Along the way, you can purchase an Adventure Pass at the Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center. All parked vehicles are supposed to display this pass, and from what we could tell, this was the most obvious place to purchase it (we didn't see a place to purchase one near the Rose Valley Campground).

After around 15 miles, you turn right at the signpost for the Rose Valley Campground and Piedras Blancas. Then continue along this road for the next three miles towards a 4-way stop sign intersection. If you miss this intersection and see the Rose Valley Gun Club, then you went too far. Turning right at the 4-way intersection, you drive a little less than a mile further into the Rose Valley Campground area where there's day-use parking at Campsite 3 and the trail begins besides Campsite 4.

En route to the campsite area, you may be able to spot the Upper Falls if you're timing's right. You can also catch glimpses of the Upper Falls from the trailhead as well as along the trail. The hike to the base of the falls is a pretty easy 0.4 miles each way with a stream crossing that may require a little boulder hopping if the flow is good. As you get closer to the falls, you might notice a pair of smaller waterfalls or cascades making some noise before you're at the base of the main 50ft or 60ft falls. Once there, its pretty mossy nature becomes apparent, but you'll no longer be able to see the Upper Falls from here.