Peppermint Creek Falls

Sequoia National Forest / The Needles, California, USA

About Peppermint Creek Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

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

Since getting to the falls involves driving the Lloyds Meadow Road (see directions below), you’ll get to glimpse the Needles.

Peppermint_Creek_Falls_008_05292005 - Direct look at Peppermint Creek Falls
Direct look at Peppermint Creek Falls

The Needles was an unusual giant rock formation that is also known as a difficult rock climbing route.

Experiencing Peppermint Creek Falls

Getting a good view of the falls required a rather steep scramble towards the base of the falls.

Even though the scramble was only 1/4-mile (each way), we definitely had to take our time.

That was because the terrain was both slick (from the loose pebbles) and the incline was severe enough that going down was a little scary.

Peppermint_Creek_Falls_003_05292005 - Angled view of Peppermint Creek Falls during the steep descent
Angled view of Peppermint Creek Falls during the steep descent

In fact, going up back up required the use of our hands in some spots, which gives you an idea of the steepness of this scramble.

While we were busy concentrating on not taking a nasty fall during the descent, we did manage to notice some satisfying profile views of the rounded granite surface and the waterfall that tumbled over it.

Then, once we made it to the bottom, we got nice direct views as Peppermint Creek tumbled in multiple tiers while twisting towards the left.

The first time Julie and I were here (back in 2002), there weren’t a whole lot of people.

Peppermint_Creek_Falls_025_05292005 - Looking over the brink of Peppermint Creek Falls towards the Dome Land Wilderness
Looking over the brink of Peppermint Creek Falls towards the Dome Land Wilderness

We only saw a handful of people above the falls at the Lower Peppermint Campground and even fewer people who managed to do the scramble to get to the base.

On a later visit here with the parents in May 2005, there were lots more people crowding the Lower Peppermint Campground (maybe because it was Memorial Day weekend) as well as chilling out at the very top of the falls.

Nevertheless, we were still one of the few who made it down to the bottom of the falls on that day, and thus it remained nice and peaceful down there!

Authorities

Peppermint Creek Falls is in the Sequoia National Forest near Porterville in Tulare County, California. It is administered by the USDA Forest Service. For information or inquiries about this area as well as current conditions, visit the Sequoia National Forest website or Facebook page.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: sequoia national forest, peppermint, needles, tulare, sierra, springville, california, waterfall, kern, dome, johnsondale, ponderosa, kernville, porterville, camp nelson



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This Place is HEAVEN!! (Peppermint Creek Falls) November 28, 2012 1:09 pm by Don Laviolette - Back in 1989 my best friend Glenn Premore who God rest his soul passed away in 1994 showed me and our friends of this wonderful place. Since then I have been coming up every year since then and brought new friends and my two dogs Rebel and Boomer for many years until this past year… ...Read More

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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.