The Ups and Downs of Falls : Abundant Rain Makes Rose Valley Spectacular, Big Zuma Disastrous

One of the many reasons to celebrate the recent heavy rainfall is the rebirth of the area’s numerous mountain waterfalls, which had been humbled over the past several months, reduced to a few drips and a trickle.

Surging with winter rain and early snow melt, waterfalls are an inspiring sight right now. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to get a close look. Most falls are hidden in the interior of the area’s national forests and state parks. And because of flooding, many trails have been washed out or tangled with debris, especially along stream beds downstream from a waterfall.

Don’t make the mistake that a hiker made recently. The hiker, who wishes to remain anonymous to maintain his outdoorsman reputation, got lost in the vicinity of Big Zuma Waterfall because the trail had been obliterated, then he had to hack his way through thick chaparral before finding a fire road. His final indignity: Two days later, he began to itch--poison oak was ravaging his body.

While the anonymous hiker gives thumbs down to Big Zuma Waterfall, Jeff Jones of Studio City highly recommends Rose Valley Waterfall, which is part of the Los Padres National Forest.

“It gets four stars,” raved Jones, who was making his first visit to the falls. “I’m just blown away.”

Rose Valley Waterfall is strikingly beautiful and probably the most accessible waterfall in the region. The trail leading to the falls is less than a half-mile from a well-marked trail head at the back of Rose Valley Campground. Paralleling a fast-moving creek, the trail was used for centuries, according to legend, by Chumash Indians who marched their young boys to the falls for a rite of passage.

Jones, who directs TV commercials, could appreciate why the Chumash felt a spiritual presence at the falls. “Wow” was all he could say when he saw it for the first time, suddenly appearing around a bend in the trail. One-hundred feet high, at least 80 feet across, it is a monolith sitting at the end of a narrow tree-lined canyon. Above, ancient oaks stand sentinel, perched over the precipice. The overall effect is that of a cathedral in the woods, with the falls serving as the altar.

“This is where they should have staged the wedding scene at the end of ‘Robin Hood,’ ” Jones said, figuring camera angles in his mind.

Sheets of water unfold over the falls, pouring down in 10-foot-wide swaths. Off to each side, water tumbles over moss-covered rock and becomes a gentle shower. Nimbly stepping over boulders, Jones was able to walk up to the main flow, feel the cold water, touch the moss.

Because it is on the north side of the mountain and sheltered by trees, the waterfall gets little sun and is always cloaked in shadows, adding another dimension to its mystical aura. Jones sat on a fallen tree and looked up at the falls, silently contemplating its majesty, and came to a sudden realization.

“All these amazing photo opportunities,” he said, “and I forgot to bring my camera.”

There is one danger at the Rose Valley falls: loose cozy-dell rock, which resembles Indian arrowheads. Walking uphill on the rock is merely difficult, but coming down is hazardous--there is no traction, making it almost impossible to stop. For this reason, the U.S. Forest Service strongly recommends against trying to climb to the top of the falls.

Leaving the falls, Jones decided to boulder-hop down the stream, which cuts through the canyon below the trail. In one area, he thought he had entered an Italian restaurant, inhaling the pungent fragrance from dozens of bay trees. He stopped at a 20-foot-high secondary falls, admiring its mossy grotto, then he left the forest, describing the experience as “awesome.”

Which is not the word the anonymous hiker used to describe his visit to Big Zuma Falls. He said “awful” a lot. Along with “idiotic” and “waste of time.” The hike did not even pay off with a spectacular waterfall. Big Zuma Falls, off Encinal Canyon Road in the Santa Monica Mountains, is really a series of minor drops and doglegs that go on for maybe 150 or 200 feet through a narrow gorge.

The best view is at the top of the falls, but that necessitates a strenuous climb over sandstone boulders that can cut like coral.

Unless the trail is rebuilt and the stream cleared of debris, a hike to Big Zuma Waterfall is not a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Because the ground is saturated, visiting any waterfall can be dangerous if a sudden rainstorm hits. “A slow-flowing creek can turn into a torrential river very quickly,” said Frank Padilla, a state ranger in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Padilla recommends checking weather forecasts before hiking and adding two hours onto a hike “if you’re not familiar with the terrain.” He also mentioned that rocks around the falls are slippery and often unstable because of the ground water.

So sometimes, when you are yearning to see a waterfall, it might be easier just to haul out the old snapshots of Niagara.