Giant Sequoia National Monument
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Nobe Young Falls Giant Sequoia National Monument |
August 2
Although there is no reference to this trail on any map or national forest brochure, the serious waterfall afficionado does what is necessary to identify and visit little-known special places such as this one.
About a two-hour drive east and south of Visalia, the trailhead consists of a roadside turnout marked only by a little signpost denoting Forest Road 22S11, which is not a road anymore.
The trailhead is just south of here
The trail parallels the highway briefly, then turns downhill. The nearby falls are distinctly audible. Within a few minutes, I spot a lot of boot prints leading straight down the steep slope to the left, so I follow them.
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| This trail is lightly used | Not much water in Nobe Young Creek |
A short scamper upstream gets me to the falls, and they are every bit as nice as I had anticipated.
Nobe Young falls, 60'
Scrambling up the slope toward the cliff, I encounter a nifty cave full of flat boulders. Just a few yards farther on is the rare treat that brought me to this place. I am standing directly behind the falls!
An arch in the making?
A good-feeling spot
Being here is exhilarating, and I have the whole place to myself. For the next half-hour I munch some gorp and contemplate my existence.
A great place to meditate
On the way out, I revisit the cave and get a great side-view of the falls. This has proved to be a good time of day for a photographer's visit.
The sun is at a perfect angle
Instead of heading back downstream only to scramble up the steep sandy slope, I find a use trail, replete with energy-saving switchbacks, that heads directly back to the trailhead.
§: Doubtless thousands of such delightful places, just a few minutes' walk
from the highway, are unknowingly bypassed every day. I am pleased to
have made the effort to find this one, some 300 miles from home.
Nobe Young Falls