Salt Creek Falls is a 4.8 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Three Rivers, California that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options.
Head to the end of Skyline Road in Three Rivers to the BLM land. This area is used by many mountain bikers, hikers, mountain runners, and just people out having fun and getting together. The area is heavily used, especially on the weekends, and you will see other people. The trail starts at the BLM gates and you follow the trail up the mountain. The trail will connect with the Craig Ranch Road, and that is what most people follow going to the falls. You can see many mountain bike trails entering and leaving the road. Feel free to follow any of these trails, but understand they will be more strenuous than the road. Craig Ranch is a nearby horse ranch and you might see horses anywhere along the hill sides. The road has a steady incline and you will get a workout. When you get to the falls, there is a picnic table you can have a snack on if it is empty. There are two falls in the same area, and both enter into salt creek. The first one you came upon may have no water going over the rocks. The second falls, a third mile further up the road, is a tad larger. When you are on the trails, you will cross creeks a number of times using bridges constructed by the BLM people. Be careful as they can be slippery if they are damp. There are some great views along this trail and a wonderful place to spend some outdoor time.
February 21, 2021Beautiful trail, it loops around but it is a long hike. Dog & kid friendly my 9 & 8 year olds where able to do it. Along the trail plenty of people with their dogs, & bikers. Lots to see trails no marked kinda have to take a guess and go. Short cuts through out the trails instead of going all around that lead to the main trail. A ranch along the trail with free range Horses.
February 20, 2021Nice area with A LOT of different trail spurs. The waterfall barely has any water flowing right now but it looks like it will be dramatic and spectacular when the snow melts. The trail to the falls is uphill all the way and it’s a nice workout. Lots of mountain bikes and dogs here but there are enough trails for everyone so we never felt crowded. There is very little room at the trailhead parking lot so either get there early or be prepared to park on narrow road as off to the side as possible. The nicest part of our hike was having a mare and her foal follow us for a bit.
February 17, 2021Great hike! So much to see and explore off the trail a little. Everyone was super friendly. Easy to moderate for sure! Not really a waterfall but the running creek is just as beautiful!
February 15, 2021February 13, 2021beautiful
February 10, 2021Very nice hike and trail. Family friendly and I like that you can choose different trails if you want to intensify your hike. Got to see some horses up close and they were friendly. Think they are used to seeing people. Went on a weekday and not to crowed but parking lot is small so try to get there early. Overall the views are amazing and so peaceful
February 5, 2021February 4, 2021Very nice hike. Beautiful views. I went midweek, so it was very quiet and peaceful. I only saw a handful of people in the 3 hours I was out there. Probably wouldn’t want to go on a hot day. Parts of it are a little steep. There’s lots of little offshoots on the trail, so you can make it as long or as short as you want. Easy trail head access, but there’s not a ton of parking. Maybe room for 10 cars so I recommend getting there early especially if it’s a weekend.
January 30, 2021January 25, 2021January 25, 2021hard but worth it. the horses are beautiful and sweet, I had a pregnant mare come right up to me so I could pet her!
January 19, 2021Fun hike. Will be back to make it to the falls when there is more water.
January 19, 2021Great hike! kid friendly! I have done this one a lot and still enjoy it.
January 13, 2021Nice views and lots of horses roaming the area.
January 10, 2021January 8, 2021It was so quiet & peaceful. The trails were well paved & the other hikers/bikers were very friendly. Definitely recommend going in the morning! :)
December 29, 2020Nice hike for two adults and four kids. The youngest kid is 6 and made it through our whole hike. We hiked .25-.5 mile short of the whole trail. Following the road is easier but longer and not as fun during December. We enjoyed the actual trail. Parking was easy we arrived around 8:30am at the gate and only four cars where there before us. Kids enjoyed seeing the horses along the actual trail (not the road way). Overall great workout, all uphill on the way there, and downhill on the way back. Plan to be back in spring when we don’t want to make the drive up to the high elevation hikes and the fall is rushing.
December 25, 2020November 30, 2020Beautiful lots of nature but be ready for bikers and walking on a dirt road
November 24, 2020The green grass is just beginning to grow under the dry dead grass. The horses were very brave, walked right up to our group as If expecting a snack, one even followed us a bit. Creek is dry but views are wonderful!
November 12, 2020As expected the falls were dry as a bone but it was a nice walk. I’ll be back in the spring for the show.
May 8, 2020Beautiful trail and tons of wildlife to check out. The trail on the way back had one very overgrown section where it was hard to find the way but other than that a nice hike. Bring lots of water as there is not a lot of shaded areas.
March 29, 2020Enjoyed the trail yesterday. Trails were in good shape and the flowers were in bloom everywhere. not a lot of water coming over the falls yet, but we will try back in a month or two. worth the trip with our family.
March 28, 2020Closed due to Covid-19 concerns. Not recommended anyways. No toilets so feces are all over the trails. Unleashed dogs, rattlesnakes, ticks, and poison oak make for a pretty dangerous place to hike.
March 18, 20203/18/2020 - beautiful wildflowers & plenty of off trail exploring. Waterfall is in the distance & on the loop. Main trail is a little boring once it widens up but easy to cut through on the way down & save a lot of time. Mostly pretty leisure, a few steep spots.
March 18, 2020Beautiful hike. Dog friendly.
February 20, 2020*** Beware of rattlesnakes! *** Strenuous, no shade, and if you go off of the road you're very likely to get ticks and/or poison oak. Lots of horse and dog feces. There isn't even any water flowing down the falls. Kaweah Lake is much better, and SAFER!
January 14, 2020This trail offers something for everyone. Some moderate hikes and many flat places. Lovely views of mountains; wild turkeys and other birds were the only wildlife seen.
September 18, 2019Nice hike. Not much to see but the surroundings are beautiful. The waterfall was dry but the rock formation behind it was great. Saw some horses, deers, and squirrels. Be careful of snakes!
September 9, 2019Great time we saw so many wild horses just roaming around. They approached us and let us pet them. I loved it
