: http://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/california-southern-california.html

 

Nobody Hikes in LA: Falls Creek Falls Is So Nice They Named It Twice http://laist.com/2011/11/20/nobody_hikes_in_la_falls_creek_fall.php

Statewide Waterfall Information

California Waterfalls: Your Key to Accessing The State’s Most Spectacular Falls  Your Key to Accessing The State’s Most Spectacular Falls by Ann Marie Brown a guidebook to over 200 waterfalls throughout all of California

Leon Turnbull Photography’s waterfallswest.com list and information on California waterfalls:  http://www.waterfallswest.com/page.php?id=regionca

World of Waterfalls California Page (covers waterfalls throughout the state) http://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/california.html

Article discussing California Waterfalls: http://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/blog/2011/12/27/california-waterfalls/

Database of approximately 1000 waterfalls in California: http://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/region/United-States/California/

California’s 10 Most Interesting and Unique Waterfalls:  http://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/blog/tag/california/

Photographing Waterfalls

Waterfall Digital Photography article by Peter Rouse of Digital Photography School

Photographing Waterfalls by Mark Dubovoy at the Luminous Landscape

7 Tips for Photographing waterfalls from the PhotoNaturalist