Codfish Falls Trail

This trail is best for cooler weather or early mornings. We went at 8:30am in August and it was HOT. The first half (approx.) of the trail is in full sun, the second half is under the trees and shaded but there were some gnat-like bugs in the shaded areas. The falls are small at that time but still there. There is a $10 parking fee at the trailhead and parking is limited. Mostly trucks on the road, saw one car. Road is smooth dirt at the beginning but some rough potholes/ditches towards the bottom. The trail follows along the river so swimming is available also. Signs showed dogs on-leash. Overall we enjoyed the hike and would do it again, but after the rains.

Hike itself and area is beautiful, the effort to get there though was absolutely terrifying. I have a honda and did not read the fine print about unmaintained dirt road- it is seriously filled with potholes and it felt like I was going to slide off the road at multiple points. Would not recommend if you don't have an SUV or truck. Past that this is a pretty eery feeling hike.

Super remote trail, gravel road access and very hard to with a car. The trail it's self was beautiful but getting there was semi hard and that's the only downside.

7/15/17: Ponderosa Rd is currently closed on the Foresthill side but you can reach the bridge and trailhead from the Weimar side. Recommend using a high clearance vehicle to make it down to the bridge and trailhead on the rough dirt/gravel road. Beautiful this year after all the winter storms. Fairly easy hike but it is hot this time of year.

7/8/17: Road to get down to trail-head is currently closed due to erosion. We drove out to discover the closure and had to come up with a backup plan. I've heard it's a fun hike so looking forward to revising my review once the road is opened again!

This was my first hike after moving to the area a couple days ago and it was a perfect first hike. You do have to drive down an un-maintained road for a couple miles but it is totally worth it. The first part of the trail is along the American River and then when the trail steers away from it, you get to the falls and they are beautiful! We were the only ones on the trail and we sat down on the rocks by the fall and enjoyed the water. Most of the trail is pretty shaded which was nice. Overall- I really enjoyed this way trail!

Hiked 5/27/2017: This hike was okay. The 2 mile drive down was a complete nightmare in our Corolla, took about 30 minutes. That alone would make me rethink going. We went Memorial Day weekend and there was no parking; we got "lucky" and parked sideways. $10 fee. Beware: they do give parking tickets if you're in a no parking zone. Hike itself was short for the amount of effort to get there, but it's nice hiking along the river and going to the waterfall at the end.

Beautiful hike with river, falls & wildflowers. The 2 mile dirt road in is pretty rough. $10 to park. Not a lot of parking if it's busy.

Great hike. It's narrow, so weekends are not ideal, but doable. The road to get there is complete crap. Beware. And!!... They just put signage up to limit parking. The only place to park is the side of the road and, on weekends, the line of cars can get long enough to block part of the road. The ranger told me today that he is going to start ticketing people. A lot of people. I said, even after driving that crappy road to get here, if there is no parking up to the sign, we have to leave? Yep. All that said, I'd be sad if I never found this trail. Beautiful. My son and dog love it, too.

Would've been a 5 but our 3 mile hike turned into 9. Ponderosa Rd. is closed about 3 miles from the trailhead due to rain damage. Would recommend entering from the other side. Still a beautiful hike.

Hiked 4/10/17: We came in on the Weimar side and the rocky dirt road to the trailhead is best accessed with a truck or all wheel drive vehicle. The trail was really nice and mostly narrow along the river. You do go into a well shaded area to get to the falls and the trails ends at them...and they are stunning! My friend made her way to the top of the falls, but we didn't want to attempt rock climbing...lol! There are portable restrooms at the trailhead, which are helpful. It was a short hike, but perfect for after work during the week when time is limited.

Not for the faint of heart driving on the dirt road down, nor is it for ANY car without terrific tires/good treads. Really best with a SUV with some clearance. I could see tires getting popped very easily and it is often narrow and steep. Not prime for tire-changing. The washout was bad enough that we had to walk the last part of road. A rad adventure if you aren’t worried about a shard of rock puncturing a tire!
This hike is amazing right now. (Early April) Another couple weeks and the creeks all dry up and the flowers and grass will be gone. There are a couple side trails down to the river, and in summer I bet it will be much nicer to get some river time in. Right now it is too high and dangerous. If you are going to bring dogs (it is posted NO DOGS ) at least keep them on a leash. It isn't pleasant walking some stretches of VERY narrow path with a drop off on one side and steep cliff on the other, often wet or with the path eroding and slippery, and having unleashed dogs running the trail around you. They don’t heed right-of-way and blow right past people. NOT SAFE! Be respectful. Young kids hike this trail as well as older people who just aren’t that sure footed and it is inconsiderate and selfish...on ANY trail. As an extremely fit hiker it is still very scary at times to have dogs, big and little, push past you or get caught underfoot.

I don’t often repeat trails, but I will bring my Dad out on this one before the flowers and creeks are gone. 3 stars for the amount of people, the dirt road down that keeps you praying you won't pop your tires on rocks, and the amount of unleashed dogs on a NO DOGS trail.

To start with Ponderosa Way is closed if coming from Forest Hill. You will have to have to head up to W. Paoli Dr. And come down Ponderosa Way that direction. Dirt road is in rough shape and little cars will only be able to get so close, is what it is and all part of the adventure. Anyways this was my second time up here, last time was in the summer about 4 yrs ago. Going this time year was so worth it. The rive looked amazing and was flowing quickly, wild flowers were blooming bringing tons of butterflies & the falls were magnificent. So much water flowing down made the whole trip worth while. Do not wait too long to get out here or the Falls will not be so spectacular. Also, it is rated moderate, in my opinion, it was easy, my 7&5 year old kids did the whole thing with small packs. No sweat!!