Adventure 008, Hike 103 - Fish Camp Falls Trail

Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 008, Hike 103 – Fish Camp Falls Trail

Team: Thing One, Thing Two

Date:  September 9, 2012

Location: Big Sandy Road outside of Fish Camp

Hike Info:

Trail: Fish Camp Falls Trail

Distance: 1.8 miles

Duration: 0:58

Elevation Rise: 374'

Description:
We found this hike last year while hunting for California falls for Capture California. Sometimes a repeat hike is just so ho-hum, but not this time. Last year we could see only the lower falls because there was enough water coming down, it would have made it hard crossing Big Creek. This year, with the drought and all, and it being late summer, it was a dry crossing. So we saw the lower, middle and upper falls, and as Ann Marie Brown says in her book, California Waterfalls, the last one is the most photographed, and well it should be. I am with her that if it was not for Yosemite, this set of falls would have its own park.

Lower Fish Camp Falls

We hiked up to the upper falls, just short of a mile. The first 2/3 of a mile is pretty much level. After we cross Big Creek, the trail becomes more of a minor scramble, but nothing serious. We meet a fisherman teaching his kids how to fish returning from his trip. Once up at the upper falls, we gawk for awhile and return.

Middle Fish Camp Falls

For last year's adventure, see the following write up:

Item: 8 - Fish Camp Falls Trail
Team: Tired 'Tirees
Date:  Oct 2, 2011
Link:

• Start of Trail
• Sherri and the Flume
• The Falls (same picture as with the falls)
  

Desc: See the description of the Fish Camp Falls for how to get here. This trail starts off with the question, am I at the right place. After checking out the guidebook, we figure this must be the place--2.5 miles from Hwy 41, gate, pull out, small creek or flume with a building. Yep all checks out. So we go around the gate, past the building and then along this level trail, built just above this creek. As we walk, we see where the water is going away from the creek back towards the building. But the trail itself is very level. This small creek we are following is really a flume and the trail we are walking is really the bank of the flume. I suspect the building we passed several iterations ago must have been a saw mill.
So after .6 miles along this, a broad-leaf greenery and tree protected  path, we come to the falls. You return back the same way for a total of 1.2 miles. This will be a path we do in the future.

Upper Fish Camp Falls

Item: 81 - Fish Camp Falls (Falls #24)
Team: Tired 'Tirees
Date:  Oct 2, 2011
Link:  The Falls
Desc: Sometimes there is something in your own backyard which you do not see before. Sherri and I were looking at a book called California Waterfalls by Ann Marie Brown, when we saw that there is set of falls which we have been passing within 3 miles of and knew nothing about. This is Fish Camp Falls. Coming out of Fresno, you travel up Hwy 41 until right before the the Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp--this is two miles before the southern entrance to Yosemite. You take Sandy Marsh Road about 2.5 miles and stop--see the trail description here. After walking up a nice trail, you stop at the lower set of falls, which drop about 25 feet. It provides a nice backdrop and a place to have a picnic lunch. There are other falls up the creek a bit which we will explore another day.