Sisquoc Falls
Sisquoc Falls is a waterfall in California, at a modelled elevation of 1,023 m. Big Pine Mountain stands 2,077 m to the southeast, 5.4 miles off. The nearest named place is Sisquoc Condor Sanctuary, a nature reserve 0.1 miles away. 57 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
Sisquoc Falls is a large plunge type waterfall located in the San Rafael Mountains of Santa Barbara County, California, about 65 miles (105 km) east of Santa Maria. It is located in the backcountry of the San Rafael Wilderness on Falls Canyon Creek, a tributary of the Sisquoc River. One of the tallest waterfalls in Southern California, the falls stand at least 250 feet (76 m) high, dropping off the edge of a semi-circular natural amphitheatre into a long and deep pool. Many smaller cascades occur both above and below the main drop. Fed by a fairly large and high elevation watershed, the falls flow strongly between December and April but diminish to a trickle by late summer. The falls are extremely difficult to access, requiring a 20-mile (32 km) one way hike from the closest road. In addition, the waterfall itself sits in the Sisquoc Condor Sanctuary, which is off limits to the public, so it can only be legally viewed from a distance.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q24191697, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
Named places within 25 miles
- Lower Sand Spring: 2.9 mi
- Pepper Spring: 3.0 mi
- Demijohn Spring: 3.4 mi
- Logan Spring: 3.8 mi
- Juan Spring: 4.1 mi
- Richardson Community Park: 14.2 mi
- Paradise Park: 14.6 mi
- Lake Cachuma Recreation Area: 15.7 mi
- Lake Cachuma Recreation Area: 16.3 mi
- Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park: 16.9 mi
- Samon Peak: 4.9 mi
- San Rafael Mountain: 5.2 mi
- Big Pine Mountain: 5.4 mi
- Santa Cruz Peak: 6.9 mi
- McKinley Mountain: 7.1 mi
- St Francis: 18.2 mi
- Hip Hop: 21.4 mi
- Stretching Fox: 21.4 mi
- Boys Night Out: 21.4 mi
- Beacon Of Hope: 21.7 mi
- Markowitz Memorial: 18.3 mi
- root cellar: 18.8 mi
- possible root cellar location: 18.9 mi
- The Pauper's Cemetery: 20.1 mi
- Hot Springs Hotel: 20.1 mi
- Mission Dam: 19.7 mi
- Canyon: 19.7 mi
- Sycamore Grove: 19.7 mi
- Fallen Forest: 19.8 mi
- Desert: 19.8 mi
- Adams Center for the Visual Arts: 20.7 mi
- Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art: 20.7 mi
- Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: 20.9 mi
- Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum.: 21.8 mi
- Ranchyard and History Education Center: 21.8 mi
- More Mesa Beach: 22.8 mi
- More Mesa Nude Beach: 22.8 mi
- More Mesa Beach: 22.8 mi
- More Mesa Beach: 22.8 mi
- East Beach: 22.9 mi
- Lower Oso Picnic Site: 13.8 mi
- First Crossing Picnic Site: 13.9 mi
- Red Rock Picnic Site: 14.1 mi
- Falls Picnic Site: 14.1 mi
- Pino Alto: 14.2 mi
- Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens: 19.9 mi
- Formal Gardens: 20.7 mi
- Mission Rose Garden: 21.2 mi
- Lotusland: 21.2 mi
- Sexton Grove: 21.8 mi
- Sisquoc Condor Sanctuary: 0.1 mi
- San Marcos Foothills Preserve: 19.7 mi
- Modoc Preserve: 21.2 mi
- Casa Dorinda Oak Woodland: 22.4 mi
- Goleta Slough Ecological Reserve: 23.1 mi
- Fire Crags: 17.6 mi
- Barger Bluff: 17.7 mi
- Lizards Mouth: 18.4 mi
- Whiterock Bluff: 19.0 mi
- San Ysidro Rock: 20.9 mi
- Wellhouse Falls: 15.2 mi
- Seven Falls: 18.6 mi
- Tangerine Falls: 19.3 mi
- Hot Springs Falls: 20.4 mi
- San Roque Arch: 18.2 mi
- Elusive Arch: 19.1 mi
- Little Caliente Spring: 15.4 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Sisquoc Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Pine Mountain | SE 126° | 2,077 m | 5.4 mi |
| Madulce Peak | ESE 114° | 1,993 m | 8.7 mi |
| San Rafael Mountain | WSW 245° | 1,973 m | 5.2 mi |
| McKinley Mountain | WSW 247° | 1,887 m | 7.1 mi |
| Samon Peak | E 97° | 1,840 m | 4.9 mi |
| Monte Arido | SE 133° | 1,831 m | 20.6 mi |
| Cuyama Peak | E 87° | 1,787 m | 14.5 mi |
| Peak Mountain | NNW 327° | 1,773 m | 13.1 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:03 | 18:38 | 19:11 |
| June solstice | 05:47 | 19:39 | 20:16 |
| September equinox | 06:48 | 18:24 | 18:57 |
| December solstice | 07:03 | 16:14 | 16:52 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Nov.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 47 | 48 | 51 | 55 | 62 | 70 | 76 | 75 | 70 | 61 | 52 | 46 |
| Precip in | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.1 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — NEW Cuyama Fire STN, 14 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/2158247243
Day trips start here
- Cachuma Lake Recreation Area · 17 mi
- Goleta · 21 mi
- Montecito · 22 mi
- Santa Barbara · 22 mi
- Santa Barbara County · 22 mi
- Santa Ynez · 22 mi
Take the scenic way to Sisquoc Falls.
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