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Salmon Creek Falls is another one of those must-see waterfalls when we're out and about touring the Big Sur Coast.
Not only is this falls gushing with reliable flow, but it's over 100ft in height, and it has a memorable shape in that its main plunge consists of a pair of waterfalls that join together as they drop. Moreover, this is one of those free roadside waterfalls that either compel you to pull over and get a closer look (if you're headed south on Hwy 1) or compel you to pull over just to satisfy your curiosity as to why so many vehicles are parked here (if you're headed north on Hwy 1).
Julie and I swear that this waterfall has been increasing in popularity over the years because we could still remember when we're one of the only ones at the falls. But on our latest visit, it was crowded here with some people chilling out at the top of the falls, plenty of others rock scrambling to get that photo op in front of the falls, and the pullouts were completely full of cars.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that our latest visit was in late afternoon when the afternoon sun casted favorable backlighting on the falls. However, in the morning (when we had visited the falls in each of our previous visits), it may be quieter but you could be looking directly against the sun (very bad for photos). Consider it one of those tradeoffs where it's especially hard to get that perfect picture postcard moment without the crowds and with good lighting.
Another consequence of the increasing popularity of the falls is that we did notice some juvenile tree graffiti near the falls (something we didn't notice before; though they're mostly of the tree carving vandalism variety).
I don't know if it's legal to camp here, but the first two times we've scrambled to the waterfall (in separate years), we've seen people pitch tents and camp here. So you might find yourself tip-toeing (as we had to) past these folks as you get closer to the falls in the morning.
Directions: To get to Salmon Creek Falls, look for a big hairpin turn just going over the bridge above Salmon Creek with a fair-sized car park on the north side of the bridge about 6 miles north of Ragged Point and 19 miles south of Limekiln State Park. You can leave the car here and walk along a primitive trail on the south side of the bridge to get closer to Salmon Creek and its waterfall (roughly 5 to 10 minutes of walking and scrambling to get a view of the falls from the creek), but be wary of the poison oak flanking the trail as they're everywhere!
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