Peppermint Creek Falls is a pretty 150ft waterfall tumbling over a rounded granite surface with views towards the Dome Land Wilderness near the Needles.

South Creek Falls is an attractive and easy-to-visit 120ft roadside waterfall on Road 99 a short distance west of the bridge over the famed Kern River.

Middle Fork Tule River Falls is a 50ft waterfall that we noticed while driving the twisty Western Divide Road between Springville and Ponderosa.

This itinerary was the first time that Julie and I visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks together. We also happened to have timed our visit for the opening of the road to the Cedar Grove section of Kings Canyon…

Grizzly Falls is a roadside waterfall dropping 75ft into a picnic area right by Kings Canyon National Park’s Cedar Grove. It’s misty in Spring, but calms down in Summer.

Roaring River Falls is a 15ft waterfall where we found less is more. It’s a misty mess in the Spring, but in Summer, it spills into an emerald-colored pool.

The Kings Canyon Highway (Hwy 180) between Grant Grove and Cedar Grove passes through some rugged canyon scenery carved out mostly by the Kings River. There are waterfalls…

Tokopah Falls on the Marble Fork Kaweah River featured a reportedly 1200ft total drop at the head of Tokopah Valley accessed with a 3.4-mile hike round-trip

Soldier Creek Falls (also called Lewis Falls) is a 40-50ft secluded and obscure waterfall accessed by a relatively short hike and scramble in Azusa Canyon.

Eaton Canyon Falls is a rare year-round waterfall dropping some 30ft with a rock wedged right at its brink. It’s also very easy to visit with ample parking.

Sycamore Canyon Falls is a seasonal 50-75ft waterfall tumbling in Big Sycamore Canyon within Point Mugu State Park (part of the Santa Monica Mountains).

Solstice Canyon Falls (also called Roberts Ranch Falls) is a tiny 30ft waterfall in the coastal Santa Monica Mountains and is one of the easiest to visit.

In this itinerary, Julie and I took advantage of the Labor Day Weekend so neither of us needed to take a day off. This trip targeted a visit to the Eastern Sierras while basing ourselves out of the Mammoth Lakes area…

Horsetail Falls on the McGee Creek Trail in Inyo County might resemble a horse’s tail in high flow. It sits beneath Red and White Mountain near Mammoth Lakes.

Twin Falls is a reportedly 250ft waterfall draining Lake Mamie as it tumbles into the Twin Lakes near Mammoth Lakes (a resort area better known for skiing).

Rainbow Falls is one of our favorite California waterfalls outside Yosemite featuring a 101ft year-round drop on the San Joaquin River near Mammoth Lakes.

Lower Falls of the San Joaquin River is the overlooked 30ft neighbor to Rainbow Falls. Most visitors don’t bother with this falls, but that’s the main appeal.

Minaret Falls is a 150ft spreading cascade (some say 300ft) just outside the boundaries of the Devils Postpile National Monument accessed by a 3-mile hike.

Monrovia Canyon Falls is a pleasant two-drop 30ft year-round waterfall in the foothills of Monrovia accessed by a family-friendly 1.5-mile round-trip hike.

This was a week-and-a-half of touring what I called the Grand Circle. This circle consisted of the natural attractions that covered Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, especially the National Parks since there were so many of them in this vast expanse of the desert southwest…