salmon creek falls trail

A short and easy climb/trek to this hidden gem. Be sure to climb right up to the area in front of the falls where there are pipes for support while you can take photos and enjoy the falls.

Its a short trail but involves climbing. You are walking/hiking through rocks and trees till you get to the falls. There are pipes there to get to the other side (near the waterfall). It may look risky but its very stable and easy. So do go across and see the water basin up close.

Salmon Creek Falls is a hidden pair of twin waterfalls towards the south end of Big Sur which is well worth a half-hour stop on your drive down the coast, if you're reasonably fit and don't mind a little scrambling. The falls themselves are gorgeous and they have a large swimming hole at the bottom - and with any luck you'll be the only people there.Location and route: There's a huge horseshoe shaped bend in the road about 45 minutes south of Fernwood Resort; pull into the long off-road car parking on the mountain side of the road, and then head right towards the signposted trail head. Follow the trail to the waterfall - watch out for poison oak; once you reach a wide open campground-esque area you can either head up or down. Head up until you reach a big scary cave, then head down to your left to the river, followed by a short barefoot splash across the shallow river and a little rock scrambling, but nothing too strenuous by any means.

Fun quick hike to get out of the car and stretch your legs. Also get a nice "pole walk" between rocks to get out to the falls. There was a family taking up all the nice sitting spots, so we didn't stay really long. It also looked like a small group had maybe set up camp there...might not have been comfortable if it had just been us out there with them...

The hike is easy enough, but have good shoes on. Once you arrive, it will be easier to use the rope and steel bar to walk across to get to the pool. It looks awkward, but it is not too bad. Or, you can just walk in the creek to get across. I never knew about this place... so pretty. We will bring more of our nieces and nephews back here for sure.

Salmon Creek Falls Trail is probably our favourite walk so far, of our journey up the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego to San Francisco, and we have a LOT to choose from!There is a lot of clambering over rocks involved, even if you take the main trail path, if you want to get the best views of the waterfall so I would not recommend this trail for very young children or the elderly.Parking is directly alongside the Pacific Coast Highway - google maps knows roughly whereabouts! The easier route to take would be the main trail, which is to the right as you park. We took the lower trail (starts off downhill from parking area) by mistake and this involves lots of clambering over rocks, climbing up rock faces, hopping across streams, ducking under branches etc etc! All GREAT fun but a little tricky and we often wondered if we were going the right way! Just keep going though, and the sound of the waterfall will guide you. The waterfall views are AMAZING and totally worth persevering for - keep climbing over rocks even if you think you must already be there to get to the full uninterrupted view right at the end. The trail was very quiet (unlike most of PCH - ssssh keep the secret! lol)but there were a couple of families at the waterfall in swimwear - it looked great fun for the kids to play in the beautiful water.We would definitely recommend if you are nearby or making the trip up PCH (Route 1). You could spend as long as you like here really, we were here just over an hour but you could stay longer if you wanted to dip your toes in the water and really explore amongst the rocks. Try to make time to see this beautiful waterfall!PS No toilet facilities, this is not a tourist attraction!