Featured image credit: CalWild
Even if you want to completely ignore TLC’s sage 1994 warning, Los Angeles doesn’t seem like the place to go chasing waterfalls. First of all, we’re pretty much situated in a Mediterranean landscape of arid, chaparral-saturated hills and valleys. And we’re no strangers to severe droughts. Finally, we’re a sprawling metropolis, the second-largest in the U.S. But when we do get rain, the Greater Los Angeles area actually offers a pretty decent selection of waterfalls. You just have to know where to find them. Here are 12 waterfalls in Los Angeles worth chasing.
Brown Mountain Dam – Man’s Imitation of an LA Waterfall
- Seco Arroyo, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
- Approx. Hike Distance: 1.2 miles
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
About 3 miles up Arroyo Seco Road from the Angeles Crest Highway, you’ll find a trail branching off to Brown Mountain Dam, a “waterfall” that’s not like the other waterfalls in Los Angeles. That’s because it’s the only one on our list that’s completely fabricated. When flooding ravaged Los Angeles (imagine that!) in 1938, Brown Mountain Dam was erected in an attempt to hold back the destructive forces of Mother Nature.
But it wasn’t long before sediment and debris clogged it and reduced it to a modest man-made waterfall. The water-stained concrete edifice probably brings more harm than good to the environment, serving as little more than an obstacle to the natural flow of things. But it still makes for an interesting hike, further distinguished by the old ruins you’ll pass along the way. Just prepare to search for parking.
Cooper Canyon Falls – We Hope You Like the Smell of Pine
- Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, Pearblossom, CA 93553
- Approx. Hike Distance: 2.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
Located a few miles deep into the pine-saturated Pacific Crest Trail, Cooper Canyon Falls will leave you wondering if you’re still in Los Angeles. Picturesque canyons and dense pine forests line the rustic trails, giving you plenty of captivating moments as you approach the falls. Just watch your footing. Loose gravel and rocks can make it a moderately challenging path. And if you’re going on the weekend, plan to arrive early if you don’t want to battle it out for a parking spot.
Eaton Canyon Falls – Don’t Forget Your Bathing Suit
- 1750 N Altadena Dr, Pasadena, CA 91107
- Approx. Hike Distance: 3.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
At the edge of the San Gabriel Mountains flows the family-friendly Eaton Falls, inviting you to take a dip into its soothing pool and frolic among its seasonally prolific wildflower bloom. One of the more easily accessible waterfalls in Los Angeles, Eaton Canyon Falls promises at least a trickle even during the driest months. But if only the most awe-inspiring cascade is worth your efforts, plan to visit after heavy rainfall.
Parking is competitive but free, sweetening the deal even further. In fact, the only potential critics of Eaton Falls are the canine population. While you can bring leashed dogs along for the adventure, they can’t enter the plunge pool at the base of the falls with the rest of the family. We’re willing to bet they’ll want to go anyway.
Escondido Falls – The Most Beautiful of the Waterfalls in Los Angeles
- 27200 Winding Way, Malibu, CA 90265
- Approx. Hike Distance: 3.6 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
Escondido Falls is quite possibly the most beautiful of all the waterfalls in Los Angeles. And, yes, that means you’ll always be pushing through a considerable crowd to see it. Plunging 150 feet across three primary tiers further beautified by verdant splendor, you won’t find a more picturesque set of falls in the area. Escondido Falls is even simple enough to access, at the end of a (mostly) flat hike.
However, you can easily make it more challenging by pushing yourself to hike to the upper tier. Either way, you’re bound to find plenty of Angelenos with similar ideas. If it weren’t for its somewhat remote Malibu location, it would probably be unbearably crowded. As it stands, it’s just maddeningly crowded.
The Grotto Trail – Brave the Cave for a Hidden Waterfall
- 12896 Yerba Buena Rd, Malibu, CA 90265
- Approx. Hike Distance: 1 mile
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
The Grotto Trail offers us the only of the waterfalls in Los Angeles to be found inside a cave. But it requires a hike that can get a little slippery. Expect an easy time of it at first, but you will have to do a bit of stumbling and sliding through a creek to reach the big payoff. The waterfall found along the Grotto Trail isn’t exactly a secret, but you also probably wouldn’t find it as intuitively as some of the others on this list. Thankfully, there’s signage, so just start at the Circle X Ranch Ranger Station and go from there.
Millard Canyon Falls – Did You Remember Your Water Socks?
- 4041 Chaney Trail, Altadena, CA 91001
- Approx. Hike Distance: 1.2 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
It’s pretty easy to get to Millard Canyon Falls, making it one of the more popular waterfalls in Los Angeles for family fun. But when the rainy season hits and creeks start flowing again, the Millard Canyon hiking can also become one of the wetter in the region. Therefore, we recommend bringing some water socks because those hoofs are going to get soaked. The hike to the falls is almost as impressive as the falls themselves, winding through towering canyon facades. Just don’t be surprised if you take a few spills in these here foothills!
Monrovia Falls – The Most Lovingly Maintained of LA’s Waterfalls
- 1200 N Canyon Blvd, Monrovia, CA 91016
- Approx. Hike Distance: 1.5 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
Normally, this is one of the more comfortable hikes surrounding waterfalls in Los Angeles thanks largely to Monrovia’s civic pride. The amenities on the way to the falls are downright refreshing compared to the other options on our list. However, Monrovia Canyon Park, where Monrovia Falls is located, is temporarily closed at the time of writing… and has been for a while now. But assuming it opens again at some point in the not-so-distant future, you can expect carefully crafted manmade dams and thick foliage lining meticulously maintained trails culminating in the falls that flow year round. Expect to cough up a chunk of change for parking. It’’s honestly worth it.
Paradise Falls – Peaceful Falls That Live Up to the Name
- 928 West Avenida de los Arboles, Wildwood Regional Park, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
- Approx. Hike Distance: 1.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
“Peace” isn’t a word you’ll find frequently in a city as big as Los Angeles, but the placid Paradise Falls earns the distinction. Tucked away in Thousand Oaks’s Wildwood Regional Park, the hike starts off simple enough but steepens as you get closer to the falls, making you work for that tranquility. Fortunately, there’s a teepee along the way offering you the chance to rest and recharge. That’s right, a teepee. You’re eventually rewarded with one of the more breathtaking waterfalls in Los Angeles. But content yourself with gazing at its beauty. Entering the water at the base of the falls is strictly forbidden!
Santa Ynez Falls – Don’t Like LA Dog Culture? These Are the Falls For You
- 20829 Entrada Rd, Topanga, CA 90290
- Approx. Hike Distance: 2.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dogs Allowed: No
Located in the middle of Topanga State Park, Santa Ynez Falls has a hard “no” policy on dogs. That hasn’t slowed traffic to this Pacific Palisades hotspot. If anything, it actually makes it the perfect retreat for those rare (but vocal) Angelenos who can’t stand the city’s dog culture or simply suffer from dog dander-related allergies. However, keep in mind that Santa Ynez Falls is more of a subtle insinuation of a waterfall than a juggernaut deluge of cascading water. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you may challenge yourself to take the much longer Eagle Rock trail to the falls. It’s nine miles round trip but gives you some pretty memorable panoramic vistas with the sparkling coast in the distance.
Solstice Canyon – Interesting By Association
- 3998 Solstice Canyon Rd, Malibu, CA 90265
- Approx. Hike Distance: 3.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
Honestly, the waterfalls at Solstice Canyon are okay. It’s everything else that you get as part of the deal that makes it worth a mention on our list of waterfalls in Los Angeles. For one, you’ll take in some visual poetry courtesy of the views of the Pacific Ocean in the distance. But arguably the most interesting scenery comes courtesy of the charred remains of homes not far from the 30-foot falls.
One of these homes is all that’s left of the Roberts House, nicknamed the “Tropical Terrace.” Designed by Paul Williams, the first African American to be admitted into the American Institute of Architects, the architecture of the Roberts House was so impressive that some admirers insisted on calling it the Williams House to honor its creator. Sadly, the home was consumed by wildfire, leaving behind little more than its foundation, a bomb shelter, and a handful of stone chimneys.
Switzer Falls – A Scenic Tour Through the Angeles National Forest
- 701 Angeles Crest Highway, Tujunga, CA 91042
- Approx. Hike Distance: 3.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
Another waterfall with a display heavily reliant on recent rainfall, Switzer Falls really comes into its glory when the Arroyo Seco begins to flow back into the creeks bisecting the Gabrielino Trail. It almost gives gorgeous Escondido Falls a run for its money with its two-tiered cascading falls. Maybe that’s being a bit generous, but it’s hard not to throw Switzer Falls some extra points for the remains of a historic resort you’ll pass on your way. Little more than a wall and an ancient stove remain of Switzer’s Trail Camp, but it was once a part of a series of resorts that served as stations for hikers braving the Angeles National Forest in the late 19th century.
Trail Canyon Falls – The Most Classic Example of the Waterfalls in Los Angeles
- 19600 N Trail Canyon Rd, Tujunga, CA 91042
- Approx. Hike Distance: 2 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dogs Allowed: With Leash
Deep within the mountains of the Angeles National Forest flows the pristine Trail Canyon Falls, perhaps the most classic of the waterfalls in Los Angeles. Trail Canyon Falls is pretty much everything you’d expect from an LA waterfall without seeing one. Waters cascade down rocky edifices flanked with drought-resistant flora. Yes, it’s beautiful. But there’s not much to say about it beyond that. No caves. No crazy ruins. Not even any views of the ocean. Just you, a hiking trail, and a waterfall waiting at the end. But don’t forget your Adventure Pass because you’ll have a tough time parking without it!
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