Los Padres National Forest · California

Big Falls

3.5 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 14E02 · trail class 2 · typical grade 10-12% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Trailhead Big Falls Trailhead Drive there

Big Falls Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Big Falls Trail takes you into one of San Luis Obispo's most striking natural areas. Two dramatic waterfall settings are hidden within this amazing wooded canyon.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

All 343 trails in Los Padres National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.