Winter showers bring full creeks and green hillsides, making this the perfect season to strap on your hiking boots and visit Bay Area waterfalls at their most spectacular.
Sunol Regional Wilderness, south of Pleasanton, is home to Little Yosemite, a popular destination this time of year. A recent Saturday saw visitors of all ages scrambling over rocks, peering into pools, and craning to snap the best photo. A short 1.25-mile walk along a wide, dirt trail, these falls are easily accessible. (Dogs are welcome in this park and are allowed off-leash as long as they are under voice command.) We tacked on a 4-mile loop that led us beside a babbling brook, through oak groves and pasture, to the ridge where we stopped for lunch and enjoyed our hard-earned view.
Take advantage of the wet weather and get acquainted with one of the many local waterfalls while the Bay Area is at its most lush. Here are a few more waterfalls to choose from:
- Donner Falls, Contra Costa County
- Alamere Falls, Marin County
- Carson Falls, Marin County
- Cascade Falls, Marin County
- Black Rock Falls, Santa Clara County
- Castle Rock Falls, Santa Cruz County