Five hikes to catch the last of the Bay Area’s glorious winter waterfalls

Crashing, booming and throwing out mist clouds full of rainbows and even moonbows – waterfalls remain an impressive reminder of the historic precipitation that thumped California this winter.

Perhaps you didn’t have time to check out the fresh snowmelt toppling thousands of feet down Yosemite Falls. Or maybe you didn’t want to do the drive and trek to the oceanside tidefall of Alamere. Never fear: Despite the summer heat, there are still plenty of waterfalls worthy of exploration. They might not be the foaming monsters of the Sierra, but these more modest cascades are close to home, easy to hike to and sublime in their simple beauty or, in some cases, hidden qualities.

Here are five of our favorite Bay Area waterfalls still flowing. We’ve included detailed directions, as well as suggestions on where to grab a bite or drink afterward. As always, bring plenty of water and watch out for ticks and poison oak – and don’t drink from the falling water lest you enjoy visiting the E.R.

Coal Creek Waterfall, Coal Creek Open Space Preserve

Hidden off Skyline Boulevard, Coal Creek Open Space Preserve is on the drier, eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Take the trails down through the golden hills with vistas of Silicon Valley and as you descend, you’ll find your way into shadier, greener paths. Once you connect with Crazy Pete’s trail, you’ll soon find your way to a wooden bridge that crosses a creek with a hidden waterfall. During the summer, the waterfall narrows to a trickle, but the partial shade and dog-friendliness along the route make it worthy of hiking year-round.

Trail map: openspacetrust.org/hike/waterfall-hike

Directions: This dog-friendly 3 mile round trip waterfall hike is an out-and-back down the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains from Skyline Boulevard at the currently-closed Silicon Valley Vista Point. Instead, park across Skyline Boulevard — note that parking is limited. Start trekking downhill along Cloud’s Rest Road to catch views of Stanford, Silicon Valley and the Bay before entering through a gate. Go straight until you hit a fork, head right on Meadow Trail to the Alpine Road trail and then take Crazy Pete’s trail until you hit a small bridge, where the waterfall runs below. (It’s possible to do a loop by continuing on the trail, but that involves walking back to your car along Skyline Boulevard, where cars speed and the shoulder is narrow, so it’s not advised.)

Grab a bite: Dining options along Skyline Boulevard are few and far between, but this hike’s trailhead is not far from Thomas Fogarty Winery. The food policy there is BYO, but pack a picnic, and you’ve got the makings of a perfect post-waterfall afternoon of wine tasting ($35 per flight). Make reservations at www.exploretock.com/fogartywinery/. Or head 5 miles north on Skyline Boulevard to the iconic Alice’s Restaurant, where you’ll find burgers, sandwiches, barbecue and more among the redwoods.

Details: The park is open a half-hour before sunrise until a half-hour after sunset at 20001-20039 Skyline Blvd., Redwood City. Check openspace.org/preserves/coal-creek for any trail closures.

Seasonal waterfall at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Sonoma County

If you follow Sonoma Creek 33 miles through some of the finest wine towns in the Bay Area – Glen Ellen, Kenwood, Sonoma – you will eventually arrive at the headwaters of this cascade in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. Sugarloaf gets its name because one promontory resembles an old grocer’s cone of sugar, and during the summer, the park’s trails are just as powdery and desiccated. But the vernal influence sometimes lingers in a seasonal waterfall that in boom times gushes roughly 25 feet down a mound of huge boulders jammed into a canyon pinch point.

Don’t expect a miniature Niagara right now. The water is pouring but mostly hidden behind rocks, making a pleasant rushing sound like the filling of a giant bathtub. A thigh-deep basin of cold, aquamarine creek water sits at its base. If you’re coming off a hike, plop down on one of the slate-gray rocks and put your sweaty tootsies in the water – there’s nothing better for a cool-off.

Since you’ve ventured this far into Sonoma, consider exploring some of the other attractions at Sugarloaf, which boasts  25 miles of trails for hikers of all skill levels. You can glimpse the Golden Gate Bridge from Bald Mountain’s summit or take a self-guided nature trail winding around Sonoma Creek. There’s also the Robert Ferguson Observatory, the largest observatory in the Western U.S., which gives educational talks and monthly “star parties” where you can gaze through telescopes at the blazing spectacles of the universe.

Trail map: parks.ca.gov/?page_id=481

Directions: Park before the entrance gate on Adobe Canyon Road, near the Pony Gate Trail, on one of the gravel pull-offs (note that these are still fee areas you pay for inside the park). Avoid the janky, butt-sliding trails that descend sharply to the canyon floor and follow the wider Canyon Trail clearly marked with a waterfall sign. It takes you down steps and over a bridge through a forest of massive trees blow-torched from wildfires. After a brief walk, you’ll arrive at the falls, where you can take a breather under the shady canopy, then perhaps explore another trail that loops around the top of the falls.

Grab a bite: It’s not hard to find excellent food in wine country. But for a delightful new experience, try Mitote Food Park, a half-hour’s drive west in Santa Rosa at 665 Sebastopol Road. The food park offers a rotating array of Mexican food trucks where you can get delicious, buttery mushroom tacos, huge portions of ceviche in molcajetes and whole-fried snapper with smoky and spicy salsas.

Details: The state park is open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. at 2605 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood; https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=481

Hidden waterfall, Berkeley

Many people are surprised to learn there’s an idyllic waterfall lurking in Berkeley’s backyard. It’s behind the gorgeous Berkeley Rose Garden in an overgrown canyon marked as private, although the public is welcome to respectfully explore. Follow a short, upward trail with views of old-growth redwoods and shiny curtains of English ivy, stopping perhaps to admire poetic graffiti scrawled on a fence: “Made peace with my dad / thought I better had / raised consciousness / mine, not his.”

The falls become torrential after storms, but on an average day, they still can be impressive, pouring down more than seven levels into dark, rippling basins. Birds flitting over ferns, hovering moths and electric-blue dragonflies lend the place the aura of a Disney movie. There’s a bouncy wood plank that crosses the falls – you can (very carefully) stand atop it, gazing up and down at a creek that must plummet at least 50 feet through the canyon. It’s rumored UC Berkeley students skinny-dip here, but given possible urban pollution you really hope they don’t.

Trail map: Search Google Maps for “Codornices Park” and look for the Tamalpais Path – that is your starting point.

Directions: At Euclid Avenue and Eunice Street, take the Tamalpais Path in Codornices Park over a wood bridge (perhaps detouring to enjoy the park’s 40-foot concrete play slide). Go a short ways up crooked stairs and a hilly path until you see a small, wooden gate on the left of the trail marked “Private” – it almost looks like a fairy door. Push it open and continue past redwoods along Codornices Creek until you reach the falls.

Grab a bite: After enjoying a “hidden” waterfall, you might want to try a restaurant that’s likewise not so well-known but is full of unexpected pleasures. That’d be Musashi, a Japanese izakaya a couple miles south at 2126 Dwight Way (musashiofberkeley.com). Musashi has expertly grilled skewers, sushi from the Tsukiji fish market and rotating specials that always hit right – delicately fried whitefish with ponzu, say, or a folded omelet with luscious pieces of eel.

Details: Codornices Park is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.  at 1201 Euclid Ave. in Berkeley.

Cascade Falls, Mill Valley

Mill Valley’s a charming place – a mix of boutiques, bohemian culture and natural wonder ripped from a Tolkien universe. So it’s fitting it has an equally charming waterfall, which happens to be one of the easiest to get to in the whole Bay Area.

A dirt trail leads up through towering redwoods with gargantuan exposed roots drooping like wax into wood puddles. In the dark crevice of a tree, you can spot a little home somebody has made for little gnomes. Shafts of sunlight filter through the needles above, and in the forest somewhere, a bohemian noodles on an acoustic guitar.

The falls pour down sheer rock for perhaps two stories into a shallow pool that numbs your toes. It’s a popular spot for photo shoots – expect to have company and politely remind tourists not to drink from the falling water (it’s called giardia, folks!). If you continue above, you’ll find a tempting pool. The trail then veers in several directions – you might find yourself in a dense forest with owls hooting and the chainsaw-loud buzzing of beehives, only to emerge into a street of million-dollar houses and people fixing Mercedeses in fancy garages.

Trail map: Search Google Maps for Cascade Falls Trailhead to find the nearest parking lot.

Directions: The closest parking lot only has five spots, so you might have to stop before that on Cascade Drive. From the trailhead, follow the stream 5 to 10 minutes to reach the waterfall. It’s a nice spot for a shady picnic or just dipping your toes in the water as you inhale the scent of redwoods.

Grab a bite: There’s a new outpost of Chinese-American chain Mamahuhu, which is backed by Mister Jiu’s chef Brandon Jew (eatmamahuhu.com), at 173 Throckmorton. It’s a fast and informal joint, with tasty renditions of beef and broccoli and mouth-numbing mapo tofu. Don’t skip the desserts – the soft serve is particularly memorable with its creamy banana oat-milk ice cream, chewy boba, sesame crunch and Ceylon-tea syrup.

Details: The waterfall is accessed via the Cascade Falls Trailhead on Cascade Drive, Mill Valley.

Uvas Canyon Creek County Park, Morgan Hill

This hike takes a little work and patience, but it’s worth it. First of all, Santa Clara County Parks asks that you pre-purchase and print out a day pass reservation before you come. The park entrance requires traveling the windy Croy Road and passing through the sleepy one-lane village of Sveadal to get there, but on a recent Tuesday afternoon, we spotted only a handful of other vehicles and no people around.

You’ll find a series of waterfalls along Swanson creek offering vistas of shaded, oaky woodlands plus scattered redwoods, alongside the soothing sound of water flowing down the creek.

Directions: From the Uvas Canyon County Park entrance on Croy Road, head up the hill to the first waterfall, Granuja Falls, before following signs for the Waterfall Loop trail. Continue uphill to Black Rock Falls, Basin Falls and Upper Falls. Turn around there, or make a loop out of it and take the Contour Trail and Alec Canyon Trails back to the starting point.

Trail maps: Check www.alltrails.com for a 1.8 mile out-and-back route along the water. It’s a shaded trail that’s a great pick on a hot day.

Grab a bite: The park is somewhat isolated, so bring a sack lunch and plan to picnic at Myrtle Flats, about 0.8 miles into the trail. Other food options include Craft Roots, a vegan bar and grill in Morgan Hill, and La Terraza Grill and Bar in southern San Jose.

Details: Open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset at 8515 Croy Road in Morgan Hill; https://parks.sccgov.org/.