Salmon Creek Falls is a 120-foot (36 meter)
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
in the southern
Big Sur
Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...
region of
Monterey County
Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas.
Montere ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The falls are located along
California State Route 1
State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north–south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. At , it is the longest state route in California, and the second-longest in the US after Monta ...
about northwest of
Ragged Point and lies within the Monterey Ranger District of the
Los Padres National Forest
Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in Southern California, southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast ...
and
Silver Peak Wilderness
The Silver Peak Wilderness is located in the southwestern corner of Monterey County in the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Central Coast of California. It southern boundary largely follows the Monterey County/San Luis Obispo County line. Its eas ...
.
Location
The falls are located along
California State Route 1
State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north–south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. At , it is the longest state route in California, and the second-longest in the US after Monta ...
about northwest of
Ragged Point. The nearest settlement is the village of
Gorda, about northwest of the falls.
Hydrology
As Salmon Creek descends a
canyon
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...
along the southwestern slope of the
Santa Lucia Range
The Santa Lucia Mountains (sæntə luˈsiːə) or Santa Lucia Range is a rugged mountain range in coastal central California, running from Carmel southeast for to the Cuyama River in San Luis Obispo County. The range is never more than from t ...
, it produces a series of small cataracts over a distance of before reaching the head of the main falls. Here the water pools behind several large boulders. The creek then curves around the boulders before cascading down a steep cliff. A shallow pool is present at the base of the falls. From here, the creek continues southwest toward the Pacific Ocean.
Access
An unpaved trail from
California State Route 1
State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north–south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. At , it is the longest state route in California, and the second-longest in the US after Monta ...
provides access to a view of the main falls beside several large boulders. The trail does not provide direct access to the base of the falls, which requires one to scramble over a pair of boulders to reach.
Salmon Creek Falls trail
/ref>
The head of the falls are accessible via Salmon Creek Trail, which branches off toward the east and approaches the falls at a higher elevation. The trail is a popular access route for backpackers visiting Silver Peak Wilderness
The Silver Peak Wilderness is located in the southwestern corner of Monterey County in the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Central Coast of California. It southern boundary largely follows the Monterey County/San Luis Obispo County line. Its eas ...
.
See also
*Limekiln State Park
Limekiln State Park is a California state park on the Big Sur coast. It contains four lime kilns from an 1887–1890 lime-calcining operation, plus a beach, redwood forest, and Limekiln Falls. It is located south of Lucia on Big Sur Coast H ...
References
External links
Waterfalls West.com: Salmon Creek Falls
Waterfalls of California
Landforms of Monterey County, California
Monterey Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest
Santa Lucia Range
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