Bonita Falls

Last updated
Bonita Falls
Bonita Falls (24727147392).jpg
Bonita Falls in 2016
Relief map of California.png
Red pog.svg
Bonita Falls
Location San Bernardino National Forest, San Bernardino County, California, United States
Type Tiered
Total height400 or 495 feet (122 or 151 meters)
Number of drops4
Longest drop195 feet (59 meters)
Average width10 feet (3.0 meters)

Bonita Falls are a set of waterfalls in the San Bernardino National Forest, formed by Bonita Creek, that is said to be 370 [1] or 400 feet (113 or 122 meters) in height, but possibly up to 495 feet high because of two undocumented drops in the canyon above. It is the second tallest in the national forest, being surpassed only by 500-foot (150 m) Big Falls. These two waterfalls are reputably the tallest in southern California.

Contents

Characteristics

Bonita Falls are split into three tiers, and in the canyon above are two more waterfalls. These two waterfalls are a 60-foot (18 m) segmented and a 25-foot (7.6 m) cascade. In the lower canyon, near where the creek meets South Fork Lytle Creek, the upper tier is a 195-foot cascade. Following downstream is a 45-foot (14 m) slide. The final, steepest drop, Lower Bonita Falls, plunges 160 feet (49 m) into the final reach of Bonita Canyon. The total height of the waterfall is 495 feet (151 m) considering the upper two drops, and the total height of the actual waterfall is 400 feet (120 m) not counting the upstream drops. The canyon through which the falls pass has been covered in many parts with graffiti and litter. [2]

Seasonality and access

The falls are usually flowing year-round and the lower falls are reached via a popular, approximately 34 mile (1,200 m) hike (each way). The first 12 mile (800 m) follows the South Fork Lytle Creek wash to a side trail that takes you approximately 14 mile (400 m) to the base of the falls. The trailhead for the falls is an unsigned turnout parking area along Lytle Creek Road, one mile past the Front Country Ranger Station in Lytle Creek. A National Forest Adventure Pass is required to park there and on summer weekends it can fill up early. The Adventure Pass and a map to the falls are available at the ranger station. The upper tier can also be viewed from Bonita Ranch Campground, just past the parking area, but access is on private property.

Sources

  1. "Bonita Falls | World Waterfall Database: World's Tallest Waterfalls". World-waterfalls.com. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  2. "Bonita Falls". World of Waterfalls. Retrieved June 15, 2016.

34°13′49″N117°30′17″W / 34.23028°N 117.50472°W / 34.23028; -117.50472

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multnomah Falls</span> Waterfall in Oregon, U.S.

Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon at 620 ft (189 m) in height. The Multnomah Creek Bridge, built in 1914, crosses below the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barr Creek Falls</span> Waterfall in Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint

Barr Creek Falls, is a waterfall located in the Rogue River Canyon within the Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint in Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The waterfall is located at the south end of Barr Creek as it plunges into the Rogue River over a carved cliff surrounded by walls of petrified volcanic ash as a consequence of the Mount Mazama eruption. The waterfall has also been called Bear Creek Falls. The waterfall gets its name from the creek which was called "Barr" for the presence of a fence that prevented cattle from straying out of the local Red Blanket Ranch and that ran adjacent to the creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeSoto Falls (Georgia)</span> Waterfall in Lumpkin County, Georgia

The DeSoto Falls of Georgia are located in Lumpkin County, Georgia along Frogtown Creek. There are actually three waterfalls on Frogtown Creek, called Upper DeSoto Falls, Middle Desoto Falls and Lower DeSoto Falls. The upper waterfall drops 200 feet (61 m), the middle waterfall drops 67 feet (20 m) and the lower waterfall drops 35 feet (11 m). The overall height of the falls, as measured inclusive of non-vertical falls, cascades and steep stream bed, is 480 feet (150 m). DeSoto Falls are located at an elevation of 3,560-foot (1,090 m) on Rocky Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott's Gulf</span> Canyon in Tennessee

Scott's Gulf is a canyon situated along the Caney Fork River in White County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The canyon stretches for approximately 18 miles (29 km) as the Caney Fork drops from the top of the Cumberland Plateau down to the eastern Highland Rim. This remote section of the river is home to a wilderness area consisting of a largely undisturbed deciduous forest, numerous waterfalls, caves and other geological formations, and Class IV and Class V whitewater rapids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mill Creek Falls</span> Waterfall in Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint

Mill Creek Falls, is a waterfall located in the Rogue River Canyon within the Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint in Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The waterfall is located at the south end of Mill Creek as it plunges into the Rogue River over a carved cliff surrounded by walls of petrified volcanic ash consequence of Mount Mazama eruption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tip Toe Falls</span> Waterfall in California, United States

Tip Toe Falls, is a 6-foot (1.8 m) tall waterfall on Fall Creek in the Portola Redwoods State Park, California. There is also an 8-foot (2.4 m) upper falls, a few hundred feet upstream, which is much lesser known.

Foss River Falls is a 650-foot (200 m) drop on the West Fork Foss River in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, King County, Washington. Its sources are at Delta Lake, and the 70-foot (21 m)-wide drop flows year-round. The waterfall is split into two parts. Each part is split into several tiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Shuksan Waterfalls</span> Waterfall in Washington, United States

There are four prominent waterfalls in the basin of a short tributary of Sulphide Creek, on the southeast flank of 9,127-foot (2,781m) Mount Shuksan in North Cascades National Park, Washington. Seahpo Peak Falls and Cloudcap Falls, the taller two of the three, are located on separate streams that converge and plunge over Rockflow Canyon Falls. The unnamed outlet stream from these waterfalls flows into Sulphide Creek, which flows into the Baker River. Another waterfall is Jagged Ridge Falls, on a tributary of the unnamed stream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twister Falls</span> Waterfall in Hood River County, Oregon

Twister Falls is a prominent waterfall that is formed as Eagle Creek cascades 140 feet (43 m) into a narrow canyon and forms two streams that appear to "twist" around each other, hence the name "twister". The falls begin with a small sliding cascade that drops 5 feet (1.5 m) over a rocky slope into a pool, followed by some rapids. The next tier is the twisting tier, which plunges 50 feet (15 m). Before this point, a small portion of the stream splits off and makes a sheer plunge of approximately equal height down the canyon. Then, the waters combine and form a final drop of 80 feet (24 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagle Creek waterfalls</span>

Eagle Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River in Multnomah and Hood River counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It cuts through a narrow canyon in its 3,200 feet (980 m) descent to the Columbia River Gorge and is known for its concentration of 13 waterfalls in about 5 miles (8.0 km) distance. Eight major falls are on Eagle Creek and the East Fork Eagle Creek itself, while five are on its tributaries.

There are multiple waterfalls in the basin of the North Fork Cascade River, a river in the North Cascades of Washington that drains to the Cascade River. Many of these are taller than the more famous waterfalls in North America, but do not receive much attention due to their remoteness.

The valley of the West Fork Foss River contains a fair amount of waterfalls. The river heads in a series of large lakes: Big Heart Lake, Angeline Lake, and Otter Lake- which form spectacular waterfalls as they plunge down to Delta Lake. On the valley walls downstream of Delta Lake, are found even more waterfalls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Creek Falls</span> Waterfall in Lane County, Oregon

Salt Creek Falls is a cascade and plunge waterfall on Salt Creek, a tributary of the Middle Fork Willamette River, that plunges into a gaping canyon in the Willamette National Forest near Willamette Pass in Lane County, Oregon. The waterfall is notable for its main drop of 286 feet (87 m), ranking third highest among plunge waterfalls in Oregon, after Multnomah Falls and Watson Falls.) The pool at the bottom of Salt Creek Falls waterfall is 66 feet (20 m) deep.

Sulphide Creek is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) glacial tributary of the Baker River in Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington, draining a steep and narrow canyon on the southeast flank of Mount Shuksan, inside North Cascades National Park. Although called a creek, it is river-like due to its high volume. The creek is fed by the "massive" Sulphide and Crystal glaciers above Sulphide Lake and it runs east collecting several small tributaries before flowing into the Baker River at elevation 869 feet (265 m). There are several very tall waterfalls occurring on the creek and its tributaries, the largest of which is Sulphide Creek Falls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McWay Creek</span> River in California, United States

McWay Creek is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) coastal stream in Monterey County in the U.S. state of California. It flows steeply west and south from McWay Canyon, high in California's Central Coast Range, and spills into the Pacific Ocean at Waterfall Cove after flowing over scenic McWay Falls. Most of the creek and its watershed are contained within Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, 12 miles (19 km) south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The creek is named after Christopher McWay from New York, a pioneer who homesteaded the property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coquille River Falls</span> Waterfall in Oregon, United States

Coquiller River Falls, is a two-tier waterfall located in the far north tip of the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest, just east of Port Orford, on the Oregon Coast in Coos County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It totals 115 feet fall in two drops: the upper falls is 50 feet high and the lower tier, the tallest drop, is 65 feet. There are approximately 180 feet from the upper tier to the bottom drop of the waterfall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Falls</span> Waterfall in Silver Falls State Park

North Falls is a waterfall located in the Silver Falls State Park at the east end of the city of Salem, in Marion County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in a privileged area on the west foothills where Mount Hood National Forest meets with the Middle Santiam Wilderness. Several prominent waterfalls are located in the Park along Trail of Ten Falls: South Falls, Drake Falls, Lower South Falls, and Winter Falls—among others.