Formed by Salmon Creek tumbling down the Santa Lucia Mountains in the Silver Peak Wilderness, the Salmon Creek Falls are just off California State Route 1 on the Big Sur coastline. Salmon Creek descends through a canyon, which has a series of small cascades, before it reaches the main waterfall which is 120 feet (36m) in height. It’s most impressive during winter (Dec to February) or after heavy rain, but the creek flows all year round.
The official trail takes you to a vantage point across from the top of the falls. It’s nowhere near as spectacular as the McWay Waterfall – but it is more of an adventure to reach these falls.
An off-track route takes you close to the base of the waterfall, where there are some shallow pools. It’s possible to get to the pool below the waterfall, but it requires a tricky scramble over large boulders.
Getting to Salmon Creek Falls
The “official” trail to the Salmon Creek Falls is the signposted Salmon Creek Trail; after a short distance there’s a junction with the trail to the waterfall. To get to the base of the falls, veer off the trail, and scramble over the boulders until you reach the base of the falls. Just before the very bottom of the waterfall are some very large boulders that you’ll need to negotiate.
There is an alternate, unofficial path to the base of the falls which starts from the gravel parking area, about 50m west of the Salmon Creek Trail. This is the best track to use for visiting the waterfall.
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