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Destinations of Waterfalls ≫ North America Waterfalls ≫ USA Waterfalls and How To Visit Them ≫ California Waterfalls and How To Visit Them

California Central Coast and Bay Area Waterfalls (and How To Visit Them)

California Central Coastal and Bay Area Waterfalls

Bay Area and Central Coast Waterfalls
Bay Area and Central Coast Waterfalls
California Central Coast and Bay Area Waterfalls Map
Click for the interactive map

The Coastal California Waterfalls page is devoted to the waterfalls of California’s Central Coast, especially around Big Sur and the Bay Area. Even though some might argue that this area really should be considered Northern California, for the purposes of this page, we only focus on the Nature surrounding the urban sprawl of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.

That’s because just about all of the waterfall trails or waterfall hikes that we feature on this page could reasonably be done in a day from the Bay Area. So this includes the Point Reyes National Seashore to the north, the Big Basin Redwoods State Park to the south, and the Mt Tamalpais Watershed among others.

However, even further to the south, this page also covers the namesake California Central Coast dominated by Big Sur (i.e. the most dramatic place to see where the ocean meets the sky), which in our mind stretched from Monterey to San Simeon. We also include on this page (in the furthest extreme of the south of this Central Coast region) the wilderness areas to the east of San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande.

With all that said, we recognize that our humble sampling of the waterfalls in this part of the state leave us wanting more. So while we continue to look for opportunities to add to this collection, have a look at what we have accomplished so far by checking out the tables and links below.

Top 10 Lists that feature Coastal California Waterfalls

Top 10 Best Waterfalls in California & How To Visit Them

Most Recent Waterfall Write-ups

Buck Gulch Falls (Fairway Falls)

Novato / Ignacio Valley Preserve, California, USA
Rating: 1

Ken Harth Waterfall

Novato / Indian Valley Preserve, California, USA
Rating: 0.5

Pacheco Creek Falls

Novato / Pacheco Valle Preserve, California, USA
Rating: 0.5

Garland Ranch Falls

Carmel / Garland Ranch Regional Park, California, USA
Rating: 0.5

Andrew Molera Falls

Andrew Molera State Park, California, USA
Rating: 1

Phillips Gulch Falls

Salt Point State Park / Sea Ranch / Jenner, California, USA
Rating: 2

Bear Gulch Cave Falls and Condor Gulch Falls

Pinnacles National Park / Paicines, California, USA
Rating: 1

Bear Gulch Falls

Pinnacles National Park / Paicines, California, USA
Rating: 0.5

Pomponio Falls

La Honda / Memorial County Park, California, USA
Rating: 1

Sempervirens Falls

Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California, USA
Rating: 1

Brooks Falls

Pacifica / San Pedro Valley County Park, California, USA
Rating: 1

Stairstep Falls

Olema / Fairfax / Samuel P. Taylor State Park, California, USA
Rating: 1

Black Swift Falls (“Ragged Point Waterfall”)

Ragged Point / San Simeon, California, USA
Rating: 0.5

Dawn Falls

Baltimore Canyon Open Space Preserve / Larkspur, California, USA
Rating: 1

Sonoma Creek Falls

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park / Kenwood / Santa Rosa, California, USA
Rating: 1

Uvas Canyon Waterfalls (Granuja Falls, Black Rock Falls, Upper Falls, Basin Falls, Little Falls, and Lower Falls)

Uvas Canyon County Park / Morgan Hill, California, USA
Rating: 1.5

Triple Falls

Uvas Canyon County Park / Morgan Hill, California, USA
Rating: 1

Castle Rock Falls

Los Gatos / San Jose / Castle Rock State Park, California, USA
Rating: 1

Berry Creek Falls

Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California, USA
Rating: 3

Silver Falls, The Cascades, and Golden Falls

Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California, USA
Rating: 3

Cataract Falls

Mt Tamalpais, California, USA
Rating: 2

Carson Falls

Mt Tamalpais, California, USA
Rating: 2

Cascade Falls

Mt Tamalpais / Fairfax, California, USA
Rating: 1

Little Falls

Santa Lucia Wilderness / Arroyo Grande, California, USA
Rating: 2

“Castro Canyon Waterfall”

Big Sur, California, USA
Rating: 1

Alamere Falls

Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA
Rating: 4

Limekiln Falls

Limekiln State Park / Big Sur, California, USA
Rating: 2.5

Canyon Falls

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park / Big Sur, California, USA
Rating: 1.5

McWay Falls

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park / Big Sur, California, USA
Rating: 4

Salmon Creek Falls

Big Sur / Los Padres National Forest / Gorda, California, USA
Rating: 2.5

Pfeiffer Falls

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, California, USA
Rating: 2



Most Recent User-submitted Waterfalls from this Region

Alamere 2017

Climbing Down Around Lime Kiln Falls

Anchor Bay Water Fall

Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP

Big Sur Visit Last Summer


Have you been to a waterfall in this region? Submit a write-up/review and share


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© 2006-2023 World Of Waterfalls,
All Rights Reserved
The content on this website may not be copied or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission.
HOME ♦ PRIVACY POLICY ♦ TERMS

Powered by Kinsta

Affiliate Disclosure: We receive compensation from companies whose products or services are used, referenced, or reviewed regardless of whether we endorse or criticize them.  We are independently owned so content written by us merely reflect our own opinions. more