Marble Falls
Marble Falls actually consists of several cascades both upstream and downstream from the main falls itself.  has it at 7 miles) return hike with 1500ft elevation gain. Speaking of tiring and sun-exposed, I'd recommend getting an early start so at least you can take advantage of some shadows due to low sun angle and neighboring hills so the uphill part of the hike to get there is more bearable, and the downhill return can be in the sun. This trail is said to be snow-free in the Winter so you can be it gets real hot the closer to Summer you get.
The trail continues climbing and there maybe some foliage growing onto the trail in the Spring. The foliage maybe a launching point for ticks, which have been known to be present on this trail (and the one that got into me [see trip report below] might have come from this trail). Throughout the hike, the canyon is always to your left dropping off steeply sometimes revealing the raging Marble Fork Kaweah River but sometimes hiding itself amongst the foliage. I recalled the river was always within earshot though.
Our early start enabled us to see some rainbows in the mist of this section of the falls. But further progress (to see additional cascades) was not possible given the state of the river (people have died here trying in the past). I'd imagine that would only be possible when the water levels are low in late Summer, but you still have to watch out for slippery granite and marble as well as the possibility of flash floods from mountain thunderstorms. Speaking of marble, you'll definitely come across slabs of the stuff as you get closer to the falls. That's how Marble Falls got its name. [Back to top]  The spillover car park across the Potwisha Campground Mom walking along the canal and river itself Signed turnoff beginning the official trail and climb Mom walking through narrow trail flanked by lots of wildflowers as well as tick-prone foliage Mom continuing the climb as we go higher up the Marble Fork Canyon Looking down at one of the cascades downstream from the main part of Marble Falls Looking down at another section of the cascades downstream from the main drop of Marble Falls Late morning rainbow at the fallsView World of Waterfalls in a larger map TRIP REPORTSFor more information about our experiences with this waterfall, check out the following travel stories.GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCESNEARBY WATERFALLSHave You Been To This Waterfall?
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Great Hike (Marble Falls)
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The trail begins at the Potwisha Campground (see directions below) next to campsite #16. It starts off by following what looks to be a little canal (with some contraptions possibly for small scale hydroelectricity) before veering up the hill and starting to ascend up some switchbacks. 
And as you get to the apex of the elevation gain, you'll start to see where the river drops steeply revealing powerful cascades in the distance. From here, the trail descends and gets closer to the falls, and by the time you get to a part where you can photograph it again, you only get to see a roughly 30-40ft sloping part of it.
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| First, thanks for this cool website its nice to know about hidden gems in our backyard. We went on May 24th, 2008 and had the pleasure of seeing a running stream all the way...[more] |
| We would climb up the falls along the crevice to the left of the falls all the way up then over to the chute to the left of the falls and run down the gravel chute...[more] |
| This hike is AMAZING! I was happy going through this trail with a few friends as it was quite pretty.The road up is a long one and there were...[more] |
| Glad to know there are waterfall lovers like myself. I am enjoying the website. I thought I would post to you a picture of a waterfall in California that is...[more] |
| I was so surprised not to see the Three Sisters Waterfall in Descanso, CA (San Diego County) on your list & then remembered it's a fairly well kept secret...[more] |
| I absolutely loved the scenery of this whole hike and destination. It was very confusing to get there and we had to make a few U-Turns, but it was definitely worth...[more] |
| About a year ago, I was given a newspaper article describing these hidden falls in Orange County. The article itself did not specify the exact location, so I did some hunting online...[more] |
| Here is what I can only assume is called "Emerald Falls" just north of Filmore in Southern California. (In Los Padres National Forest) I think it is hands down...[more] |
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